Denebola: how to find it and when to see it
Denebola ranks 61st of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.14, in the constellation Leo.
You can see it from anywhere north of 76° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in May.
Denebola at a glance
- Constellation
- Leo
- Magnitude
- 2.14
- Rank on our list
- 61 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 11 h 49 min
- Declination
- 14.6° north
- Visible from
- north of 76° S
- Never sets
- north of 76° N
- Best evening
- May 4
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Denebola is in the sky
Denebola sits 14.6° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 11 h 49 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Denebola
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Denebola rises in the east, climbs to 64° above the horizon in the south and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from February to July, and it's highest in the evening around May 4, in spring.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Denebola rises in the east, climbs to 42° above the horizon in the north and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from March to June, and it's highest in the evening around May 4, in autumn.
How high Denebola climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Rises and sets | 44° in the south | Feb to Jul |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 54° in the south | Feb to Jul |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 64° in the south | Feb to Jul |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 74° in the south | Feb to Jul |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 84° in the south | Feb to Jul |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 76° in the north | Feb to Jul |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 56° in the north | Mar to Jul |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 42° in the north | Mar to Jun |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 31° in the north | Mar to Jun |
What the name Denebola means
Denebola comes from the Arabic dhanab al-asad, the tail of the lion. It marks the tail of Leo.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Denebola was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Denebola
Denebola is in Leo. It sits 14.6° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 11 h 49 min.
Denebola is highest in the evening sky around May 4. That's spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 76° S. From 34° S, it climbs to 42° above the horizon in the north.
Denebola has a magnitude of 2.14, which ranks it 61st of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 27 times brighter.
Denebola comes from the Arabic dhanab al-asad, the tail of the lion. It marks the tail of Leo.