Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Leo, a handsome constellation

Sometimes, when I find a good picture, I just have to write something here so I can post the picture! And this is the case now. So, is anyone here a Leo? (WHAT???? I am an astrology fan? Eh... no, no and no. But you see, Leo is not just an astrological sign, it is an astronomical constellation, too! And a very handsome one at that!)

So I think Leo is perhaps the only constellation in the heavens that actually looks the way its name sounds, if you understand what I mean. No, really, there is another constellation whose looks suits its name, and that is Scorpius.

So Leo the Lion actually looks like a lion, or at least I think so! In fact, I think it looks like a magnificent Egyptian sphinx. Here is a picture of the constellation of Leo:



I see a lion lying down like a sphinx, looking right. We see the lion's profile. Compare the picture of the constellation with this picture of a sphinx:



Leo the Lion makes a very handsome and noticable stellar outline in the urban skies, where fainter lights are washed out. My only complaint about Leo is that is is only "skin deep" - there are no colorful nebulae or pretty clusters to be found there. That's because Leo is situated well "above" the plane of the Milky Way.

The other constellation that looks much like the way it sounds, Scorpius, straddles the plane of the Milky Way and is incredibly full of nebulae and clusters. I have to show you two pictures of it, one to show you the general outline of the constellation, and one to show you the magnificence of it. This is the outline of the stellar Scorpion:



And here is the magnificence of it!

Ann