Leo

Leo star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations with Greco-Roman background. It has been developed from a Babylonian predecessor (UR.GU.LA)

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Kugel Globe: Cancer, Leo, Hydra, Virgo (drawing by SMH 2024)

Origin of Constellation

Leo and Virgo above the MUŠ-Dragon, two claytablet drawings from the Seleucid era (roughly 2nd century BCE), CC BY SMH based upon the drawings by E. Weidner (1967) and Thureau-Dangin (1922).

Greco-Roman

Aratos

Beneath the Bear’s head are the Twins, beneath her belly the Crab, and under her hind legs the Lion shines brightly. This is where the sun’s track is hottest, [150] and the fields are seen bereft o f their corn-ears when the sun first comes into conjunction with the Lion. This is the time when the whistling etesian winds sweep strongly across the broad sea, and it is no longer seasonable for ships to be under oars. Then let broad-beamed ships be my pleasure, [155] and let helmsmen hold their steering-oars into the wind.

(Kidd 1997)

Almagest Δέοντος.

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Λέουτος ἀστεριῦμόρ.	Constellatian of Leo
1	ὁ ἐπ’ ἄκρου τοῦ μοκτῆρος.	The star on the tip of 'the nostrils'	kap Leo
2	ὁ ἐν τῷ χάσματι	The star in the gaping Jaws	lam Leo
3	τῶν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ β ὁ βορειότερος.	The northernmost of the twa stars in the head	mu Leo
4	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν.	The southernmost of these	eps Leo
5	τῶν ἐν τῷ τραχήλῳ ἡ’ ὁ βόρειος	The northernmost of the 3 stars in the neck	zet Leo
6	ὁ ἐχόμευος καὶ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.	The one close to this, the middle one of the three	gam Leo
7	ὁ φότιος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	eta Leo
8	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς καρδίας καλούμευος Βασιλίσκος.	The star on the heart, called 'Regulus'	alf Leo
9	ὁ φοτιώτερος αὐτοῦ καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους	The one south of this, about an the chest	31 Leo
10	ὁ μικρῷ προηγούμευος τοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς καρδίας.	The star a little in advance of the star on the heart	nu Leo
11	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ χόνατος	The star on the right knee	psi Leo
12	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμπροσθίας δεξιᾶς δρακός	The star on the right front claw--clutch	xi Leo
13	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμπροσθίας καὶ ἀριστερᾶς δρακός.	The star: an the left front claw-clutch	omi Leo
14	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόρατος.	The star-an the left [front] knee	pi Leo
15	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόρατος.	The Star an the left armpit	rho Leo
16	τῶν ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τριῶν ὁ προηγούμενος.	The most advanced of the three stars in the belly	46 Leo
17	τῶν λοιπῶν καὶ ἐπομένων β’ ὁ βόρειος.	The northernmost of the other, rearmost 2	52 Leo
18	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν.	The southernmost af these [ two ]	53 Leo
19	τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ὀσφύος β ὁ προηγούμενος.	The nlore advanced of the two stars on the rump	60 Leo
20	ὁ ἑπόμενος αὐτῶν	The rearmast of them	del Leo
21	τῶν ἐκ τοῦς χλουτοῖς β’ ὁ βορειότερος.	The northernmost of the 2 stars in the buttocks	81 Leo
22	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	tet Leo
23	ὁ ἐν τοῖς ὀπισθομήροις..	The star in the hind thighs	iot Leo
24	ὁ ἐν ταῖς ὀπισθίαις ἀγκύλαις	The star in the hind leg-bends	sig Leo
25	ὁ τούτου νοτιώτερος ὡς ἐ» τοῦς πήχεσι	The one south of this, about in the lower legs	tau Leo
26	ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀπισθύων δρακῶν.	The star on the hind claw-clutches	ups Leo
27	ὁ ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς οὐρᾶς	The star on the end of the tail	bet Leo
	ἀστέρες κξ, ὧν αἱ μεγέθους β, β’ β, γ’ς, δ’η, ε' ε, ς' ὅ.	27 stars, 2 of the first magnitude, 2 of the second, 6 of the third, 8 of the fourth, 5 of the fifth, 4 of the sixth
	Οἱ περὶ τὸν Λέουτα ἀμόρφωτοι.	Stars around Leo outside the constellation:
28	ὁ τῶν ὑπὲρ τὸν νῶτον β ὁ προηγούμευος	The more advanced of the 2 over the back	41 LMi
29	ὁ ἐπόμευος αὐτῶν	The rearmost of them	54 Leo
30	τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν λαγόνα τ’ ὁ βόρειος.	The northernmost of the 3 under the flank	chi Leo
31	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν.	The middle one of these	59 Leo
32	ὁ νότιος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	58 Leo
33	τῆς μεταξὺ τῶν ἄκρων τοῦ Λέουτος καὶ τῆς Ἄρκτου κεφελοειδοῦς σοστροφῆς καλουμένου Πλοκάμου τὸ βορειότατον	The northernmost part of the nebulous mass between the edges of Leo and Ursa [Major], called Coma [Berenices]	15 Com
34	τῶν νοτίων τοῦ Πλοκάμου ἐξοχῶν ἡ προηγουμένη	The most advanced of the southern outrunners of Coma	7 Com
35	ἡ ἐπομένη αὐτῶν ἐν σχήματι φύλλου κισσίνου	The rearmost of them, shaped like an ivy leaf	23 Com
	ἀστέρες ἐ, ὧν δ’ μεγέθους ἂ, ε’ ὃ, καὶ ὁ Πλόκαμος.

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)