When is the best time to observe Adhafera?

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

Where is Adhafera located in the sky?

Adhafera lies in the constellation Leo at right ascension 10h 17m and declination +23° 25′.

What telescope do I need to see Adhafera?

At magnitude 3.4, Adhafera is visible to the naked eye from dark skies, easy in any binoculars.

Adhafera — Star in Leo

HIP 50335; Zeta Leonis; 36 Leonis

Magnitude 3.4^m Star Leo Visible

Star Map + List + Plan

About Adhafera

Description

Adhafera, Zeta Leonis, is an F-type giant of spectral class F0 IIIa about 274 light-years away. It marks the top of the Sickle of Leo — the distinctive backward-question-mark asterism formed by the Lion's head and mane. Adhafera shines at magnitude 3.44, has a mass of about 3 Suns, and is slightly variable due to mild surface pulsations. A faint optical companion is visible at 5.6 arcminutes — far too distant to be physically associated.

Observing Tips

Adhafera forms the topmost point of the Sickle, with Algieba just below it. Binoculars reveal the distant optical companion (magnitude 6) as a wide, unrelated pair. Adhafera is a relatively modest white-yellow point compared to the brighter Regulus anchoring the base of the Sickle. Best observed February through May.

History

The name comes from the Arabic "al-ḍafīrah" meaning "the braid" or "tuft of hair" — a reference to the lion's mane. The IAU formally adopted the name in 2016.

Fun Facts

Adhafera sits at a galactic latitude of 51 degrees, far above the Milky Way plane. Combined with its relatively young age (about 600 million years), this makes it a useful calibration star for surveys of intermediate-age disk stars in this rarely sampled region of the sky.