Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:44  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 21:11 south
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Leo » 

π Leonis (pi Leonis)

Altitude: 11.0°   Azimuth: 269.1°   Direction: West

π Leonis is a variable giant star in the constellation of Leo.

π Leonis visual magnitude is 4.7. Because of its moderate brightness, π Leonis should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about π Leonis:

4.7
Giant

π Leonis (pi Leonis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 11.0°
Azimuth: 269.1°
Direction: West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of π Leonis

π Leonis is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of π Leonis are provided in the following table:

10h 00m 12s
+08° 02’ 39”
230.01°
45.26°
Leo

The simplified sky map below shows the position of π Leonis in the sky:

Finder chart π Leonis (pi Leonis) star
Simplified finder chart for π Leonis (pi Leonis).

Visibility of π Leonis from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's π Leonis (pi Leonis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 82.0°
Max altitude: 46.6°
Azimuth: 278.0°
π Leonis (pi Leonis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of π Leonis

The image below is a photograph of π Leonis from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of π Leonis is -0.03 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.023 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of π Leonis (pi Leonis) star
DSS2 image of π Leonis. The red arrow shows the motion of π Leonis during the next 10000 years (-5.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.83 arcmin in declination);

Distance of π Leonis from the Sun and relative movement

π Leonis is distant 524.96 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 23 kilometers per second.

161.03 pc
524.96 ly
23 km/s
-0.03 arcsec/year
-0.023 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of π Leonis

π Leonis belongs to spectral class M2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-1.33
M2III
3649K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where π Leonis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of π Leonis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of π Leonis

π Leonis
(pi Leonis)
SAO118044
SAO118044