The constellation of Leo in the present and past

The constellation of Leo is one of the twelvezodiacal and known to people from ancient times. Many peoples since the time consider it a symbol of fire, associating with the arid and hot summer solstice. Our ancestors believed that, being between the stars of the Lion, the Sun became stronger and hotter.

Its name is the constellation of Leo due to the ancientthe Egyptians, who noticed that at the time when it appeared in the sky, the Nile dried up, and at night the hungry lions made a loud growl in the desert around the desert. For this reason, it is depicted in the form of a lion, from which a stream of water flows from the mouth. However, there is another version, according to which the constellation received this name. It says that during a drought the parched Nile was filled with locks made in the form of a lion's head.

Another link to the past is the classica myth that tells how the constellation of Leo arose. This legend is associated with the Nemean monster and the exploits of Hercules. It tells that on the lands of Nemea, a city in the northeast of the Peloponnese, a huge lion appeared, several times larger in size than the usual, with an unbreakable arrows skin. This animal lived in the mountains, but ate livestock and people. King Eurystheus instructed Hercules to get rid of the predator.

Bogatyr began to prepare weapons to combatenemy. He made a club of olive trees, tearing it from the roots of the earth, took arrows with a bow, and went to the Nemean lands. Finding the beast, the hero began to shoot at him with arrows, but they bounced off the skin of the lion, as if from a stone wall. Then the mace began to move, but she only irritated the monster. It was invulnerable. Realizing the uselessness of his weapons, Hercules rushed to the predator with his bare hands, and with great effort still coped with it, strangling his inhumanly strong arms. Throwing his carcass by the shoulders, the winner went to the palace of King Eurystheus. The hides of the booty went to the hero and served him as a reliable cloak to death. And the beast himself was taken to heaven and placed in the form of bright stars. This is how, according to legend, the constellation of Leo arose, and in honor of the heroic deed of Hercules began to organize the Nemean Games. When they were held, peace was declared throughout Greece.

In the sky, this constellation occupies the space between Virgo and Cancer and consists of 122 stars, which can be easily seen in our country inlate February and early March at midnight. The largest star in the constellation of Leo is Regulus (meaning "king"), it has a white-blue color and a luminosity, which is 165 times greater than the solar one. Luminaries are slightly smaller: Denebola - it is located at the end of the lion's tail and very close to the Earth; Algeba is in the center of the head, golden yellow, and Wolf is a dwarfish weak red star, its brightness is one hundred thousand times smaller than that of the Sun.

The constellation of Leo is associated with wisdom, courage andforce. It refers to the elements of fire and is controlled by the Sun. He is considered a royal sign, and if a person was born under him, then he will have a royal temper, pride and nobility, as well as the ability to control people.