When is the best time to observe Gamma Leonis?

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

Where is Gamma Leonis located in the sky?

Gamma Leonis lies in the constellation Leone at right ascension 10h 20m and declination +19° 50′.

What telescope do I need to split Gamma Leonis?

Splitting Gamma Leonis requires an aperture of roughly 220 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 4.8″ at magnitudes near 3.8. The companion is about 5.8 magnitudes fainter, so glare from the primary — not separation — sets the minimum aperture. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

Gamma Leonis — Stella doppia in Leone

HIP 50583; Gamma2 Leonis; 41 Leonis

Magnitudine 3.8^m DoubleStar Leone (Leo) Visibile 1 Exoplanet

Mappa stellare + Lista + Piano

Su Gamma Leo

Descrizione

Gamma Leonis B (Gamma-2 Leo) is the fainter half of the famous Algieba double star system in Leo. The pair consists of two K-type giants about 130 light-years away — a K1 primary and a G7 secondary — in a 554-year orbit. Gamma-2 contributes magnitude 3.80 to the combined system magnitude of 1.98. The pair's separation is currently about 4.6 arcseconds and widening slowly.

Consigli per l'osservazione

Gamma Leonis is one of the showpiece double stars of the northern sky. Split the pair with any 3-inch telescope at 100x — both components appear as matching yellow-orange giants. The secondary is about a magnitude fainter than the primary, and the color match makes the scene look like twin suns. Find Algieba on the Lion's mane, partway between Regulus and Adhafera. Best observed February through May.

Storia

The Algieba name (an Arabic word for "forehead" or "mane") traditionally applies to the combined system; modern catalogs distinguish Gamma-1 (the brighter star, named Algieba by the IAU) from Gamma-2. The binary nature was noted by William Herschel in 1782, and the orbit was first computed in the late 19th century.

Curiosità

The Algieba system is one of the oldest known binaries with a fully resolved orbit. A planet (Gamma Leo Ab) has been found around the brighter component, orbiting every 1.2 years — making Algieba one of the rare bright binaries known to host planets around its primary giant. The orbit of the two giants is highly eccentric, with their separation ranging from 125 AU at periastron to 336 AU at apastron.

Osservare

1Proprietà fisiche

Magnitudine 3.80

Intervallo 1.98 - 2.02

Tipo variabile RS CVn (Chromospherically Active)

Tipo spettrale K1- III Fe-1

Distanza 130 ly

2Posizione e identificatori

RA 10h 19m 58.6s

Dec +19° 50' 26.0"

Costellazione Leone (Leo)

HR 4058

HIP 50583

HD 89485

SAO 81299

Bayer Gamma2

Flamsteed 41 Leo

Double Cat 7724

SIMBAD Wikipedia

3Facilità di separazione

Principale 3.8 mag Compagna 9.6 mag Separazione 4.8″

Accedi e configura la tua attrezzatura e località predefinita per vedere una riga personalizzata.

Telescopio	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
Rifrattore 80 mm Rifr. 80mm	M. diff.+	M. diff.+	M. diff.+
Newton 150 mm Newt. 150mm	Diff.	Diff.	Diff.
Celestron C8 (SCT 203 mm) C8 203mm	Diff.+	Diff.+	Diff.+

Facile Medio Difficile Molto difficile Impossibile

Bortle 3 = rurale · 4 = periferia · 5 = suburbano

Per raggiungere "Medio" con Bortle 3, serve almeno un riflettore da 220 mm.

4Visibilità

Imposta una località nelle impostazioni per vedere i dati di visibilità.

Periodo migliore Jan – Mar (peak: Feb)

5Sistema stellare multiplo Quadruple C,D: ottico

Componenti 4 (quadruple)

ID componenti AB

Separazione 4.8″

Mag compagna 9.6

Sp compagna M4V

Angolo di posizione 288°

Colori delle stelle A: Arancione B: Rosso

Scopritore STF1424

Note

See HR 4057.

Separazione nel tempo

Periodo: 554.0 y Eccentricità: 0.930 Ora: 4.7", PA 127° + 0.01" in 5 anni

Distanza apparente nel tempo, calcolata dagli elementi orbitali ORB6. Curve ripide indicano coppie in rapida evoluzione — osservatele finché sono separabili.