Leo
The lion of spring skies
Best on March–May evenings · northern sky.
Leo is one of the few constellations that actually looks like what it's supposed to be — a reclining lion stretching across the spring sky. It's home to brilliant Regulus, one of the brightest stars in the northern sky, and a distinctive backwards question-mark pattern called the Sickle that traces the lion's mane and head.
How to find it
Best seen on spring evenings from the northern hemisphere, when Leo rides high in the south. Start from the Big Dipper: the two stars forming the bottom of its bowl point southward toward Regulus, the bright blue-white star marking the lion's heart. From Regulus, look north and slightly west for the curved arc of the Sickle, then sweep east to find Denebola at the lion's tail.
Brightest stars
Regulus leads the pride at magnitude 1.35, a hot blue-white star sitting almost exactly on the ecliptic. Denebola marks the tail at magnitude 2.14, with Zosma (2.56) and the golden double Algieba (2.61) filling out the lion's back and mane.
Worth seeing
The Sickle is the naked-eye showpiece — a graceful backwards question-mark of six stars curving up from Regulus through Algieba and Ras Elased Australis, one of the most satisfying outlines in the entire sky.
Frequently asked
When is Leo visible?
Leo is best seen on spring evenings, roughly March through May, when it rides high in the southern sky for northern hemisphere observers. It's also visible from the southern hemisphere but appears lower in the northern sky there.
What are the brightest stars in Leo?
Regulus at magnitude 1.35 is by far the brightest, followed by Denebola (2.14) at the lion's tail, Zosma (2.56), and Algieba (2.61) in the mane. Together they outline the lion's body from tail to chest.
Which hemisphere is Leo best seen from?
Leo is best placed for northern hemisphere observers, where it climbs high in the south on spring evenings. Southern hemisphere observers can see it too, but it stays relatively low in the northern sky.
Nearby constellations
Cancer · Hydra · Ursa Major · Corvus · Virgo · Gemini · Puppis · Boötes