Some Cygnus Doubles

[cloudsweeper]

9.35pm Tuesday, still, mild, very clear.  8" SCT/Focal Reducer/GoTo/Observing Chair all ready.  Vega high, SE.  10 minutes later, the lower Altair came out, and I aligned on that.

S786 – 6th and 9th magnitudes, wide 47 arcsec separation.  One of a triangle of stars, with other fainter ones in the field.  Well split at x36, with the fainter sec. at 1 o'clock.

Sigma 2789 – 7th mag pair, 6.8 arcsec separation.  This is another in the above-mentioned triangle, and I got the split at x73 – close, matched, one just about above the other.

The whole of that triangle then made a most pleasing spectacle – sketch ahead.

Then another – Mu Cygni – 4th and 6th mags, tight 1.47 arcsec separation.  I went up in stages from x36, and think I got the split at 213 in moments of good seeing.  More certain at x256, still close, and the primary’s rings were more of a distraction.

Finished with a look at M13 (Hercules Great Globular Cluster) – some stars resolved at x128, very pleasing to dwell on at x191, 213.  (Hitting it shows how one-star alignment can be effective over a fairly wide sweep!)

A very enjoyable 1hr 55mins, my first decent session for a very long time.

Doug.

[chiltonstar]

Well done with Mu!