HD 184562: A Gentle Arc of Three Colorful Stars in Draco

HD 184562 is a triple star system that lies 771 light years away in the constellation Draco.

With a magnitude of 8, HD 184562 is best viewed on moonless nights with a telescope. The object is intriguing as it is a tight group of three stars in an arc. What’s more, according to John Nanson for the Star Splitters website, the three stars each have a subtle color (yellow, orange, white-blue). John adds, “The next thing is the colors, which are subtle at first, but with a minimal amount of persistence, they become very obvious — although, as I discovered, a moonless night goes a long way toward giving the colors a chance to shine.” ¹

When I observed HD 184562 (see below), all of the three stars appeared in various stages of blue-white. I wish I was familiar with John’s observation that evening as I would have given more time to let the colors build. I’ll make a return visit in the future.

My Observations

This is a good triple star system from what I can tell. A line of three brighter stars punctuates my view while several dimmer stars are sprinkled nearby. It appears the stars are blue-white in color.

Key Stats

Constellation	Draco
Best Viewing	Late Spring
Visual Magnitude	+8.0 | +8.3
Absolute Visual Magnitude	+1.3
Distance from Earth	771 ly
Separation	55″ | 13100 AU
Orbital Period	Unknown
Milky Way Location	Orion Spur
My Viewing Grade	B-

Sources and Notes

Banner photo

¹ Draggin’ a net through the dragon (aka Draco), part 2: Σ 2549, Σ 2509, Σ 2604, Σ 2573, Σ I 44. Star-Splitters. (2014, May 29). Retrieved April 30, 2022, from https://bestdoubles.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/draggin-a-net-through-the-dragon-aka-draco-part-2-%CF%83-2549-%CF%83-2509-%CF%83-2604-%CF%83-2573-%CF%83-i-44/

Sketch by Wayne McGraw

AKA: SAO 18378