The diameter - velocity dispersion relation in B , V , and K for three early type galaxies in the Leo I ( M96 ) group is derived from published photometry and kinematic data .
The relations in all three colors have slopes which agree well with those for the Coma cluster .
The RMS scatter of the Leo I galaxies in each color is extremely small , consistent with the group ’ s compactness .
These relations yield estimates of the Coma–Leo I distance ratio of 9.01 \pm 0.51 , 8.77 \pm 0.43 , and 8.82 \pm 0.31 respectively , with a weighted mean of 8.84 \pm 0.23 .
The general agreement among the three colors indicates that the early-type galaxies in Leo I and Coma have similar stellar populations .

The Coma–Leo I distance ratio coupled with estimates of the absolute distance to the Leo I group allows the Hubble constant to be determined , free of the uncertainties which arise when working with the Virgo cluster .
Several high quality distance estimates are available from a variety of techniques : Cepheids in M96 ( Tanvir et al . 1995 ) and M95 ( Graham et al . 1997 ) , surface brightness fluctuations ( Tonry et al . 1997 ) , planetary nebulae luminosity functions ( Ciardullo et al . 1993 ) , and the luminosity of the red giant branch tip ( Sakai , Freedman , & Madore 1996 ) .
Adopting a cosmic recession velocity of the Coma cluster in the microwave background frame of 7200 \pm 300 km s ^ { -1 } , these distance estimates lead to values of the Hubble constant ranging from 70 to 81 km s ^ { -1 } Mpc ^ { -1 } , with an unweighted mean of 75 \pm 6 km s ^ { -1 } Mpc ^ { -1 } .