Gamma Leonis - expertise needed

Hi Folks

I wil be giving a brief overview of Leo tonight at our astronomy meeting and will be mentioning gamma leonis as a nice double star. i went to have a look last night just so that I know what I am talking about and I was using a 90mm short tube refractor at about X 90 and I failed to split it. from reading the literature I thought this would be an easy split. Do I need to throw more power at it.

Any experts out there that can let me know what I need to see this.

thanks

Hi Trevor,

round about 90x should split the star but conditions, etc. can affect the attempt.

here's a series of observations through different instruments ... www.carbonar.es/s33/Leo/gamma_leonis.html

James Kaler's web site is a great resource for information on those bright lights up there. Have a look at www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/algieba.html

Might be worth tossing in the old saying "If March comes in like a Lion it will go out like a lamb".

It's not quite anything to do with Leo the constellation (although Leo is rising early evening at the beginning of March) but more the fact that folklore suggests if March starts stormy then the weather will be milder towards the end of the month (the reverse is true too!)

The true saying though is ...

The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.


Have a good meeting tonight!

Thanks For that John.

Had a quick look at those sites, definitely getting bookmarked

Hi Folks
I wil be giving a brief overview of Leo tonight at our astronomy meeting and will be mentioning gamma leonis as a nice double star. i went to have a look last night just so that I know what I am talking about and I was using a 90mm short tube refractor at about X 90 and I failed to split it. from reading the literature I thought this would be an easy split. Do I need to throw more power at it.
Any experts out there that can let me know what I need to see this.
thanks

Hi Trevor,

Hope this helps...(taken from an article on Leo I did some while back)

1. Algeiba (Gamma (g) Leonis) is derived from the Arabic “the forehead”, but as Smyth commented, this is an improper naming, for no representation of Leo shows Algeiba in that position. In my opinion, Algeiba is the jewel in Leo’s crown and the star rates very highly in most observers’ favourite double stars. Its Struve designation is Struve (S) 1424. This stunning pair of golden orbs comprises magnitude 2.24 and 3.64 components with a combined magnitude of 1.9. The separation of this visual binary is currently 4.44" and slowly widening; the orbital period is 618.56 years. My ETX-90 splits the pair with ease at 100x. The colours are absolutely gorgeous. Binocular observers need not feel too left out as the golden hue is just as beautiful, and the view of Algeiba surrounded by a ring of five faint 7th to 9th magnitude stars and one brighter star, 5th magnitude 40 Leonis, is stunning.
Algeiba (Gamma (g) Leonis): R.A. 10h 19m 58.4s – Dec. +19º 50' 29.4" – Mag. 2.01 – Dist. 126 LY

I guess I will have to go back and have another look at this one.

Thanks lads