While my binocular observation of Epsilon Lyrae, almost two weeks ago, offered a beautiful view I wasn’t quite prepared for the stunning sight that presented itself to me last Friday night — 16.10.09 — as I began gazing through the 5 inch refractor. Although there was a tenuous haze high up in the atmosphere the seeing conditions were relatively steady and both sets of stars exhibited a single inner diffraction ring during the good moments of atmospheric stability.
Ε Lyrae 1 comprises of two stars that orbit one another every 1,200 years, shining at magnitudes 4.7 and 6.2, while Ε Lyrae 2 consists of a magnitude 5.1 and 5.5 pair with an orbital period of 585 years. Both doubles offer a dazzling spectacle even under the most light polluted of skies and are more than worthy of your time. If you’ve not taken in an observation of this outstanding quadruple star system yet then do so. You won’t be disappointed!
Tags: Celestron Omni XLT 120, Epsilon Lyrae, Lyra, Multiple Star
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Lying beyond the glare of the stellar behemoth Deneb in the constellation of Cygnus, making up a glorious cosmic quartet, sits Omicron-1 and Omicron-2 Cygni. An orange K3Ib super-giant, Omicron-2 is an Algol type variable star — an eclipsing binary with a smaller, but brighter short period companion. By sheer coincidence Omicron-1 is also an Algol variable belonging to the orange spectrum — a K2II giant to be precise — but other than their apparent resemblance there is no physical relationship between these “twin” stars.
Sitting close to Omicron-1 can be found 30 Cygni and HIP 99676 also known as 31 Cygni b. The former is a white to blue white A5III giant while the latter is a blue white B9 star with no clear luminosity grading. Again, like Omicron-2, there is no association — except for a common optical axis within a populous field of the Milky Way — between these stars and Omicron-1.
The 25×100 binoculars easily revealed the orange hues of Omicron-1 and 2 while 30 Cygni appeared close to it’s spectral classification. HIP 99676 on the other hand posed a slight puzzle as it appeared a greenish white. Regardless this proved to be a beautiful grouping of stars which are well worth a look if you have the time to spare during an observing session.
Tags: 30 Cygni, Cygnus, HIP 99676, Omicron-1 Cygni, Omicron-2 Cygni, Strathspey 25x100
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What started out as a planned observation of Omicron-1 Cygni ended up as an impromptu study of Epsilon Lyrae. With the weather granting the first proper clear skies that I have seen in just over three weeks I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to get out under the stars. With winds gusting at 21 mph and a temperature of 9°C — due to fall by 5°C — I opted to set up the 25×100 binoculars rather than the 5 inch refractor. Upon realising that my intended target — Omicron-1 Cygni — lay at a neck breaking altitude of 71° I decided to retreat to Epsilon Lyrae.
The beautiful multiple star — a quadruple system that lies 162 light years away — shared the same field of view as the dazzling main sequence star Vega. At higher magnifications the stars of Epsilon Lyrae— ε Lyrae 1 and ε Lyrae 2 — split into two further binaries that orbit one another no closer than 0.16 light years. This means that both systems would take many millennia to complete just one orbit.
I’ll definitely be returning here in due course to take in a view with the telescope, but I’m still intent on bagging that observation of Omicron-1 Cygni. Just watch this space!
Edit 07.10.09: Looking back on the original sketch of Epsilon Lyrae that I produced, I’ve had the feeling that I just didn’t give this celestial object the attention that it really deserved. So early on Wednesday morning — 07.10.09 — I revisited the scene of the crime and set to work making a fresh observation. Although there was a cold breeze blowing through the backyard the seeing higher up in the atmosphere was excellent — 1 on the Antoniadi Scale. I’m far happier with the detail that I’ve captured; I hope you enjoy what I have produced.
Tags: Cygnus, Epsilon Lyrae, Lyra, Omicron-1 Cygni, Strathspey 25x100, Vega
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At the foot of Andromeda, lying 350 light years away, sits Almach; a double star that many would argue is one of the most beautiful in the night sky. First impressions initially reveal a dazzling golden primary and a smaller greenish-blue secondary, but the story doesn’t end there. The secondary component is in fact a grouping of three main sequence bodies, an A class and a pair of B type stars, with the latter two forming a compact binary.
Thanks to the excellent seeing conditions — 2 out of 5 on the Antoniadi scale — the view through the 12mm plössl really made this a delightful observation. At a power of 83x both stars were easily split and displayed the rich deep colours that they are so renowned for. If Albireo in Cygnus is seen as the definitive double star then Almach certainly comes extremely close to stealing the show.
Tags: Almach, Andromeda, Celestron Omni XLT 120, Gamma Andromedae
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The late hours of Monday night (24.08.09) brought an opportunity to take in a quick observation of Jupiter with the 25×100 binoculars. Initially I could only discern three of the Galilean moons, but further investigation revealed the fourth elusive satellite — Io — hugging close by Europa. Upon checking ‘The Night Sky’ section in my August edition of Astronomy Now I realised that I was witnessing a burgeoning occultation as Io converged upon Europa. Unfortunately I was unable to watch this entire Jovian event unfold, but it was fascinating to see the wafer-thin gap between the shimmering moons slowly disappear as they drifted towards their celestial rendezvous.
Tags: Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Io, Jupiter, Occultation, Strathspey 25x100
Posted in Astro Art, Observing | 2 Comments »