Epsilon Lyrae: Four Stars for the Price of Two — A Double Double

Epsilon Lyrae is a double binary system in the constellation Lyra. It’s best viewed in summer through early autumn.

While some doubles are notable because of contrasting color, Epsilon Lyrae holds a surprise for first-time observers. On first look through binoculars or small scopes, you’ll see a pair of stars. Take a closer look, and you’ll find a multiple star system with a pair of two stars! Wonder what it would look like if you lived near this star system? Jim Kaler on his Stars website, writes: “From each of the pairs, an observer might see each of the other shining with the light of a quarter Moon perhaps a degree away from each other.”

My Observations

After finding the Ring Nebula tonight, I turned my attention to Epsilon Lyrae. I’ve viewed this object before in other telescopes, but until this evening, I didn’t realize this a double double! As I turned my variable eyepiece from 17mm to 15mm, the stars still appeared as a double. But then, I turned the eyepiece to 8mm. Wow! Right there, all four stars appear. Beautiful.

Key Stats

When to view	Summer/Fall	R.A. (2021)	18h 44m 20.34
Constellation	Lyra	Dec (2021)	+39° 40′ 12.45″
Visual Magnitude	+5.01 and +6.10	Distance	162 ly
Absolute Magnitude	+1.36 total	Age	800 million yrs.
Period	1,804	Milky Way Locations	Orion Spur
Diameter	2.2 suns	My Viewing Grade	A

Historical Observations

19th Century

According to Jim Kaler on his site Stars, observers Smythe and Chambers tell us that “This system forms a very elegant object, and merits the closest attention.” 

Sources and Notes

Photo of Epsilon Lyrae by Nikolay Nikolov and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.