Zeta Cancri with ED80?

[NGC 1502]

Has anyone successfully split Zeta Cancri (Tegmine) into 3 components with an ED80 or similar?  Easy enough to see 2 components but tonight with Cancer well placed and a reasonably steady sky the tighter pair at times looked elongated but not split. I was using 240x which is very high power indeed with an 80mm but I’ve always found that doubles take much higher powers than most other objects.

My favourite triple Beta Mon was a treat at 240x with my ED80 and LV 2.5mm

with my 6”:and 10” Dobs Tegmine splits into 3 as long as the conditions are reasonable.

[Nik271]

With 80mm the airy disc diameter is about 1.7 arcseconds in green light (a bit larger in red and a bit smaller in blue). So at best you can see an elongation, as this simulation suggests:

Well done for spotting it with your 80ED! My seeing was relatively poor and I couldn't use more than x120 in my 102mm ED last night. The smallest aperture I've seen the third close component of Tegmine is my 127 Mak at about x250 and it was not a clean split. By contrast my 180 Mak makes it almost easy on a good night but that is more than twice the aperture.

Edited February 23, 2022 by Nik271

[NGC 1502]

Thanks Nik271 that’s really interesting, sounds like my ED80 is working as it should👍

[7170]

@NGC 1502 I took this through my ED80 tonight. Lucky imaging with stacking (seeing was ok). A clear split between the AB pair and C component, but only elongation of the AB pair (which is to be expected given their separation). 

[Mr Spock]

Tegmine is a nice multiple. Still hidden by the house for me, but, soon... 😜