R Leporis

[Crossway]

Help!

Should I be able to  spot R Leporis  using 10 X 50s . ( Northern  England) .......seems to be very  elusive

Pete.  

[kev100]

I've seen it with my 10x50s from here in Dorset. It's very small at 10x, but the colour is obvious. Assuming you have a dark enough southern horizon you should definitely be able to spot it.

Kev

[Crossway]

Thanks Kev,  Will have another try tonight ...   Live in Rural Northumberland so I cannot blame absence of dark skies !!

Pete

[kev100]

Good luck. I saw it with my bins a couple of weeks ago. I seem to remember it taking a couple of attempts, hopping from μ Lep, but once I'd seen it I was able to go straight there afterwards.

[Crossway]

I should have been a mite circumspect, Kev, re  my comment about dark skies here...... as long as not overcast which seems to be the norm !!  So no view of  R Lep yet..

I have several books on  bin. observation and interesting that  viewing recommendations / successes vary greatly from author to author.  vis a vis the " popular"targets  such as M1, M33,  Albireo etc. and a lot more.       Patrick Moore, on Albireo, states that he split the two stars with his X20s  .   10 X 50s  did it for someone else.  It looks great in my small scope but I have no luck with bins.  I have never seen even a hint of M33  nor M1 but  they are said to be  10 X 50  binocular objects.  From this, I  think that  there must be more differences in peoples optical  abilities than is  commonly  recognised  in spite of my optician's  assurance that my eyeware is  on parr.  

Pete

       

[kev100]

Hi Pete, it's been pretty awful down this way too. The only consolation for me is that the moon's out anyway, so I wouldn't be observing in any case. As for seeing M33, M1 etc, from what I've read, 10x50s will give somewhere between 4 and 5 magnitude gain over naked eye. So, if your skies are mag 4, say, then M33 (at mag 5.7) should be well within reach. M1 would be at the limit under those circumstances. I believe, though, that with low surface brightness objects like M33 and M1, aside from clear and dark skies and dark adapted eyes, it's also a case of knowing what you're looking for, and getting your eye in, as it were. I've seen M1 with my 10x50s, but it's very easy to miss with them.

As for Albireo, I've split it and seen the colours with my 20x80s, and I've told myself I've split it with the 10x50s, but it was very tight. Holding the bins steady and getting decent focus were the more important issues ...

Do let me know how you get on with R Lep. 

Kev.

[Martin Meredith]

Don't forget also that it varies from naked eye to nearly mag 12, so you might be catching it near a minimum...

Martin

[cotterless45]

R Leporis is variable. It's now at about +8. When it's bright , it's a brilliant red, well deserving the name of " Vampire Star". An easy catch in x15 bins. It's very impressive in a 4" at max brightness.

 

 

"R Leporis is a long-period pulsating variable. Its magnitude varies from 5.5 to 11.7 with a major period of 427-432 days. Its maximum varies in a secondary cycle of 40 years from magnitude 5.5 to 6.5. R Lep has often been reported as displaying an intense smoky red color, deepest when the star is dimmest."

old Nick.

[Crossway]

Hi Martin and cotterless45,  Yes, aware of variability and  looking forward to clear night to attempy viewing.  If it is now at about +8,  is it known which way it is heading .....if brightening then  possibly by the time  Lepus is going out of sight  in a few weeks  the star could be a slightly better target.

 

Pete.