Star profile

61 Leonis

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is 61 Leonis

61 Leonis lies deep within the Lion, far from the bright curve of the Sickle. It is an orange K-type giant glowing with the cold, ancient light of a star past its prime, almost 585 light-years away. The radiance landing in your eyes tonight set out around 1440 —before Gutenberg's first printed page— and has crossed a stretch of galaxy equal to millions of Solar System widths.

Where it is and when to see it

61 Leonis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is March, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 59° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 88° N.

It ranks no. 25 in brightness among the 80 stars of Leo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Regulus, the brightest: it lies about 20° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 580 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on 61 Leonis

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

Write my signature

A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for 61 Leonis

Constellation: Leo
Apparent magnitude: 4.73
Distance: 584.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 165.457° · Dec -2.485°
Catalogue: HIP 53907 · HD 95578

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Leo

Leo has 80 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 80 stars in Leo