For the week including February 11, 2011

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WINTER’S LION

The onset of the deepest cold and largest snows of winter has, throughout the ages, been linked to Leo, the Lion’s appearance in the eastern sky. As weeks go by and this constellation progresses higher and higher into the sky, our winters begin to moderate and spring is on the way.

Leo is one of the easiest constellations to recognize and is one of the few constellations that actually look like the animal it represents. With little imagination, you can actually see the shape of the lion outlined by its stars. Get to know the stars of Leo, the Lion and year after year you’ll see how accurate these stars are in predicting our weather.

The Sickle: Around mid-evening, look for a large, sickle-shaped star group in the east. Highlighted in red in our illustration, this collection of stars forms the mane and heart of the lion. The Sickle is one of the most famous star groups; once you’ve spotted it, you’ll have no trouble finding it ever again.

Regulus: This is the twenty-first brightest star in the sky and stands out as the most conspicuous star in the east. Its name means “Little King” and it marks the heart of this king of the celestial beasts.

The star marked as Eta (η) used to have an Arabic name like most of the other stars in Leo, but it seems to have been forgotten over the centuries. It’s a shame because Eta Leonis is one of the larger stars in our galaxy. It shines fairly bright in our skies even though it's some 2,000 light years distant. If it was as close to us as the Sun, it would be almost 13,000 times brighter.

Al Geiba: “The Lion’s Mane” is the brightest of the stars in the Sickle. Al Geiba is a double star system that you see well in a backyard telescope. Both stars are a beautiful golden color.

Aldhafera: The “Curl” in Leo’s Mane is about 130 light years away, but is approaching our sun at a speed of close to ten miles a second.

Rasalas: The top star in the Sickle, its name refers to “The Lion’s Head”.

Ras Elased: From the Arabic for “The Southern Star in the Head of the Lion”, Ras Elased is some 340 light years away and shines almost 600 times brighter than the Sun.

Alterf: The “Gaze” or “Glance”. This star has fascinated Leo, the Lion for ages. He looks at it all the time.

Chertan: Also known as Chort or Coxa, this star’s name seems to descend from an ancient reference to the Lion’s rib.

Zosma:  “The Girdle” is about eighty light years away from us and is about fifty times brighter than the sun.

Denebola: Scan down and to the left and you will come to a triangle of stars with Denebola marking the lion’s tail. It’s Denebola that has long been known as a herald of spring. When Denebola is visible above the eastern horizon at sundown, the cold temperatures of winter fade quickly away and the new season begins.

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