Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern
constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the
ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the
zodiac. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Arabs, and Greeks all represented this constellation as a lion; it may be the first constellation to be pictorially represented. The most famous star in Leo is
Regulus (Alpha Leonis). The western part of the constellation is a curved line known as the Sickle; it represents the lion's head. The main constellation terminates in Denebola (Beta Leonis), the Lion's Tail. The
meteor showers known as the Leonids appear to come from this constellation. Leo reaches its highest point in the evening sky in April.
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