Monday, July 27, 2015

updated double stars life list

Reviewed the multi-star systems imaged last week so to update my log notes and multiple stars life list page.

κ (kappa) Herculis. Sometimes known as Marfik, which is also applied to λ (lambda) Oph. To be clear: Σ2010 (Struve).

It is a target is Haas's book, the AB pair, specifically. She says the stars are "grapefruit-orange [and] whitish scarlet." Smyth says "light yellow; pale garnet." It is also featured in the RASC Observer's Handbook Coloured Doubles list wherein it describes them as yellow and red. I don't see these colours! Curiously, in the Sky and Telescope More Pretty Double Stars summer list, it shows a zero in the Color Diff. column suggesting they are the same. I concur. Light gold.

I observed the bright pair in the past, 2011 or earlier, it seems. Logged it in SkyTools. I was likely working through the S&T summer doubles list and wanted to cross it off. ST3P however shows it is a triple.

The 30 second photograph made the C star obvious to the south or below, a faint orange star the opposite direction from B, about 2 or 3 times the separation. The planning software says the AC separation is 62.5" and magnitude 13.6. I updated my blog companion's page for the AC pair.

HD 151070, aka Σ2094, in Hercules.

A and C are easily spotted. In the 30 second photograph, the primary is white, possibly light beige. The C star is white. Is there just a hint of blue?

I could not see the B star at the time. Could not resolve it in any of the photos even with extreme stretching. All the photos showed vibration or shake. Perhaps I should have captured more? Haas reported that Harshaw split the tight AB pair with a 200mm. Noted A and B as both white. Both ST3P and Haas say the separation is 1.2". 

Neat field. The right-angle triangle to the south-west...

Sure looks like GSC 02045-0602 to the west, the pale orange star, is related. It's not.

However the Washington Double Star catalog shows there's a D star at θ (theta) or PA 13° and ρ (rho) or separation of 43.6". The WDS does not list the magnitude but ST3P (with poor quality data) shows the star as 15.7! Incredibly, I see this star in the long exposure: about twice the distance of C, at the 11:30 o'clock position. ST3P does not note this star as a companion; simply GSC 02045-0898. WDS shows it as SMR 63AD, discovered in 2013.

Added to my ST3P View Again list, hopefully to tag B.

Sarin aka δ (delta) Herculis. Also known as Σ3127.

Another target I have previously viewed, specifically 30 May '14. At that time I noted all four stars. Perhaps it is on my View Again list to recheck the colours. In the photo, the bright primary looks white with blue fringes and the B star seems a very light yellow-orange. Haas only refers to A and B and says "Sun yellow and whitish powder blue." I think I support those colours but the order is different. Does she not list in the A-B order? Removed from my View Again list.

I like the contrast of the dark orange C (above) and D (left) stars.

A fascinating arrangement of stars, this large diamond or box shape. A big kite! The reddish-orange star on the right or west is TYC 02065-1890 1 at mag 10.9; the brighter grey-white star below or south is TYC 02065-1530  at mag 10.4.

HD 148979 aka SHJ 233, in Hercules.

Bright stars, in an empty field. Very pale orange primary and a very pale yellow secondary. Widely separated. ST3P says 58.2". Perhaps 1 magnitude different. ST3P says 7.0 and 9.1. Haas does not list.

HR 6169 aka WEB 6, in Hercules.

Nearly equal stars: about 1 magnitude different and nearly the same colour. White-bluish. Possible with a hint of aquamarine? Widely separated. ST3P says mag 6.4 and 7.3 and 157". Haas does not list.

HD 150933, aka STTA149A, in Hercules.

Yellow and blue. Very pale colours. Bright stars, perhaps 2 mags different. ST3 says mag 7.2 and 8.5. Nearly empty field. Widely separated: 97.0". Haas does not list. Photographed on 15 Jul 2015.

HR 6341, aka STFA 33 or ΣI33, in Hercules.

A unique quintuple system. A is blue-white, B light orange, C white, P orange, and Q colourless. B is perhaps 1 mag dimmer than A. C, 2 or 3. P, south-east from A, and about half the distance of B, is much dimmer than A. And Q is dimmer again. Q is about the same brightness as the star west of P, TYC 00988-1006 1 (ST3P agrees). A, B, and C form a large equilateral triangle; A, B, and P from a smaller one.

Haas only notes the A and B stars! "Pure white and peach white."

Very interesting! Decided to add it to my candidate list.

HR 6594, aka β1251A, in Hercules.

Could not see the B or C stars in the 1 second exposure. SkyTools showed B very close to A, about 1.4" while C was well away, 155.5. The Object Information data showed they were 4 magnitudes different! 5.4 vs 9.8. But then C was mag 12.4. In the Interactive Atlas, on the other hand, B showed as 5.6 and C as 15.3. I was confused. Still, in the image, I could barely see mag 12 field stars. Will need to revisit.

Haas does not list.

HD 157789, aka Σ2159, in Ophiuchus.

A bright pair. White stars. About 1 magnitude difference. ST3P says 25.2" apart and mags 8.5 and 9.4.Not listed by Haas.

V451, aka H 4 122, in Hercules.

A very bright white sun accompanied by a dimmer light orange point, slightly away to the south-west.

In the middle of an interesting field. There's a star equal in brightness to B but orange to the west, PPM 132918. There's a fainter star, mag 12.2, closer, to the north-west, GSC 00988-0103. There's a deep orange star to the east, GSC 00988-0031. And then a greyish star double the distance to the south-west, TYC 00988-0028 1. Keeps making me think of a flying bird...

Haas did not catalog.

HD 159481, aka Σ2185, in Ophiuchus.

Holey moley. Spotted the A, B, C, E, G, H, I, and J stars! The F star, north-west of A, is visible if you zoom in. SkyTools does not list the D star. There's a K point too but ST3P says it is about a ¼ degree from A. I saw all there was to see. Wow.


colour brightness
impression
mag
ST3P
orient.
from A
PA
ST3P
distance
imp.
sep.
ST3P
A white bright 7.4 (7.4) centre - - -
B pale yellow 2 dimmer than A 10.2 (11) due N 4 wide 27.3
C white 1 dimmer than A 8.4 (8.5) WSW 248 3.5x AB 88.9
E pale orange very dim 14.7 (16) SSW 194 8x AB 260.2
F pale orange dimmest 16.1 (14.5) NW 307 2x AB 56.0
G yellow slightly < B 11.3 (12) NNW 335 7x AB 184.4
H yellow 1 dimmer than G 13.4 (13) NNNW 340 7x AB 184.3
I orange slightly < H 13.8 (14) NNNW 341 6x AB 157.4
J yellow slightly < G 11.4 (11) NNE 19 6x AB 150.0

The magnitude values from SkyTools are from the Interactive Atlas and parenthetically from the Object Information box. It looks like the IA numbers match what I was seeing...

Other neat stars in the field like the blue TYC 00426-1716 1 east of the J star and the N-S line of orange on the west side.

When selecting the calibration candidates, I thought it would be a fun to include some multi-star options. This one was fantastic!

HD 161164, aka STH 4 A, in Hercules.

B is the faint star very close to the blue-white, at the 10 o'clock position or the north-east. The equally bright orange star to the west well away is variable V964. Haas did not catalog.

HR 6758, aka Σ2276, in Ophiuchus.

Ooh. Moth eyes! A is white; B is very pale yellow. Haas says "coppery white [and] smaller ash white." B is very slightly fainter than B. ST3 says 1 mag. Tight, almost touching. 6.9". A triple. Haas notes the the A and B stars only.

The C star is pale orange to the north-west. About 10 times the AB distance. 63.7". In a right-angle triangle with other similar stars.

POU3251, in Her.

Very faint stars. A appears pale orange; B possibly blue. Easily split. ST3P said 11.9". Similar in brightness. ST3P: 12.4 and 13.2.

Rasalgethi, aka α Her.

It seemed like the seeing tanked. The B star was visible in fast exposures but C and D were nowhere to be seen. According to ST3P, magnitude 3.1 and 5.4. In longer exposures, D was obvious at the 10 o'clock position or north-east. C was just visible at the 2 o'clock, in the glare of the A and B stars. A looked red, when blown out.

The AB was in my life list. Added C and D.

No comments: