1687年,約翰·赫維留在《赫维留星图》(Firmamentum Sobiescianum)勾勒包括小狮座在内的十个新星座,成为历史上定义小狮座的第一人[4]。他还把星座内十八个天体纳入《赫维留星表》(Catalogus Stellarum Fixarum)[5]。赫维留决定以小狮座命名,对应附近的狮子座和大熊座[6]。1845年,英格兰天文学家弗朗西斯·贝利修订赫维留的星表和星图,用拜耳命名法为所有亮度超过4.5视星等的恒星命名[7]。1870年,理查德·普罗克特(Richard A. Proctor)用伪历史人物“Leaena”(意为“母狮”)为小狮座命名[3],自称是为缩短名称,方便天体图上标识[8]。
德国天文学家克里斯蒂安·路德维希·艾德勒(Christian Ludwig Ideler)认为,樞機斯蒂法诺·波吉亚(Stefano Borgia)发现后存放在韋萊特里的13世纪阿拉伯天文仪上就有小狮座恒星,称为“瞪羚母子”(Al Thibā' wa-Aulāduhā)[9][10]。但阿拉伯学者弗里德里希·威廉·拉赫(Friedrich Wilhelm Lach)表示不同看法,认为小狮座的位置在天文仪上称为“池塘”,意指瞪羚跳进去嬉戏[3]。中国古天文学将小狮座内大部分恒星用“势”或“内平”命名[11],或与附近狮子座的恒星联系起来组成龙及其他物体[3][10]。还有一颗恒星与狮子座的三颗恒星连成一线,均称为“少微”[11]。
哈尼天体是2007年星系動物園志愿者、荷兰教师哈尼·凡·阿克尔(Hanny van Arkel)在小狮座发现的独特深空天体,位于近6.5亿光年外的IC 2497螺旋星系附近,尺寸接近银河系[62]。哈尼天体内有宽1.6万光年的空洞[63],估计天体实际上是类星体的可见光回波[64],类星体应该已在至少20万年前中止活动[62]。
Kovtyukh, V. V.; Chekhonadskikh, F. A.; Luck, R. E.; Soubiran, C.; Yasinskaya, M. P.; Belik, S. I. Accurate Luminosities for F-G Supergiants from Fe II/Fe I Line Depth Ratios. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 2010, 408 (3): 1568–1575. Bibcode:2010MNRAS.408.1568K. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17217.x.
Motz, Lloyd; Nathanson, Carol. The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky. London, United Kingdom: Aurum Press. 1991. ISBN 978-1-85410-088-7.
Nogami, Daisaku; Masuda, Seiji; Kato, Taichi. The 1994 Superoutburst of the New SU UMa-type Dwarf Nova, SX Leonis Minoris. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 1997, 109: 1114–1121. Bibcode:1997PASP..109.1114N. doi:10.1086/133983.
O'Meara, Stephen James. Deep-Sky Companions: The Secret Deep. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 2011. ISBN 978-0-521-19876-9.
Ridpath, Ian; Tirion, Wil. Stars and Planets Guide. Princeton University Press. 2001. ISBN 0-691-08913-2.
Robertson, J. W.; Honeycutt, R. K.; Turner, G. W. RZ Leonis Minoris, PG 0943+521, and V1159 Orionis: Three Cataclysmic Variables with Similar and Unusual Outburst Behavior. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 1995, 107: 443–449. Bibcode:1995PASP..107..443R. doi:10.1086/133572.
Skiff, Brian A.; Lockwood, G.W. The Photometric Variability of Solar-type Stars. V. The Standard Stars 10 and 11 Leonis Minoris. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 1986, 98 (601): 338–341. Bibcode:1986PASP...98..338S. JSTOR 40678678. doi:10.1086/131763.
Thompson, Robert Bruce; Thompson, Barbara Fritchman. Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders: From Novice to Master Observer. North Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly Media. 2007. ISBN 978-0-596-52685-6.
Wagman, Morton. Lost Stars: Lost, Missing and Troublesome Stars from the Catalogues of Johannes Bayer, Nicholas Louis de Lacaille, John Flamsteed, and Sundry Others. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company. 2003. ISBN 978-0-939923-78-6.
Wagner, R. Mark; Thorstensen, John R.; Honeycutt, R. K.; Howell, S. B.; Kaitchuck, R. H.; Kreidl, T. J.; Robertson, J. W.; Sion, E. M.; Starrfield, S. G. A Photometric and Spectroscopic Study of the Cataclysmic Variable SX Leonis Minoris in Quiescence and Superoutburst. The Astronomical Journal. 1998, 109 (2): 787–800. Bibcode:1998AJ....115..787W. doi:10.1086/300201.
Beck, Sara J. Delta Scuti and the Delta Scuti variables. Variable Star of the Season. AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers). 2010-04-13 [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2020-05-24).
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Results for NGC 285. NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2018-10-11).
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Results for NGC 3003. NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2018-11-16).
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Results for NGC 3344. NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2020-07-23).
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Results for NGC 3486. NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2020-07-23).
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Results for NGC 3504. NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2019-02-27).
Ridpath, Ian. Urania's Mirror. Old Star Atlases. 1988 [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2020-08-17).
Interacting Galaxy Pair Arp 107. Spitzer Space Telescope website. Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology. 2005-06-09 [2020-08-26]. (原始内容存档于2020-08-03).