Omega Aurigae is both a variable and double star in the Auriga constellation best viewed on winter nights. It has a faint and close secondary star, but the pair are viewable with a modest telescope from the suburbs.
Tag Archives: Winter
12 Lacertae: Crystal Blue Double
Discover 12 Lacertae, a crystal blue double star in Lacerta. The primary is a Beta Cephei variable (mag 5.16-5.28). Observations & key stats!
10 Lacertae: A Blistering, Brillant Hot Blue Double Star
The double-star system known as 10 Lacertae resides in Lacerta, the constellation of the lizard, a dim constellation visible in the autumn and winter nights. The sky lizard offers a rich collection of deep-sky objects, and 10 Lacertae is one of them. Compared to 8 Lacertae, with its well-known multiple bright blue stars, 12 LacertaeContinueContinue reading “10 Lacertae: A Blistering, Brillant Hot Blue Double Star”
Zeta Persei: A Blowtorch with Several Companions
Zeta Persei (ζ Persei) is a multiple-star system in the constellation Perseus. Backyard astronomers can enjoy this tight pair of stars on autumn and winter nights.
The supergiant, hot star burns 47,000 time that of our sun and is huge at 26 times the size of our sun!
It will eventually meets its fate exploding as a supernova.
NGC 2129: Gemini’s Youthful Star Cluster
Not much is written about NGC 2129 in Gemini as this is a small cluster, but it houses two bright stars that are likely a binary. And, it’s a very young cluster in our galaxy.
NGC 2506: A Star Cluster in a Black Ocean
NGC 2506 is fainter open cluster in the constellation of Monoceros in winter. Around 150 stars make up the cluster, and it looks best through a telescope. Amateur astronomers also know the cluster by the names Caldwell 54, Melotte 80, and Collinder 170.
1 Camelopardalis: A White and Sapphire Blue Double Dances Around the Celestial Pole
1 Camelopardalis, also known as DL Cam, is a double and variable star in the constellation Camelopardalis and is viewable much of the year as it circles close to the North Star. The blue-white pair are fairly tight together at 10 arcseconds apart. They are also known as Struve 550 (STF 550), SAO 24670, HIP 21148
Messier 47 (NGC 2422): A Bright, Young Cluster in Southern Skies
Messier 47 graces the southern skies in the constellation Puppis. While only 50 or so stars make up this cluster, they are bright, blue, and ready to be enjoyed with binoculars or telescopes.