Leo the Lion is a very famous constellation to all human kind. It resembles a crouching lion. In this report I will give facts, information, and religion and fairy-tales about this amazing constellation.

Facts: This constellation is located in the northern hemisphere. The best time to see it is during February to June after sunset. The brightest star in this constellation is called Regulus. This star is twice as far from Earth than Denebola, the second brightest star in Leo, still is it is brighter because it is heavier. There is a star in Leo called Wolf 359, strange name, and it is the closest star to earth. Regulus is 78 light years away, and is often not seen because it gets blocked by the moon. There are fifteen stars in Leo.

Information: Leo the Lion is located next to Ursa Major, Cancer, and Hydra. You can find this constellation easily by looking for the sickle. Near Leo, there are eight galaxies to see. From Earth though, they just look like planets. When I meant by heavier, I meant by hotter, denser it is, and how much is weighs. Some scientists say that stars that burn brightly use up their fuel faster, causing their life to be much shorter than other stars, though this has not proved to be true. There are a couple groups of galaxies in Leo the lion. In one of them, there is a galaxy the scientists call M96, which is the heart of the small group.

Religion and Fairy-tales: For thousands of years (Not Billions!) Leo the Lion has been thought to be the spitting image of a crouching lion getting ready to pounce onto his enemy; Hercules. As the story goes, Leo the lion was a terrible cave monster which terrorized the people who lived near it, who ended up being the Romans. So they sent the Hero and leader, Hercules, to defeat the Lion. It was also believed that Leo had his belly and sides armored. Heracles had many challenges before, some extremely crazy, but this topped them all. In the end, well I’ll just play it safe and say that Heracles had a new hood ornament.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the constellation Leo the Lion. For more reports, look for more reports at www.survivingtheoregontrail.com.

Book Resources:
The Stars
By H. A. Rey