Facts about Leo Constellation
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Approximately 4.9 million years ago, a gamma-ray burst from a magnetar within Leo Constellation may have contributed to mass extinction events on Earth.
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M95, a barred spiral galaxy within Leo Constellation, lies approximately 33 million light-years away and experienced a supernova explosion observed in 2012.
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Leo Constellation contains the Leo Triplet, three interacting spiral galaxies including M65 and M66 located approximately 35 million light-years away.
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In 1966, astronomers discovered Leo I, a dwarf elliptical galaxy located approximately 820,000 light-years away, orbiting the Milky Way as a satellite galaxy.
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Wolf 359, a faint red dwarf star located 7.9 light-years from Earth, resides within Leo Constellation and represents one of the nearest stars to our solar system.
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Algieba, Leo Constellation's third brightest star, is a binary system located approximately 130 light-years away with an orbital period of 510 years.
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Denebola, Leo Constellation's second brightest star, is located approximately 36 light-years away and rotates approximately 50 times faster than our Sun.
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During the zodiac year, the Sun passes through Leo Constellation from approximately August 10 to September 16, making it the fifth astrological sign.
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Leo Constellation spans approximately 947 square degrees of sky, making it the 12th largest constellation by area in the celestial sphere.
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Ancient Babylonians identified Leo Constellation around 3000 BCE and associated it with the lion killed by Heracles in Greek mythology.
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The brightest star in Leo Constellation, Regulus, shines at magnitude 1.35 and lies approximately 79 light-years from Earth.