Carl Au Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 I like double star observation. The double double is still one of my favourite targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 2 minutes ago, Carl Au said: Tis the double star bible. Yes, it is well regarded and comprehensive but I think I prefer the presentation of double stars in Instellarium where you get an immediate indication of the aperture that might be needed without having to go to another section. I'll dig the Cambridge Atlas out and give it another chance though, next time it's clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Au Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 1 minute ago, John said: Yes, it is well regarded and comprehensive but I think I prefer the presentation of double stars in Instellarium where you get an immediate indication of the aperture that might be needed without having to go to another section. I'll dig the Cambridge Atlas out and give it another chance though, next time it's clear. That is a very fair point as it goes. It is a very nice thing to browse through before you head out with your shopping list of targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 13 minutes ago, Carl Au said: That is a very fair point as it goes. It is a very nice thing to browse through before you head out with your shopping list of targets. I tend to make things up as I go along ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spile Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 I've looked through lots of internet binary links and lists. The best one for me was the one from the Coldfield Observatory (200 most beautiful double stars) as it has great descriptions, colours and star ratings - http://users.compaqnet.be/doublestars The one that fulfilled my needs in terms of being comprehensive and in a editible (ie CSV/Excel) format was the Saguaro Astronomy Club Double Star Database Version 4.0 - https://www.saguaroastro.org/sac-downloads I've now merged the Top 200 list into the Saguaro sheet, so I can now easily find and filter ***** targets but if I come across something not on the list I can find out what is is and record it. I have also changed the RA from HH MM.M to HH:MM:SS so that I can import the lot into SkEye for locating them in push-to mode. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wibblefish Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 (edited) 14 hours ago, John said: Yes, it is well regarded and comprehensive but I think I prefer the presentation of double stars in Instellarium where you get an immediate indication of the aperture that might be needed without having to go to another section. I'll dig the Cambridge Atlas out and give it another chance though, next time it's clear. Is that the interstellarium deep sky atlas? Any good? I have been looking for something star charty and have been looking at various ones. Ive not used one before but Id like to have something I can use to plan and at the scope to supplement my phone app. Edited January 28, 2021 by wibblefish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bish Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 15 hours ago, John said: I'll dig the Cambridge Atlas out and give it another chance though, next time it's clear. I vowed to do that recently after another post about doubles. It's been cloudy ever since! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 1 hour ago, wibblefish said: Is that the interstellarium deep sky atlas? Any good? I have been looking for something star charty and have been looking at various ones. Ive not used one before but Id like to have something I can use to plan and at the scope to supplement my phone app. Yes. It is quite an expensive atlas but very good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunator Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 The 1st edition of the CDSA is more about the 'nice to look at' pairs. The main issue is some of the data is out of date and I have found a few typos. The second edition has improved data but there is more of a focus on physical pairs and less on the showpiece pairs. Cheers Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiltonstar Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 20 minutes ago, John said: Yes. It is quite an expensive atlas but very good. The Cambridge atlas is good & I love the charts which work well in conjunction with SkySafari. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 40 minutes ago, chiltonstar said: The Cambridge atlas is good & I love the charts which work well in conjunction with SkySafari. Chris I don't use Sky Safari but I will have to give the Cambridge Atlas another chance. I do have Sky Safari Pro but I don't use a mobile device out with me when I'm observing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiltonstar Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 1 minute ago, John said: I don't use Sky Safari but I will have to give the Cambridge Atlas another chance. I do have Sky Safari Pro but I don't use a mobile device out with me when I'm observing. I have a large tablet with SS6 Pro on it - I use it inside a darkened electronic component bag to cut the brightness further. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paz Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 The cambridge double star atlas is great. To get the most out of it I make use of the data tables at the back to pick out systems that will suit. The tables also provide some information on stellar class that helps you to tune into colours (try guessing stellar classes first then checking them afterwards!). One thing I would like to see added to it is on the actual map some representation of PA and separation like Interstellarium for those occasions when you don't want to go into the appendices. It would clutter the map potentially but it is a double star atlas. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zermelo Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 On 27/01/2021 at 22:09, Carl Au said: Actually it's not as bad as I thought, 36 quid. https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/the-cambridge-double-star-atlas-2nd-edition.html or even £33 ... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/the-cambridge-double-star-atlas-2nd-edition.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Smartie Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 I did manage to get out for a very short session last night after a week of heavy cloud in my area. With the bright moon, actually finding the guide stars to orientate me was a challenge - I couldn't even find Pegasus with confidence, even though I knew more or less where it should be! Added to that, a sharp wind shaking the telescope around made viewing less than ideal. For this reason I chose to stick to the most obvious things I could easily find, but I was delighted to take a long hard look at beta monocerotis - beautiful! My wife even braved the cold to take a look with me at Sigma Ori (another new favourite). I'm forecast clear skies for next Saturday, when hopefully I can work through some of the other new doubles suggested in this thread. Pete 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Smartie Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 Before anyone points this out, Pegasus (or at least some of the square) was no longer in the sky! Must use planisphere next time! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spile Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 I made the mistake of targeting Lamda Orionis before realising it was part of a very busy part of the constellation. Not so much seeing the wood for the trees as tree from the woods. A lot of turbulence last night which didn’t help but thankfully 118 Tauri came to the rescue. ***dy cold though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 On 30/01/2021 at 09:23, Paz said: .....One thing I would like to see added to it is on the actual map some representation of PA and separation like Interstellarium for those occasions when you don't want to go into the appendices. It would clutter the map potentially but it is a double star atlas. Yes, exactly that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spile Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 19 hours ago, John said: Yes, exactly that. I am thinking that should be possible using an Excel chart Hmmmmm..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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