Date/Time | : | 2002-10-20-04:00 |
Observer | : | Peter C. Chapin |
Equipment | : | |
Location | : |
The moon was nearly full tonight and it caused considerable sky glow. Deep sky observing, especially toward the east (the direction of the moon) was note feasible. I focused instead on doubles tonight. The weather was decent at least. Despite forecasts to the contrary there was not a cloud in the sky. The limiting magnitude was only around 4 in Cas due to intense moonlight. I could read my atlas without the help of any flashlight.
Name | σ Cas |
Type | star/multiple |
Constellation | Cas |
Magnitudes | A=5.0 B=7.1 |
Separations | AB=3.0" |
NOTES
This double is right near NGC-7789. Even with the moonlit sky the low power field of view contained several bright stars and was quite nice. The double itself was difficult tonight. The magnitude difference together with the relatively close separation and medium quality seeing made it hard to conclusively resolve. I'm fairly confident of splitting it using the 9mm eyepiece (133x). It might have been easier if this had not been the first double of the evening. I suspect that my scope was still adjusting to the cold outdoor air. I did give it some time while observing this double and it seemed to me that the view improved over the 5 to 10 minutes that I waited.
Name | π And |
Type | star/multiple |
Constellation | And |
Magnitudes | A=4.4 B=8.6 |
Separations | AB=35.9" |
NOTES
This double is wide and was easily split with the 25mm (48x). The magnitude difference was considerable but did not cause any problems due to the large separation. The field was very poor but the full moon was close by and contributed to that I'm sure.
Name | η Cas |
Type | star/multiple |
Constellation | Cas |
Magnitudes | A=3.5 B=7.5 |
Separations | AB=12.9" |
NOTES
Very nice! This double was also easily split with the 25mm (48x) but the components were close enough together to give a very interesting and satisfying view. The fainter secondary seemed slightly bluish compared to the more yellow primary. I'm not sure the colors are real, however. I've noticed that all faint secondaries tend to look blue/grey when close to much brighter stars.
Name | λ Ari |
Type | star/multiple |
Constellation | Ari |
Magnitudes | A=4.9 B=7.7 |
Separations | AB=37.4" |
NOTES
This double was very similar to π And although the brightness contrast was definitely not quite as great. Again the field, washed out by the moonlight, was very poor.