For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, autumn is a great time to wander through the southern reaches of the sky and appreciate the stars of Sculptor. One of its most familiar treasures is the Silver Coin Galaxy, HD 3605, and HD 3074. Joining these notable doubles is HD 222872, first recorded by John Herschel in 1836.
The primary shines at magnitude 6.28. Classified as an F7V star, it’s just a bit cooler than our Sun. Its companion is dimmer, with a magnitude of 9.41. Even though the two stars lie 8.1 arcseconds apart, Stelle Doppie reports that it’s uncertain if these two stars are physically related.
This pair lies about 224 light-years away.
My Observations
| Date | November 13, 2025 |
| Time | 8:00 p.m. |
| Location | Tampa, FL |
| Magnification | 169x |
| Scope | Meade 8″ SCT |
| Eyepiece | 12mm |
| Seeing | Average |
| Transparency | Average |
While I expected the brighter primary to show a yellow hue, it appeared distinctly white through the scope tonight. The dimmer secondary lies far enough away that the split is reasonably easy to resolve. A few additional stars share the field of view, but based on my research, they do not appear to be physically related to the pair.
For observers interested in comparing separations between double stars, it may be good to study this system and then switch to HD 3074, which features two stars separated by roughly half the distance, about 4 arcseconds apart.
Key Stats
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Best Viewing | Autumn |
| Visual Magnitude | +6.28 | +9.41 |
| Separation | 8.1″ |
| Position Angle | 318.4° |
| Distance | 224.36 light-years |
| Milky Way Location | Orion Spur |
| My Viewing Grade | B- |
| Designations | SAO 192116, HJ 5417, HIP 117107, HR 8999, GC 32962, HD 222872 |
Sources and Notes
Stelle Doppie. (n.d.). Double star database: HD 222872. https://www.stelledoppie.it/index2.php?iddoppia=105122
Sketch by Wayne McGraw
The Garden Astronomer 