Up near Polaris, the North Star, there are a number of good double stars. The ever popular Mizar in Ursa Major comes to mind. Another double star bright enough with good separation is Nu Draconis in Draco. In this same region is a double star system called HR4893 in the constellation Camelopardalis.
It appears HR 4893 is somewhat overlooked in online literature as it’s a fairly bright double that splits well in a telescope. Both stars are in the five magnitude range and are pale blue/white in color.
My Observations
| Date | June 1, 2021 |
| Time | 10:30 p.m. |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Magnification | 145x |
| Scope | Meade 8″ SCT |
| Eyepiece | 14mm |
| Seeing | Average |
| Transparency | Above Average |
Researching for more information on HR 4893 tonight has not uncovered much other than a short paragraph or two in my sky app. This fact is somewhat disappointing as I find this a nice double star system, and it’s for sure a better view than I expected based on what I’ve read.
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Key Stats
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Best Viewing | Late Spring |
| Visual Magnitude | +5.3 | +5.8 |
| Absolute Visual Magnitude | -.96 |
| Distance from Earth | 490 ly |
| Separation | 62″ | 3280 AU |
| Orbital Period | ? |
| Milky Way Location | Orion Spur |
| My Viewing Grade | A- |
Sources and Notes
Banner Photo of HR4893 from the ESO Online Digitized Sky Survey licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Sketch by Wayne McGraw
AKA: SAO 2102
The Garden Astronomer 