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Leo I
Hi John & All,
If it is of any help to anyone, here is my observation of Leo I about a year ago with 46cm. It was from Mudgee, SQM reading was 21.5 = ZLM of +6.39 with a sky that was still darkening (at 1am it was 21.71 = +6.51):
x111 44' TF
MCG +2-26-27 DDO 74 Leo I PGC 29488 Galaxy *
RA: 10h 08m 27.5s Dec: +12° 18' 27"
Mag: 11.2 (B) S.B.: 15.2 B-V: --- Size: 9.8'x7.4' Class: E3
P.A.: 80 Inclination: --- R.V.: +168 Source: RC3 *
Leo I is not very hard to see in these conditions. Immediately visible though very LSB and large. Found almost 1/2 a degree N of Regulus. Appears as a large oval, 10-11 x 8' in about PA 90 with a couple of very faint superimposed *s and Regulus must be excluded from the field. Grows broadly and weakly to centre without zones or nucleus. It occasionally looks a little grainy.
You do need some significant aperture to see Leo I but the most important thing is a true dark sky. Light pollution will kill it stone-dead. Without searching any reports on-line, my gut-feeling is that 20-25cm would probably do it in perfect conditions, maybe smaller who knows -- as I say that forecast is a gut-feeling only.
Best,
Les D
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