54 Leonis is a double star in the constellation Leo. It’s best viewed in the spring and lies nearly 300 light years away.
Backyard astronomers with smaller to medium-sized telescopes will enjoy this pair. The distance between them is far enough (6.6 arcseconds) for average scopes and the contrasting colors make for a fantastic target. See my description below.
My Observations
| Date | May 21, 2022 |
| Time | 10:04 p.m. |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Magnification | 169x |
| Scope | Meade 8″ SCT |
| Eyepiece | 12mm |
| Seeing | Average |
| Transparency | Above Average |
What a great way to start my night by viewing 54 Leonis. I’m surprised I’ve not read about this double before this evening since this is a fantastic object for backyard astronomers. The primary star is light yellow-green, while the secondary star appears aquamarine (blue with a tinge of green). It appears some have described this smaller star as icy blue. This pair is worth a trip to Leo with the telescope!
Key Stats
| Constellation | Leo |
| Best Viewing | Spring |
| Visual Magnitude | +4.5 | +6.3 |
| Absolute Visual Magnitude | -.26 |
| Distance from Earth | 130 ly |
| Separation | 6.6″ | 580 AU |
| Orbital Period | Unknown |
| Milky Way Location | Orion Spur |
| My Viewing Grade | A |
Sources and Notes
Banner adapted from an illustration created by Pablo Budassi. The illustration is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Full details here.
AKA: 54 Leo, SAO 81583, STF 1847
The Garden Astronomer 