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| English name | Lesser Lion | ||||
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| Major stars | No star of the constellation exceeds the magnitude 3,5. | ||||
| Description | Very weak constellation, between Ursa Maior and Leo. It doesn't contain particular objects visible with small telescopes. | ||||
| Mythology and history | The constellation was drawn in 1687 by Johannes Hevelius. Curiously, it hasn't a star alpha, although there is a star beta Leonis Minoris: it seems that this is due to a slip of the English astronomer Francis Baily, who left without letter, by mistake, the brightest star of the constellation. Hevelius probably gave this star the name of Praecipua ("principal", in Latin), but such denomination was out of luck. Today the brightest star of Leo Minor is identified with the Flamsteed number: 46 Leonis Minoris. |
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