100 "Starter" Double stars.

[GazOC]

I think I may have posted this before but here goes if you missed it. 100 achievable double stars to observe. These are esp. good targets/projects when the moon is out or the seeing isn't the greatest.

The website:

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/dblstar/dblstar2.html

Printable PDF list of stars:

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/dblstar/dblstar2.pdf

Printable PDF logsheet.

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/dblstar/dblstarl.pdf

[OXO]

Nice one Gaz

[FLO]

Good find

Have filed it with Phils 100 Moon targets.

[geppetto]

That'll do for me, just what I wanted to try something different

[GazOC]

Have filed it with Phils 100 Moon targets.

Thats what jogged my memory about having this list knocking about.

[daz]

Er, I get the website is pending renewal or deletion ..... :?

[Chubster]

Yep me too.....It was working the other night....perhaps SGL members have killed it with toooo many hits !

[GazOC]

Its back up now.

[lunator]

They do remvoe the info sometimes as they update the information.

With some of the close doubles the separation and angle can go out of date very quickly.

The best example is Porrima (gamma Vir) it has just past it closest point in the orbit and the PA & Sep have been changing significantly in a Month!!

Cheers

Ian

[Albireo380]

Great pdf Gaz - have downloaded it and saved - will start trawling through them, a couple each observing session.

Tom

[GazOC]

Thats what I did last year Tom, did the first 20 or so. With them being ordered by RA and not by difficulty you get a good mix as you go along.

[palefire]

Just found this & it was just what I was looking for.

Cheers Gaz!

[gurney]

On the PDF log sheet, what's the 'N' column for?

Sorry if that's a totally dumb question! :withstupid:

[lunator]

Hi Gurney

It stands for North.

You can use that space to sketch the double and it's surrounding field.

My preference was alwys to have North at the bottom of the image as I have always observed with a newt .

Cheers

Ian

[gurney]

Aha! Many thanks Ian.

[PaulG]

Can some one enlighten me "what is a double star" :oops: .

Heard the term used quite a bit but never dared ask the question :withstupid:

I get the idea that it's two stars in close proximity that look like one star unless you view them at high magnification ? (or am I on the wrong bus with this one).

Paul

[lunator]

Paul

You have pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Cheers

Ian

[gurney]

You're on the right bus and headed in the right direction! Fear not!

There are two types of double stars, or binaries:

Optical Binaries are basically an optical illusion of sorts, although not much of an illusion to be fair. They just happen to lie along the same line of sight and so look like they're very close, when in reality they are seperated by vast distances in space.

Visual Binaries are genuinely close to each other, in space terms anyway, and are gravitationally interacting with each other.

But both share the same thing in common, in that without a telescope they look like one star - but when you view them at higher magnifications you can resolve them, or split that one star into 2.

[PaulG]

Paul

You have pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks Ian

Phew ~ I wasn't completly off track then.

I'm going to give this double star business a go and see what all the fuss is about.

Paul

[PaulG]

You're on the right bus and headed in the right direction! Fear not!

There are two types of double stars, or binaries:

Optical Binaries are basically an optical illusion of sorts, although not much of an illusion to be fair. They just happen to lie along the same line of sight and so look like they're very close, when in reality they are seperated by vast distances in space.

Visual Binaries are genuinely close to each other, in space terms anyway, and are gravitationally interacting with each other.

But both share the same thing in common, in that without a telescope they look like one star - but when you view them at higher magnifications you can resolve them, or split that one star into 2.

Thanks for that Gurney

The tricky bit now is for me to locate the stars with my little refractor and red dot finder (should keep me busy for a few hours).

Paul

[GazOC]

Try Albireo first, its easy to find and stunning.

[PaulG]

Try Albireo first, its easy to find and stunning.

Thanks Gaz, I'll start with Albireo.

Thanks for the tip.

Paul

[lunator]

Paul

Have a go at Alcor & Mizar in the handle of the plough

Cheers

Ian

[roberte76]

NICE ONE THANKS FOR THIS ,I FOUND THE LUNAR 100 REALLY USEFUL (I HAVE DONE ABOUT 45)AS THE LISTS GIVE A BIT OF STRUCTIURE TO OBSERVING

[timetraveller]

I guess with my families particular bent for this subject i ought to start the grand tour myself don't you ? might be concidered letting the side down if i didn't I actually have a copy of Wilhelm's double star catalogue on my other PC and now i have a decent scope time i think to print it off and use it

regards to all Pete and good hunting