found more Miram companions

While I was reviewing and updating double star data for the RASC programme, something caught my eye about Miram aka η Persei aka Σ307. More stars.

It is a septuple system. There are (currently) 7 visible stars in this system.

I re-read my logs.

From the section 2 of 2 of my lift list, I noted I had first viewed the double in October 2011. Following Haas's lead, I thought it a pair.

Later I learned it was a quad. However a session in February 2013 did not serve up the C and D stars. So it made it's way to my "view again" list.

I had a go with the imaging rig in Halifax. Captured photons in September 2016 and a week later assembled an LRGB image. Colourful!

And, I accomplished my prime mission. I sussed out the C and D stars, faint little things, close to each other, to the west.

As I re-examined the black-and-white and colour images, I noted lots of stars. And that made me wonder if I hadn't captured these "new" or extra stars, some of the seven.

Checked the WDS data via in Stella Doppie. The 02507+5554 system components are:

DISCOV#	COMP	FIRST	LAST	OBS	PA	SEP	MAG1	MAG2
STF 307	AB	1779	2018	56	301	28.7	3.76	8.5
STF 307	AC	1878	2014	14	269	64	3.76	11.61
SHJ 34	AE	1925	2012	8	297	242.9	3.76	9.24
WAL 19	AF	1904	2013	7	25	57.7	3.76	11.44
WRD 1	CD	1878	2015	14	116	5.2	11.61	12.7
FYM 161	CG	2003	2015	6	229	15.8	11.61	14

Loaded the component codes, the PAs, and the Seps into my updated Excel modeller.

Wow. My new plotter version was working well is the indirect references.

Anyhoo, the great news was that in addition to A, B, C, and D tagged earlier, now I had identified a few more elements.

E (aka SHJ 34) is the bright blue-white star beyond B, maybe 9 or 10 times the AB separation. Is the position angle the same? It's very close to that angle. The star is a touch dimmer than B. But I think the exact same colour.

F (WAL 19) is the dull yellow star to the north-north east. Slightly closer than CD.

And finally G. Crazy G. aka FYM 161. It is an extremely faint star south-west from C, 3 or 4 times the CD separation. Hard to get a colour. A fairly new discovery, from 2003.

How about that. Three more items tagged. Just by going through old data! So I'm very happy about that.

Still. It is very curious to me that there are still more stars buzzing around Miram A... Why have they not be included?! Strange.