Most famous stars of the season constitute the constellation of Leo

We’re now more than a week into the spring season (even if, meteorologically, in some parts of the country it’s still very much wintry), and high in our current evening sky the most famous stars of spring are to be found making up the constellation of Leo, the Lion.

The most noteworthy star of this distinctive pattern is the bluish-white Regulus. According to Richard Hinckley Allen (1838-1908), an expert in stellar nomenclature, this star was known in Arabia as Malikiyy — “the kingly one.”

Yet, Regulus was seemingly always associated in ancient cultures with royalty and kingly power. Copernicus has been credited with giving the star its present name, a diminutive of Rex, or king, which may also relate to the four so-called “Royal Stars” (with Aldebaran, Antares and Fomalhaut) all situated about 90 degrees apart on the sky.

>Read More…