Constellation Leo Minor (Lesser Lion)

Leo Minor
Leo Minor: IAU Constellation Map [150]

Properties

Leo Minor lies between the large and bright constellations Leo and Ursa Maior. The amorphous star formation is composed of several weak stars of 4th magnitude. The most striking is a long, isosceles triangle with the base in the south, parallel to the celestial equator. The area is 232 square degrees and the center culminates around midnight on February 24th. [9, 15]

Stars with Proper Names [154]
46 LMi Praecipua
Data for constellation Leo Minor [150]
IAU NameLeo Minor
IAU GenitiveLeonis Minoris
IAU Abbr.LMi
English NameLesser Lion
Opposition21 February
Season (47° N)October … June
Right Ascension09h 22m 35s … 11h 06m 51s
Declination+22° 50' 15" … +41° 25' 54"
Area232 deg2
Neighbours (N↻)UMa, Lyn, Cnc, Leo

Deep-Sky Object Descriptions

Catalogues

History

Leo Minor was introduced by the Danzig astronomer Johannes Hevelius in his work Prodromus Astronomiae 1690. The designation of the stars has remained very fragmentary, as most celestial cartographers ignored this constellation. Only the second brightest star was designated with a Greek letter: β Leonis Minoris. The brightest star is 46 Leonis Minoris (Praecipua). [7]

References

  • [7] «Der grosse Kosmos-Himmelsführer» von Ian Ridpath und Wil Tirion; Kosmos Verlag; ISBN 3-440-05787-9
  • [9] «Drehbare Sternkarte SIRIUS» von H. Suter-Haug; Hallwag-Verlag, Bern
  • [15] «Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes» by David Malin and David J. Frew; Melbourne University Press 1995; ISBN 0-522-84553-3
  • [150] IAU: The Constellations, 11. Oktober 2020; iau.org/public/themes/constellations
  • [154] Yale Bright Star Catalog, 15. Oktober 2020; tdc-www.harvard.edu/catalogs/bsc5.html