Recommended doubles for a small scope (and a binary newbie!)

[MahlerMoonMan]

Hi folks

I've got an Orion Sky View ED80 with an EP range of roughly x50 up to very tops of x200 (using a Barlow) ....

I'd love to get in to double star splitting .... Can't really think why I haven't already! Could anyone recommend some doubles please for me to try and split? I'm not too sure how good a wee ED80 will be at splitting doubles? Are there many 'out there' that are within the capabilities of an average ED80? What kind of separation would be a challenge, but a doable challenge for an ED80?

Thanks in advance for any comments/suggestions ....

Donaldo

[DirkSteele]

I wrote a piece for my little astro-website last year having completed a year long project of observing double stars.  I found the ones that interested me the most were the most colour contrasted doubles.  All of these should be within range of you 80mm (I used a 105mm for the project), though some are harder than the separation would suggest because of the large magnitude difference.

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2013/11/13/prettiest-colour-contrasted-double-stars/

Hope you find it useful

Clear skies,

[chiltonstar]

I have an Orion ED80  as well - it is a truly excellent scope for doubles! Take a look at the "double-double" or Porrima on a night of good seeing and you will be truly smitten.

Mine certainly splits doubles down to about 1.5 arcsec separation, and like most ED 'fracs, gives beautiful Airy disks and diffraction rings. There are quite a few lists already on this site of good doubles to go for.

chris

[Moonshane]

I just uploaded my notes from Saturday night and most if not all of these would be straight forward in your scope

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/218063-great-night-of-doubles-31514/

[ronin]

Delaware AS made up this short list of coloured doubles:

DelawareCD

There is also this list of 200 of them

CDoubles

The second one I find a bit troublesome, the font colouring is not helpful, the text tends to be assorted shades of blue and or grey.

The first list is nice and short.

If you want a rearranged one, ordered by constellation and a few more of the SAO numbers included PM me an email and I will attach and send.

I did send the update of additional SAO numbers to Delaware as the list was theirs originally, but no update occurred. As it is theirs not sure if posting it anywhere on SGL is polite. If you have a goto the SAO numbers are useful. Don't want someone complaining I/we are stealing their work.