When is the best time to observe 83 Leonis?

83 Leonis is best observed from February through April, with peak visibility during March when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is 83 Leonis located in the sky?

83 Leonis lies in the constellation Leo at right ascension 11h 27m and declination +03° 01′.

What telescope do I need to split 83 Leonis?

Splitting 83 Leonis requires an aperture of roughly 60 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 28.6″ at magnitudes near 6.5. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

83 Leonis — Double Star in Leo

Magnitude 6.5^m DoubleStar Leo Visible

Star Map + List + Plan Star Hop

Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 6.50

Spectral Type K0IV subgiant

Star Color Orange (B-V 0.79)

Distance 60 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 11h 26m 45.3s

Dec +03° 00' 47.0"

Constellation Leo

HR 4414

HIP 55846

HD 99491

SAO 118864

Flamsteed 83 Leo

Double Cat 8162

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 6.5 mag Companion 7.5 mag Separation 28.6″

Sign in and configure your equipment and default location to see a personalized row.

Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Easy	Easy	Easy
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Easy	Easy	Easy
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Easy	Easy	Easy

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

4Visibility

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Feb – Apr (peak: Mar)

5Multiple Star System Triple C: optical

Components 3 (triple)

Component IDs AB

Separation 28.6″

Companion Mag 7.5

Position Angle 146°

Star Colors A: Orange B: Orange

Discoverer STF1540

Notes

AB 6.51 K0IV, 7.57 K2IV-V, >4000y. Combined mag. 6.16V. C, 9.9v at 90" probably physical.

Separation over time

Measured 1780 → 2019 (239 y)

Separation drift 29.1" → 28.6" (-0.50")

Rate -0.0021" / y

PA drift 145° → 146° (+1°, +0.004°/y)

Essentially fixed on human timescales — the same view your grandchildren will see.

Measured from the WDS observational archive. No orbital solution has been derived — most likely the period is too long to fit an orbit to the available measurement arc.