Leo Minor Constellation Myths and Facts

Leo Minor: The Little Lion

Pronunciation: LEE-oh MY-ner
Leo Minor, The Little Lion
Leo Minor as depicted by Johannes Hevelius in his Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia (1687). Source image provided by www.RareMaps.com — Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.
Leo Minor Constellation Profile
Abbreviation: LMi Genitive: Leonis Minoris
Origin: Hevelius Location: Northern Hemisphere
Best View (North): Spring Best View (South):
Bordering Constellations: Ursa Major, Lynx, Cancer, Leo

The Myth Behind the Constellation Leo Minor

Leo Minor, “The Little Lion” is a modern constellation created by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius to fill in the unformed areas on his chart.  It first appeared on his 1690 star atlas Firmamentum Sobiescianum.  Being a newer constellation, Leo Minor has no Greek mythology associated to it, but the ancient Egyptians saw this group of stars as hoof prints left by gazelles fleeing from Leo, the lion.

Leo Minor Constellation Points of Interest

Interesting stars and objects.

Bright Stars in Leo Minor

There are no stars in Leo Minor with a magnitude of 3.0 or brighter.