Author Archives: Wayne McGraw

La Superba: One of the Reddest Stars in the Sky

One night, La Superba appeared randomly on my astronomy app while I navigated the springtime sky. I stared at the map for a moment, scratched my head, and believed the name to be a mistake. I pressed the information icon by the reddish pixel to reveal a summary of La Superba, including the fact thatContinueContinue reading “La Superba: One of the Reddest Stars in the Sky”

Zeta Aquarii (Struve 2909): A Tight Binary Near the Water Bearer’s Shoulder

Zeta Aquarii, a binary star system in Aquarius, is about 92 light-years away. First identified by William Herschel in 1777, it appears as a single point to the naked eye. Both stars are similar F-type main-sequence stars, orbiting each other every 587 years, exhibiting complexity beneath their apparent simplicity. This post explores the star and illustrates what it looks like in the telescope. Also known as: STF 2909, SAO 146108, HIP 110960, GC 31398, HR 8558, Zet1 Aqr, 55 Aquarii, HD 213052, 55 Aqr

Struve 700 (V1804 Orionis): Double Blue in Orion’s Winter Cool

Learn about the double star in Orion called Struve 700 and V1804 Orionis. The pretty set of blue-white stars shine around 7.8 magnitude and are a tight pair in telescope. My sketch shows what the binary looks like through a backyard telescope. They are a great pair to seek out when observing through Orion, the hunter, on winter days.

Epsilon Arietis: A Rewarding, Tight Binary in Aries

Learn about Epsilon Arietis, a close binary white pair of stars in the constellation Aries, best viewed on autumn and winter nights. The two stars only lie 1.3 arcseconds apart, so a telescope will be needed to see both stars also known as Struve 333, STF 333, Eps Ari, SAO 75673, HD 18519, HR 887, HIP 13914, 48 Ari.