Castor over time

[timwetherell]

Astronomical time scales are often very long and human lives are very short. However sometimes we see changes. This is my drawing of the double star Castor through a 60mm refractor back in 1978 and my drawing of Castor made a couple of nights ago in another 60mm refractor. Because the apertures are the same, you can use the Airy disc to gauge the separation. This is indeed an orbital binary star! Full circuit in 445 years so someone younger may need to take over this project!

 

[John]

Great post Tim and it's very interesting to see the difference that 39 years makes !

I'm a little wider than I was in 1978 as well

[timwetherell]

1 minute ago, John said:

I'm a little wider than I was in 1978 as well

 you and me both mate!

 

[David Levi]

What a thrill that must be to see the difference from your own observations. Well done!

[Stu]

Fab stuff Tim! Shows the benefit of making sketches and records, something I have sadly not done enough of.

Here is what SkySafari says, just to back up your findings  

[timwetherell]

3 minutes ago, Stu said:

Here is what SkySafari says, just to back up your findings  

 

 

Excellent! I wish I'd made a proper note of the orientation back then, it would have been interesting to see that change too. But yes, that tallies pretty well with the 2" diffraction limit of a 60mm scope

[laudropb]

Very interesting post. It does show the benefits of sketching your observations.

[mikeDnight]

3 hours ago, John said:

Great post Tim and it's very interesting to see the difference that 39 years makes !

I'm a little wider than I was in 1978 as well

Thirtyseven years ago i had a 28 arc Second waste line. Today its 36 arc seconds with seasonal variability.

Mike

[mikeDnight]

4 hours ago, timwetherell said:

Astronomical time scales are often very long and human lives are very short. However sometimes we see changes. This is my drawing of the double star Castor through a 60mm refractor back in 1978 and my drawing of Castor made a couple of nights ago in another 60mm refractor. Because the apertures are the same, you can use the Airy disc to gauge the separation. This is indeed an orbital binary star! Full circuit in 445 years so someone younger may need to take over this project!

 

That's great!

It just goes to show the value of sketching. It also shows that small scopes are far from useless toys. 

Mike

[Astro Imp]

Well done Tim, as others have said this shows the sense of record keeping. It must be very gratifying to look back and see changes like this.

Thanks for posting.

[johnfosteruk]

Fantastic work. I must keep good records, I must keep good records.

[alan potts]

Nice report Tim, I have to say I agree with your findings. From Hull about the same time 1976 I never managed to see a split in the two with a slightly larger 3 inch refractor which was from Dixons at the time. No was you rightly say it is fairly easy albeit with my 70mm ED which is on top of the 12 inch SC.

Alan

[timwetherell]

Ah yes, the Dixons refractor. Mine was from Dixons too but it was the 60mm model. I'd have been better off with the 80mm but they didn't have it at the Keighley branch and back in the days before internet, what you saw was pretty much what you got. it was possible to attempt to order exotic stuff sometimes. I ordered a 40mm eyepiece (exotic at the time) from Ramsdens in Skipton around 1979 and they're going to give me a call when it comes in - mm maybe I'd better chase that up  

[alan potts]

46 minutes ago, timwetherell said:

Ah yes, the Dixons refractor. Mine was from Dixons too but it was the 60mm model. I'd have been better off with the 80mm but they didn't have it at the Keighley branch and back in the days before internet, what you saw was pretty much what you got. it was possible to attempt to order exotic stuff sometimes. I ordered a 40mm eyepiece (exotic at the time) from Ramsdens in Skipton around 1979 and they're going to give me a call when it comes in - mm maybe I'd better chase that up  

My mum bought a secondhand fidge freezer from a business in Hull, and even though she rang them 3 times to ask about paying never got a bill. Dixons did just about the only affordable line of scopes on the market back then, the 3 inch was reasonable as a scope. Fullerscopes were in London but their price tags were too much for me.

Alan

[niallk]

That's wonderful!!