Pronunciation:

(LEE-oh MY-ner)

Abbreviation:

LMi

  Genitive:

Leonis Minoris

Right Ascension:

10 hours

  Declination:

35 degrees

Area in Square Degrees:

232

Crosses Meridian:

9 PM, April 10

Visible Between Latitudes:

90 and -45 degrees

The constellation Leo Minor, the lion cub, is completely visible at latitudes north of -48 degrees from January through March. It is a small constellation occupying only 232 square degrees of the sky. It ranks 64th in size among the 88 constellations in the night sky. It lies between the larger and more recognizable Ursa Major to the north and Leo to the south.

There are no myths associated with Leo Minor. It is a relatively new constellation created from a dark region of the sky. Ancient astronomers considered the region to be undefined with no distinct patterns. The stars in this area were originally considered to be part of the constellation Leo. It was the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius who first depicted Leo Minor as a separate constellation in his star atlas in 1687. It was one of ten new constellations in his new star atlas, Firmamentum Sobiescianum. In 1870, the English astronomer Richard Proctor attempted to rename the constellation to Leaena, the Lioness, in an attempt to shorten the name. But the new name was not widely accepted and the name Leo Minor exists to this day. It is the only constellation with no alpha star designation. This is due to an error when the constellation was cataloged.