If you are an early riser this week, step outside before sunrise and look toward the east and south-east. High above the horizon, the constellation of Leo, the Lion, is hosting a rare little gathering: the bright planet Jupiter, the reddish planet Mars, the star Regulus and, for a couple of mornings, a slim waning Moon.
Who Is in the Lion's Den?
In the real sky – the sky of the 13 constellations of the zodiac – Jupiter has been travelling through Leo for several weeks, and it is easily the brightest point of light in that part of the sky. Mars has only just crossed the border from Cancer into Leo and now shines with a steady, orange-red glow a few degrees west of Jupiter. Close by sits Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, marking the heart of the Lion.
On Monday, November 2, the Moon itself moves out of Cancer and into Leo in the afternoon, passing Mars later that day. By the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, November 3, the crescent Moon, about one-third lit, will stand between Jupiter and Regulus – an easy and beautiful sight with the naked eye, and even better through binoculars.
Regulus, the Little King
Regulus lies almost exactly on the ecliptic, the path that the Sun, Moon and planets follow across the sky. That is why the Moon and planets so often pass close to it. Its name comes from Latin and means "little king", a translation of the older Greek name Basiliskos. Babylonian astronomers already counted it among the royal stars, and for many ancient cultures it was the star that marked the Lion's heart.
Astronomically, Regulus is a hot, blue-white star about 79 light-years away. It spins so fast – completing a rotation in less than a day – that it is noticeably flattened at its poles, bulging at its equator like a spinning ball of dough.
The Lion of Myth
The Greeks identified Leo with the Nemean Lion, the invulnerable beast defeated by Heracles as the first of his twelve labours. Because its golden hide could not be pierced by any weapon, Heracles wrestled the lion with his bare hands and afterwards wore its skin as armour. Zeus, according to the story, placed the lion among the stars in honour of the struggle.
Leo in 13-Sign Astrology
In the astrology of the 13 signs, which follows the Sun's true passage through the constellations, the Sun is in Leo from August 11 to September 16 – not from late July as in the traditional 12-sign zodiac, which no longer matches the sky because of the precession of the equinoxes. People born under the real Leo often find that its themes of warmth, courage and generosity speak to them in a new way. If you'd like to know where the Sun really stood on your birthday, the tables in Astrology of the 13 Signs of the Zodiac give the exact dates for every sign.
How to See It
Look east to south-east in the last two hours before dawn on November 2 and 3. Jupiter is the brilliant "star" that does not twinkle; Mars is the fainter, orange one; Regulus is the blue-white star lower down and to the east of Jupiter. Find the Moon, and the rest of the Lion's court will be close at hand.
Vasilis Kanatas
Delphi, November 2026