What Are Some Interesting Facts About Leo the Constellation?

Do you need some interesting facts about Leo the constellation?  It is the fifth of the 12 signs of the zodiac and can be seen between the constellations of Virgo and Cancer.  Read on for more information about how it was named, what it consists of, and its part in astrology. 

Here are some interesting facts about viewing Leo:

• It is best to view Leo in the spring if you live in the northern hemisphere and in the autumn in the southern hemisphere. 
• Its location is right ascension 11 hours and declination +15 degrees. 
• Its most visible star is Regulus, which is located in the lion’s breast. 
• Around the middle of November you can see the Leonids meteor showers. 
• Leo looks like a crouching lion that faces west. 
• There is a sickle shape of stars that mark his head and mane.    

Myths About the Constellation Leo

Some of the interesting facts about Leo the Constellation deal with the mythology surrounding it: 

• In Greek mythology, the Nemean Lion was unbeatable and Hera put him on earth to kill Hercules. 
• Hercules was given 12 labors as penance and his first labor was to kill the Nemean lion. 
• The lion was said to have skin that could not be pierced so Hercules strangled him. 
• He took one of his claws to skin the lion and wore the skin as protection. 
• Zeus made him a constellation in honor of his death.        

Leo Constellation Over Time

Another interesting fact about Leo deals with the civilizations that have recognized it: 

• Other civilizations that recognized this constellation included the Romans, Egyptians, Babylonians, Indians, and Persians. 
• The Egyptians worshipped Leo because the sun was in that constellation when the Nile flooded every year. 
• Early people associated the lion with the sun because the sun went through that constellation during the summer solstice.  That time of the summer was the realm of the sun.          

Constellations and Astrology

Since Leo is a constellation, here are some interesting facts about the zodiac. 

• The Babylonians are responsible for the zodiac. 
• They wanted to measure time in space so they divided the sun’s path into 12 sections. 
• Each had a constellation and since most were named after animals, it was called the “zodiakos kyklos" or "animal circle."

Here are the 12 signs of the zodiac:

• Aries - (Ram) - March 21 - April 20
• Taurus - (Bull) - April 21 - May 21
• Gemini - (Twins) - May 22 - June 21
• Cancer - (Crab) - June 22 - July 22
• Leo - (Lion) - July 23 -August 21
• Virgo - (Virgin) - August 22 - September 23
• Libra - (Scales) - September 24 - October 23
• Scorpio - (Scorpion) - October 24 - November 22
• Sagittarius - (The Archer) - November 23 - December 22
• Capricorn - (Sea Goat) - December 23 - January 20
• Aquarius - (Water Bearer) - January 21 - February 19
• Pisces - (Fish) - February 20- March 20

Astrologers believe that the sun’s position when you were born has a bearing on your personality. If you were born when the sun was in the constellation Leo, then here are some interesting facts about your sun sign, or your zodiac sign.

• Positive traits for Leos are: creative, good-hearted, faithful, energetic, generous, independent, loving, confident, and ambitious.
• Negative traits include: bossy, intolerant, pompous, arrogant, self-centered, patronizing, and dogmatic.

To delve deeper into astrology, you need to look at the earth elements of earth, fire, air, and water.  Each element has three zodiac signs. They are:

• Earth - Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus
• Fire - Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius
• Air - Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius
• Water - Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces

You can see that if fire is put out with water, people of these signs may not get along. Also, fire burns earth, so these signs are not too compatible either.  Since fire needs air, then people with those signs will get along.  Of course, these are broad speculations and there is more to it than just your element and sun sign.  Best matches for a Leo are: Libra, Aries, Sagittarius, and Gemini.

So, now you know interesting facts about Leo the constellation and also some interesting facts about Leo as a zodiac sign.