The constellation of Leo the Lion is instantly recognizable: this starry feline is delineated with a backward question mark followed by a right triangle. Outlined in stars of 3rd magnitude or brighter, the heart of the lion is the brilliant Regulus, its name meaning “Little King.” This 1st magnitude star is the dot at the base of the question mark, or rather, the end of the handle for those preferring the aptly named “Sickle” asterism. Leo has a rich mythology, and since it is a constellation of the zodiac, it occasionally hosts the wandering planets, the Moon and the Sun.

Leo also forms a gateway of sorts to the multitude of springtime galaxies. While located far, far beyond the stars comprising the constellation, it is curious to note the coincidence that the brighter of these galaxies, too, outline the celestial king of beasts. It’s as if the coat of the lion is studded with tiny spirals and barred galaxies and ellipticals. Surprised? Look in a good star chart like Sky Atlas 2000.0. Better yet, take the chart, binoculars or a modest telescope and check the sky for yourself!

Off the “nose” of the lion lies the pretty spiral designated NGC 2903 with its mottled halo of spiral arms (left).  Along the back of the lion’s mane, just north of Gamma, one finds the peculiar spiral NGC 3190 and its companions: barred spiral NGC 3187 and elliptical NGC 3193 (below right). And just above the punctuating dot is the faint member of our local group of galaxies, Leo I. Glare from the lion’s heart--Regulus--must be kept to a minimum before this dwarf elliptical galaxy is seen.

A bit more than halfway along the lion’s body from Regulus are three galaxies included in Messier’s famous catalog. M96 and M95 were both discovered by P. Mechain and lie in the same low-power field of view. The third, M105 was also discovered by Mechain in 1781, but only added the to list in 1947 upon the discovery of a long-lost letter between the two French observers. Besides completing the M-triple, M105 belongs in a trio of its own with NGC 3384 and NGC 3389: an elliptical, a smooth lenticular and a loosely-wound spiral.

And just below the triangular hindquarters is another triangle--all spirals this time--including two Messier galaxies, M65 and M66, both of which were also discovered by Mechain. About a half-degree to the northeast lies NGC 3628. Why did both Messier and Mechain miss the latter? In reality these three float with the other nearby M-galaxies in the Leo Galaxy Cloud, some 30 million light years distant.

Curiously, it seems that Leo’s galaxies tend to come in trios. This too is probably just another coincidence. After all, galaxies preferrentially come in clusters. Leo even has a double trio plus one: Copeland’s Septet. Small and faint, this grouping is just visible in large amateur telescopes under the best conditions. Located above the triangular hindquarters, perhaps this cluster can represent the tuft of fur at the tip of the tail.

Leo’s galaxies are just an observer’s warm-up for the realm of the Virgo and Coma galactic clusters to the east. Part of the attraction is their brightness, being only half as far away as the giant ellipticals in Virgo. Also, a variety of overall shapes and morphological detail can be seen. Galactic bars, rings, dust lanes, uneven brightness and exploding supernovae are all visible to amateur observers and CCD’ers. This is the stuff that brings galaxies alive for me: faint fuzzy, “barely theres” are really billions of stars in continual birth and death. Their light intermingles with interstellar dust, a tiny fraction of which will form the next generation of stars and planets. Spirals are disfigured by the distorting action of gravity at millions of light year’s distance. All are clues to the how the planets we see above, the Moon and our Sun come to wander past these galaxies and through the stars of Leo the Lion.

Highly recommended: The Night Sky Observer's Guide, Volume 2, Spring & Summer, by G.R. Kepple and G.W. Sanner (1998, Willmann-Bell) -- Where it's at: Sky Atlas 2000.0 by W. Tirion (1981, Sky Publishing) -- Got binoculars? Touring the Universe Through Binoculars by P. S. Harrington (1990,  Wiley) -- A celestial guide to Leo:  The Universe From Your Backyard by D.J. Eicher (1988, Kalmbach) -- History of the catalog: Messier's Nebulae & Star Clusters by K.G. Jones (1991, Cambridge). Moondark is written by Doug Miller and published on the web, in the Delmarva Star Gazers' Star Gazer News and in the Delaware Astronomical Society's FOCUS. Please address comments and suggestions to dmiller@udel.edu. This document was last revised on 22 March 1999. All text and images copyright © 1999 Douglas C. Miller, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.