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Leo

Messier Objects

M65, M66 and M96 are spiral galaxies although they appear elliptical through a small telescope. The same is true of the barred spiral galaxy M95. On the other hand, M105 really is an elliptical galaxy.

Other Deep Sky Objects

Wolf 359 is just under 8 light years away from the Sun, making it one of the the closest stars to the solar system. Despite its proximity, it cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Stars With (Un)Common Names

alpha: Regulus is the faintest first magnitude star in the night sky.
beta: Denebola is near CP1133, one of the first pulsars discovered by J. Bell and A. Hewish in 1968.
gamma¹: Algieba reveals its binary nature when viewed through a small telescope.
delta: Zosma
epsilon: Ras Elased
zeta: Adhafera becomes three unrelated stars when seen through binoculars.
theta: Chertan is also known as Chort.
lambda: Alterf

Meteor Shower Radiants

The Leonids meteor shower is the fastest of all such events because the meteors are colliding with the Earth practically head-on. They can be very bright and most leave trains. Associated with comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle which reached perihelion in January 1998, this shower was particularly exciting for the next few years. Indeed, this meteor shower is notorious for its intense, periodic storms which occur at 33-year intervals (the period of its associated comet). In 1966, observers in the western United States were treated to the sight of 40 meteors per second! The radiant is in the asterism of the "Sickle."

Sky Charts

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