The Moon stalks the heart of the lion tonight. And seen from Hawaii, it’ll catch it. The Moon will “occult” the heart, blocking it from view.

The lion’s heart is Regulus, the brightest star of Leo. The name Regulus means “the little king.” It was introduced 500 years ago. But the star’s association with royalty goes back much farther.

In ancient Persia, Regulus was one of the four “royal” stars – four especially bright stars near the ecliptic – the Sun’s path across the sky. The stars are roughly evenly spaced around the ecliptic. That means each star is at its best during a different season. So each star was considered the “guardian” of its season. Regulus is closer to the ecliptic than the other three guardians, so it was the most important of them all – a king among kings.

The Moon stays close to the ecliptic as well, straying only a few degrees to either side. So it circles past the same stars every month – including Regulus. Right now, the Moon’s path carries it especially close. And that’s easy to see tonight.

Regulus is below the Moon as night falls. But as the hours roll by, the Moon will creep closer and closer to the bright star. As seen from the continental United States, they’ll be separated by no more than about one degree as they set, before dawn – the width of a pencil held at arm’s length. And from Hawaii, the Moon will catch the star – “eclipsing” the little king.

Script by Damond Benningfield