"In like a lion and out like a lamb" is an apt description for the month in which spring begins.
(This year, spring starts on Wednesday, March 20). While Leo the Lion rises over the south-southeastern horizon, the constellation
Aries the Lamb sets over the western horizon. And so the muted stars of spring appear lamblike in comparison to the bright stars of winter.
Throughout the ages, cultures from around the world have viewed Leo, the feline constellation, quite differently.
During the time of Ptolemy (150 A.D.), Leo was drawn to include the stars west of Cancer the Crab and the stars east of the faint
constellation known as Coma Berenices. Some of the various Indian tribes of northern Brazil see a crayfish within the stars of Leo,
while others see a figure named Tauna, the God of Thunder and Lightning. These Indians believe that heavy thunderstorms are caused
by Tauna bashing clouds with his large club. To those in the arctic regions of Siberia, the backwards-question-mark-shaped stars form
a curled-up sleeping woman.
Our modem depiction of Leo has the backwards-question-mark shape as the head and mane of the lion. The body
ends at a small triangle of stars to the east. The star name "Regulus" refers to the heart of the lion, while "Denebola" is derived
from an Arabic word meaning tail of the lion. While Leo the Lion is a prom inent constellation, its counterpart, Leo Minor is difficult,
if not impossible, to see. This constellation is not from the classical mythologies as it was created during the 16th century by the
Polish astronomer Hevelius (1611-87). According to ancient Chinese astrologers, the clarity of Leo Minor before an election foretold
that meritorious men were to be elected. Interestingly, these stars are rarely seen in this country.
