White supergiant · Leo
η Leonis
Also known as: η Leo, HIP 49583
mag 3.51,300 light-years
About
η Leonis is a white supergiant of magnitude 3.5 in Leo, about 1,300 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Leonis is in the constellation Leo.
- Best evenings: around early April it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 63° S.
- Star patterns: Sickle of Leo.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | η Leonis (η Leo) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 49583 |
| Type | White supergiant |
| Spectral type | A0Ib |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.03 |
| Magnitude | 3.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 1,300 light-yearsThe light you see left it around AD 800. Distances this large are uncertain by 10% or more. |
| Proper motion | 0.002″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 07m 19.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +16° 45′ 46″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →