Starwatch: the moon passes the bright star of the lion's breast

The moon slides through the constellation of Leo, the Lion, this week, passing the bright star Regulus along the way. The chart shows the view looking east from London at midnight tonight, as 16 December becomes 17 December 2019. The moon is approaching its last quarter phase, when only the western hemisphere remains illuminated. This occurs when the moon moves in to the last week of the lunar month. In Greek mythology, Leo was a murderous creature with golden fur that was impervious to weapons. It was finally defeated by the hero Heracles who used his bare hands to kill it. The star Regulus, whose name means “prince”, is a bright, white star. It lies just 79 light years from earth and contains almost 4 times the mass of the sun. Although it appears to be a single star, it is made up of four stars together but it is the light from Regulus A that dominates the group. The star was listed in Babylonian star charts as “star of the Lion’s breast”.