Binary Stars

[Corkeyno2]

Tonight I am going to look for some binary stars. If anyone could tell me of some cool ones and where to find them I would be extremely greatful.

Thanks,

Corkey

[Timebandit]

Hi Corkey. Albireo in Cygnus to is one of the most beautiful binaries out there in my opinion. It should be able to be found in the north west direction. I hope you find and enjoy 

I hope the above helps☺

[Corkeyno2]

22 minutes ago, Timebandit said:

Hi Corkey. Albireo in Cygnus to is one of the most beautiful binaries out there in my opinion. It should be able to be found in the north west direction. I hope you find and enjoy 

I hope the above helps☺

cheers

[Ben the Ignorant]

You seem to be new to this, so I suggest: get a beginner's rotating star map, they always feature the main doubles, those already visible to the naked eye, and easily split. The standard symbol for doubles on all star maps is a little disk cut by a line, it looks like a little Saturn.

But right now, an easy and rewarding double is the star in the middle of the Big Dipper's handle. Also, Lyra is famous for the tight double-double but it's not easy. On the other hand, three out of the four stars that make up Lyra's diamond are wide doubles, plus one is reddish with six companions. It's actually at the limit of being a star cluster because above a half-dozen members, the orbits are so enmeshed it's not clear who orbits what.

[Corkeyno2]

Just now, Ben the Ignorant said:

You seem to be new to this, so I suggest: get a beginner's rotating star map, they always feature the main doubles, those already visible to the naked eye, and easily split. The standard symbol for doubles on all star maps is a little disk cut by a line, it looks like a little Saturn.

But right now, an easy and rewarding double is the star in the middle of the Big Dipper's handle. Also, Lyra is famous for the tight double-double but it's not easy. On the other hand, three out of the four stars that make up Lyra's diamond are wide doubles, plus one is reddish with six companions. It's actually at the limit of being a star cluster because above a half-dozen members, the orbits are so enmeshed it's not clear who orbits what.

Thanks. I have only ever seen 2 double systems: Mizar and Alcor, and another one that I couldn't identify.

[Ben the Ignorant]

3 hours ago, Corkeyno2 said:

Thanks. I have only ever seen 2 double systems: Mizar and Alcor, and another one that I couldn't identify.

Mizar is the one in the middle of the Dipper's handle. Albireo is the Cygnus' beak, and an Albireo wannabe is the easternmost star in Andromeda. It's bright to the naked eye, and has a clear yellow cast in the finder. The western tip of Aries also has a beginner's showpiece; try the two white stars at the western tip, one is split at low power.

[Corkeyno2]

1 minute ago, Ben the Ignorant said:

Mizar is the one in the middle of the Dipper's handle. Albireo is the Cygnus' beak, and an Albireo wannabe is the easternmost star in Andromeda. It's bright to the naked eye, and has a clear yellow cast in the finder. The western tip of Aries also has beginner's showpiece; try the two white stars at the western tip, one is split at low power.

Cheers

[ronin]

Nice shortish list of doubles, nice one to select from and not huge.

http://dvaa.org/AData/ADDoubles.html

Bit bigger

http://users.compaqnet.be/doublestars/

Third:

http://eaglecreekobservatory.org/eco/doubles/

Obvious are Mizar/Alcor, Albireo and Almaak, all easy to locate.

Somewhere there is I think a pdf of the Cambridge Double Star Atlas.

 

 

5xDStars64.doc

[John]

Gamma Andromeda (Almaak) is a beauty. If you want a more challenging one and a triple at that try Iota Cassiopeia. Another showcase is the "double double" Epsilon Lyra of course - not far from Vega.

[chiltonstar]

Izar, visible at the moment just after dusk above Arcturus is also a fantastic double. Later in the night, try Castor!

Chris

[Dave In Vermont]

Star-Splitters has very good listings and "how-to" information - and many other useful things:

https://bestdoubles.wordpress.com/

I love double-stars myself - especially with beautiful colours that offset one another.

Enjoy!

Dave

[Hadron]

I would have to add my vote for Albireo, it's one of the true gems of the night sky with the distinctly contrasting colours of the pair. Also, as has already been mentioned, if you're after a bit of a challenge the "double double" in Lyra is an easy find but a nice test for you to try and split 

[Corkeyno2]

15 hours ago, Ben the Ignorant said:

Mizar is the one in the middle of the Dipper's handle. Albireo is the Cygnus' beak, and an Albireo wannabe is the easternmost star in Andromeda. It's bright to the naked eye, and has a clear yellow cast in the finder. The western tip of Aries also has beginner's showpiece; try the two white stars at the western tip, one is split at low power.

Cheers

[chiltonstar]

....and don't forget 1 Arietis which is Astronomy Now's Double Star of the month. It's a beautiful yellow-gold and pale blue pair, quite easy to split at 2.8 arcsec separation.

Chris

[Charic]

There's more to it? ...........Mizar and Alcor  can be seen as a double Star if your eyes are good enough, and were once regarded as a test for good eyesight, but if you can't see the two Stars, use binoculars or a scope to separate them.

Look even closer and you may find that Mizar is itself a double Star, one of the first ever discovered, and  its fainter Star,  is also a double Star,  therefore you  have a double binary system ( two Stars orbiting around a common centre)  that actually qualifies as a quadruple Star........... who knew that? Amazing what you find out with a little research.

The Stars Mizar and Alcor reside in Ursa Major, and this constellation stands out quite well from my view point, infact, as  it  circumvents Polaris,  its one of the best targets I have up there, considering my limited  garden views to the rest of the sky.

[Dave In Vermont]

By the way, Mizar is an Arabic name, as are many of the well-known star names, and also Alcor. They are translated as 'The Horse and the Rider.' Mizar being the brighter of the two is the horse.

Stick this in your trivial-pursuit cabinet in the back of your mind.

Dave

[wheresthetorch?]

One of my favourites is iota Cancri, but you'll have to wait a few months to see it! 

[glynnlondon]

gamma delphinus is a fine sight , probably my favourite ?

[Moonshane]

One I 'discovered' recently is Omicron 1 and 2 Cygni and 30 Cygni. It's a really stunning group and in my view better than Alberio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/31_Cygni