Observations Under Suburban Skies
Marking Orion’s head is the bright star, Meissa. But it’s more than that. Aim your binoculars or telescope toward Meissa, and you’ll find a beautiful grouping of related stars. The star is also known as SAO 112921, HD 36861, Lam Ori, Struve 738, STF 738, HD 36861, λ Ori.
The star is part of the Collinder 69 cluster.
In the winter constellation of Taurus, lies HR 1997, a fairly faint binary that you can see with any moderate backyard telescope. The good news is the pair of stars lie far apart, 75 arcseconds, from each other. The double is also known as SAO 77578, ADS 4392, HR 1997, HD 38693, HIP 27421, BD+20 1105.
In the autumn constellation of Perseus, Epsilon Persei shines with a beautiful blue-white hue. Backyard astronomers will appreciate the star’s pretty aquamarine color and the challenge of seeing the dim companion star nearby. This multiple star system, also viewed as double star, is a bright target to view in fall. It also known as Struve 471, STF 471, HD 24760, SAO 56840, HR 1220, Eps Per, HIP 18532, Adid Australis
Among Cetus’ notable stars lies the binary star Struve 274, a quaint pair of white stars that are fairly easy to view in any modest backyard scope.
Struve 274’s stars are close in magnitude and color. The primary star shines at magnitude +7.5, while the nearby secondary is slightly dimmer at magnitude +7.6. The stars lie a healthy 13.7 arcseconds apart, making them an easy binary target for amateur astronomers. Also known as STF 274, HD 15695, SAO 110591, HIP 11737.
Among Cetus’ notable stars lies the binary star system of Nu Ceti also known as v Ceti and Struve 281. Nu Ceti is a magnitude 4.9 yellow star with a close dim companion star only 8 arcseconds away. Backyard astronomers will enjoy the challenge of splitting this tight pair that lies in the late autumn constellation of Cetus. The double star is also known as STF 281, Nu Cet, SAO 110635, HIP 12093, HD 16161, HR 754, v Cet.
The double star Rho Orionis, also known as SAO 112528, features a orange-colored primary in the winter constellation of Orion. The pair of stars lies closely to each other, only separated by 6.5 arcseconds in distance.
Struve 649 is a double star featuring a fairly bright primary white-blue colored variable star with a dimmer blue companion nearby. This quaint pair lie in the constellation Eridanus, the river, best viewed in winter.
The primary star in Struve 649 is a variable star lingering around the 5th magnitude. This blue-white star has a stellar classification of B8V. At a friendly distance of 21.3 arcseconds away, the secondary star is more blue in color and is much dimmer at a magnitude of +9. This pair is also known as STF 649, SAO 131806, HD 33224, HR 1671.
The binary star Struve 742, also known as HD 37013, lies near the famous Crab Nebula in the constellation Taurus and lies 220 light years from Earth. The tight pair is best viewed on winter nights with a telescope. Also known as SAO 77313.