24 march 2025

A clear night, finally, with predicted above average transparency and above-average seeing.  I opened the 20-inch full of hope to chase after movement pairs.  I did so, trying for Rigel, Sigma Orionis, and Procyon during the early evening.  I have elongation of Rigel, no success on Sigma or Procyon.  It eludes me by I can't see Procyon.  I did get a couple very tight movement pairs early in the night, but both transparency and seeing gradually became worse, I had pointing accuracy problems, and even stiction.  I sprayed the alt and az with lubricant, but it was so free now the scope nearly crashed as the OTA tipped forward, making the mirror pop from its cell with a worrying clang.  No damage done, luckily.  I felt good to be outside, but I would have wished for more success observing.  I alternated between 20-inch with apodising screen and the 7-inch off-axis mask.

I will confirm: refractors give much better star images and contrast than even the best reflectors (and my mirror is near perfect).  I could tell the difference all night long.

A  2123 AB: 508; 1016x: Some atmospheric dispersion causing red and blue haze at either end, but I clearly see two distinct photocenters hairline split inside of the haze, not quite N-S PA.  SOC grade 3 orbit, 80.94-year period, currently 0.337" and narrowing to the east by 2050, and likely undetectable.  

07h 17m 06.96s -12° 02' 01.6" P.A. 3.00 sep 0.337" mag 8.61,6.96 Sp F5V dist. 46.3 pc (151.03 l.y.)

BU  599 AB: 178; 280x: 65 Leo.  Very faint B glimpsed well outside of A's diffraction pattern, with seeing, best with 200-280x.  26% PRO, 164 AU WS, 2.2+0.8 Msol, and a positive PMV.  It is possibly binary, and an orbit can be tried.

11h 06m 54.20s +01° 57' 19.9" P.A. 107.00 sep 2.8 mag 5.65,9.72 Sp G9IIICN dist. 63.21 pc (206.19 l.y.)

HUT 1 Ca-Cb: 508; 1270x: Component of Zeta CnC.  Very difficult, very weak lopsidedness to the NW.  SOC grade 4 orbit, 17.3-year period.  The orbit is nearly circular and will turn to due south by 2031. 

08h 12m 13.27s +17° 38' 51.6" P.A. 344.00 sep 0.3 mag 6.20,7.10 Sp M1 dist. 25.08 pc (81.81 l.y.)

S   617 AB: 178; 140x: Light cream-yellow A and wide, 2 Dm blue B.  No parallax from the primary.

10h 53m 24.96s -02° 15' 18.8" P.A. 178.00 sep 35.2 mag 6.22,8.71 Sp G9IV dist. 79.3 pc (258.68 l.y.)

STF1500 AB: 178; 280x: Close white unequal pair.  12% PRO, 81 AU WS, 1.2+1.1 Msol, low positive PMV.  It might be binary.  SOC grade 4 orbit, 680-year period.

11h 00m 02.02s -03° 28' 16.5" P.A. 299.00 sep 1.3 mag 7.91,8.27 Sp F8V dist. 53.59 pc (174.81 l.y.)

STF1504 AB: 178; 200x: Close white equal pair, very nice.  42% PRO, 234 AU WS, 2.1+2.1 Msol, but a negative PMV.  An orbit could be tried but chances are low it's binary.

11h 03m 58.93s +03° 38' 19.3" P.A. 126.00 sep 1.2 mag 7.92,8.05 Sp F0 dist. 221.73 pc (723.28 l.y.)

STF1506 A-BC: 178; 140x: HH Leo. White A and wide, 3 Dm B. No Gaia data.

11h 04m 41.47s -04° 13' 15.9" P.A. 221.00 sep 11.8 mag 7.68,10.15 Sp G5 dist. 26.27 pc (85.69 l.y.)

8 march 2025

A short night with the 6-inch.  Better than average seeing, but with poor transparency.  I ran into some difficulties with the setting circles (low battery), so I only observed a couple double stars before just pointing the scope at the moon.  

STF1348 AB: 152; 180x: Lovely near equal pair, well split, best seen medium power.  28% PRO, 122 AU WS, 1.4+1.4 Msol, and a positive PMV.  It is probably binary, SOC grade 4 orbit 4734-year period, on the long side if confirmed as a binary.
09h 24m 28.48s +06° 21' 01.8" P.A. 314.00 sep 2.0 mag 7.45,7.57 Sp F7V dist. 71.17 pc (232.16 l.y.)

STF1356 AB: 152; 250x: Ome Leo.  Unequal stars, hairline split, B appears blue.  No Gaia data.  SOC grade 2 orbit, 118-year period, it is nearing apastron and won't make much change the next 20 years.
09h 28m 27.41s +09° 03' 24.4" P.A. 116.00 sep 0.9 mag 5.69,7.28 Sp F9IV dist. 33.17 pc (108.2 l.y.)

STF1536 AB: 152; 180x: Nice close split, light yellow stars, 2 Dm.  No Gaia parallax data.  SOC grade 2 orbit, 184-year period, it will widen slightly and turn from due east to ENE by 2040.

11h 23m 55.37s +10° 31' 46.9" P.A. 92.00 sep 2.3 mag 4.06,6.71 Sp F4IV dist. 23.67 pc (77.21 l.y.)

25 february 2025

A clear night, with some haze but only average seeing.  I used the 20-inch, but masked down to 7-inches for most of the night.  I hadn't used the scope for quite some time.

Despite the indifferent seeing, I tried Procyon when it transited -- and I think I saw SHB 1 AB!  I was at 7-inches, 285x with a neodymium filter, and using the central peephole in the eyepiece cap.  Nothing with the star at the center of the very narrow field, but when I placed it with A along the southern edge of the peephole, much of the diffraction was absorbed and there was a steady star, about the right separation and about the right magnitude, about exactly north PA: all of which confirms B.  To check for aberrations I placed A along the north and east and south edge of the peephole, and did not see any such brightening or star.  I moved A back to the west edge, and repeated the observation.  Now, given my history with this star, I would like to repeat the observation on another night.  And, it would be nice to see the star cleanly, without employing tricks like peepholes or occulting bars.  But, I'm excited by this and feel better about this observation than those in the past. 

A 524 AB: 178; 170x: Difficult, with seeing, light orange A, very significant delta magnitude.
07h 14m 10.85s -03° 54' 06.4" P.A. 153.00 sep 2.8 mag 6.14,10.17 Sp M1III dist. 396.83 pc (1294.46 l.y.)

ALC 3 AE:  80; 13x: Finder find, 3 Dm pair due north.  This is supposed to be "physical," and while their radial velosity is similar, the direction of motion is slightly divergent.  Also, they have -8% PRO, 13,567 AU WS, and the RVD 2.9 > EV 0.6, it is not binary.
07h 29m 06.72s +31° 47' 04.3" P.A. 355.00 sep 755.4 mag 4.16,7.82 Sp F0V dist. 18.05 pc (58.88 l.y.)

BGH 3 AB: 178; 125x: Super wide, 2 Dm.  10% PRO, 816 AU WS, 0.7+0.5 Msol, and RVD 1.1 < EV 1.7, it is possibly binary, and an orbit could be tried.
07h 39m 59.33s -03° 35' 51.0" P.A. 113.00 sep 57.9 mag 7.30,9.01 Sp K1V+K7V dist. 14.21 pc (46.35 l.y.)

BU 24 AB: 178; 280x: Excellent pair, very finely split with seeing. 6% PRO, 468 AU WS, 2.7+3.2 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit.
08h 54m 14.82s -08° 45' 39.9" P.A. 174.00 sep 1.2 mag 7.99,8.59 Sp F0+A2 dist. 259.07 pc (845.09 l.y.)

BU 102 AB: 178; 200x: Excellent pair, very faint B can just detected direct vision and with low power, the view improves with higher powers.  30% PRO, 555 AU WS, 2.3+1.2 Msol, and RVD 2.1 < EV 3.3.  It is likely binary and needs an orbit.

08h 16m 47.63s -09° 00' 51.5" P.A. 117.00 sep 3.2 mag 7.11,10.28 Sp A0V dist. 144.09 pc (470.02 l.y.)

BU 103 AB: 178; 200x: Well split with medium power, very unequal, >1 Dm.  -53% PRO, it is not binary.

08h 54m 54.66s -07° 49' 06.5" P.A. 72.00 sep 3.0 mag 7.69,9.78 Sp A5 dist. 2173.91 pc (7091.29 l.y.)

BU 197 AB: 178; 200x: 2 Dm, well split.  44% PRO, 1,784 AU WS, 4.8+3.2 Msol, but low PMV.  It is possible to be binary, an orbit could be tried.
07h 12m 49.38s -07° 08' 57.8" P.A. 148.00 sep 2.2 mag 7.82,9.34 Sp F2 dist. 699.3 pc (2281.12 l.y.)

BU 335 AB: 178; 280x: B is quite faint, 2 Dm, closely split with lower powers but best seen with high.  Surprising -25% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 48m 12.24s +02° 34' 48.4" P.A. 265.00 sep 2.6 mag 7.46,9.41 Sp F5 dist. 153.37 pc (500.29 l.y.)

BU 407 AB: 178; 140x: Faint B seen directly, well separated.  -87% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 51m 44.98s -06° 47' 03.5" P.A. 167.00 sep 5.8 mag 7.82,10.31 Sp A0 dist. 229.89 pc (749.9 l.y.)

ENG 28 AB: 80; 13x: Super wide, near equal.  0% PRO with low error, 8,190 AU WS (a bit far), 1.1+1.2 Msol, and RVD 0.1 < EV 0.7, low proper motion vector.  It is possible it is binary, through the parallax is problematic.
07h 08m 00.24s +15° 31' 42.9" P.A. 99.00 sep 171.9 mag 7.86,7.74 Sp G0V dist. 46.75 pc (152.5 l.y.)

ENG 37 AB: 178; 140x: A collection of bright white stars in the Beehive Cluster.   Unfortunately, none of them are binary.

AB: 5% PRO, 27,774 AU WS, 3.2+2.9 Msol, RVD 1.3 > EV 0.6, not binary

AC: 45% PRO, 24,672 AU WS, 3.2+1.6 Msol, RVD 3.4 > EV 0.6, not binary    

CD: 99% PRO, 18,569 AU WS, 2.9+1.7 Msol, RVD 1.8 > EV 0.7, not binary

BD: 15% PRO, 51,485 AU WS, 2.9+1.6 Msol, RVD 2.1 > EV 0.4, not binary

A 1719 CD: 508; 280x: With seeing and apodising mask, white, very closely split near equal star.  Component of ES 576.  -58% PRO, even with 3.8% error, it is not binary.
05h 24m 19.62s +42° 36' 13.7" P.A. 90.00 sep 0.9 mag 8.89,9.78 Sp A0

HJ 2424 AB: 178; 140x: Super wide, 2 Dm.  28% PRO, 8,798 AU WS, 3.0+1.0 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit.
08h 06m 02.54s +59° 14' 55.5" P.A. 150.00 sep 42.1 mag 6.70,10.81 Sp A0 dist. 233.1 pc (760.37 l.y.)

HO 524 AB: 178; 140x: Well separated, very faint B, 3 Dm.  43% PRO, 1,000 AU WS, 2.7+1.1 Msol, but a negative PMV.  An orbit could be tried, but might not be binary.

08h 15m 58.45s +18° 41' 38.2" P.A. 346.00 sep 4.4 mag 7.70,10.51 Sp K0 dist. 184.5 pc (601.84 l.y.)

LEP 30: 178; 140x: Wide, 1 Dm.  -7% PRO, 1,265 AU WS, 1.1+0.7 Msol, RVD 1.5 < EV 1.6 and ok PMV.  It has a small chance of being binary, an orbit could be tried.
08h 15m 33.20s +11° 25' 51.5" P.A. 238.00 sep 31.8 mag 7.71,9.75 Sp G5 dist. 38.57 pc (125.82 l.y.)

S 570 AB: 178; 140x: Super wide 2 Dm. -48% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 39m 06.10s +19° 40' 36.5" P.A. 84.00 sep 57.3 mag 7.47,9.64 Sp A8V

STF 644 AB: 178; 280x: Light orange stars, closely split, unequal.  13% PRO, 1,476 AU WS, 7.3+6.4 Msol, there is some possibility it is binary, an orbit can be tried.
05h 10m 18.81s +37° 18' 06.7" P.A. 221.00 sep 1.6 mag 6.96,6.78 Sp B2II+K3 dist. 485.44 pc (1583.51 l.y.)

STF1016 AB: 178; 140x: 2 Dm, white, wide.  No Gaia data for B.
07h 04m 38.29s -11° 31' 26.4" P.A. 150.00 sep 5.4 mag 7.36,9.53 Sp B0V dist. 1098.9 pc (3584.61 l.y.)

STF1177 AB: 178; 140x: Easy white unequal pair, well split.  25% PRO, 888 AU WS, 3.3+2.8 Msol, it is possibly binary and an orbit can be tried.

08h 05m 37.06s +27° 31' 46.9" P.A. 350.00 sep 3.5 mag 6.69,7.41 Sp B9V dist. 294.12 pc (959.42 l.y.)

STF1187 AB: 178; 140x: Attractive pair, unequal white stars closely split.  -98% PRO, it is not binary, in spite of the SOC grade 5 orbit.
08h 09m 30.45s +32° 13' 18.8" P.A. 21.00 sep 3.1 mag 7.19,7.98 Sp F2 dist. 64.68 pc (210.99 l.y.)

STF1189 AB: 178; 140x: 3 Dm, well split.  10% PRO, 4,625 AU WS, 3.7+2.0 Msol, it might be binary, an orbit can be tried.
08h 07m 56.30s -01° 20' 58.1" P.A. 334.00 sep 8.9 mag 7.82,10.08 Sp A1V dist. 1470.59 pc (4797.06 l.y.)

STF1202 AB: 178; 180x: White stars, 2 Dm, fairly closely split.  -66% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 13m 34.20s +10° 50' 49.7" P.A. 305.00 sep 2.7 mag 7.37,9.61 Sp F7V dist. 77.28 pc (252.09 l.y.)

STF1224 AB: 178; 140x: Easy white, wide, slightly unequal stars.  Seeing too poor to try for A1746 BC.  No Gaia data for B.  It is not likely to be binary given the wide separation.
08h 26m 39.82s +24° 32' 03.7" P.A. 53.00 sep 5.7 mag 6.92,7.53 Sp F0V+F7V dist. 79.74 pc (260.11 l.y.)

STF1245 AB: 178; 140x: Unequal, wide, light yellow.  -30% PRO, it is not binary, in spite of SOC grade 5 orbit.
08h 35m 51.05s +06° 37' 13.9" P.A. 25.00 sep 10.1 mag 5.98,7.16 Sp F8V+G5V dist. 25.13 pc (81.97 l.y.)

STF1254 : 178; 140x: White stars in the Beehive Cluster, none are binary.

AB: 08h 40m 22.11s +19° 40' 11.9" P.A. 55.00 sep 20.8 mag 6.44,10.37 Sp K0III dist. 218.34 pc (712.23 l.y.).  72% PRO, 3,801 AU WS, 3.2+1.2 Msol, but RVD 4.3 > EV 1.4, it is not binary.

AC: 08h 40m 22.11s +19° 40' 11.9" P.A. 343.00 sep 62.5 mag 6.52,7.61 Sp G9III dist. 218.34 pc (712.23 l.y.)  85% PRO, 11,705 AU WS, 3.2+2.2 Msol, but RVD 2.2 > EV 0.9, it is not binary.

AD: 08h 40m 22.11s +19° 40' 11.9" P.A. 44.00 sep 83.5 mag 6.52,9.20 Sp G9III dist. 218.34 pc (712.23 l.y.) 72% PRO, 15,255 AU WS, 3.2+1.5 Msol, but RVD 3.5 > EV 0.7, it is not binary.

STF1255 AB: 178; 140x: Wide, 1 Dm.  -20% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 39m 43.80s +05° 45' 51.4" P.A. 30.00 sep 26.1 mag 7.33,8.56 Sp G1V dist. 36.31 pc (118.44 l.y.)

STF1260 AB: 178; 140x: Well split, 1 Dm.  80% PRO, 729 AU WS, 1.9+1.7 Msol, and RVD 0.2 < EV 3.0, with a positive PMV.  It is very likely binary and needs an orbit.
08h 40m 41.40s -12° 10' 08.6" P.A. 301.00 sep 5.3 mag 7.86,8.07 Sp A2 dist. 139.28 pc (454.33 l.y.)

STF1261 AB: 178; 140x: Wide, 2 Dm.  -18% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 40m 43.77s -11° 55' 37.9" P.A. 303.00 sep 29.5 mag 7.71,9.60 Sp G5 dist. 77.7 pc (253.46 l.y.)

STF1268 AB: 178; 140x: Iota Cnc.  Beautiful pair, wide light orange and blue stars, 2 Dm.  NOT binary!  11% PRO, 3,199 AU WS, 4.2+2.2 Msol, but RVD 3.6 > EV 1.9.
08h 46m 41.82s +28° 45' 35.6" P.A. 308.00 sep 30.6 mag 4.13,5.99 Sp G8III+A2V dist. 85.54 pc (279.03 l.y.)

STF1270 AB: 178; 140x: White stars, half delta magnitude, wide.  71% PRO, 377 AU WS, 1.8+1.5 Msol, and RVD 0.8 < EV 4.0, positive PMV.  It is likely binary and needs an orbit.
08h 45m 20.79s -02° 36' 03.7" P.A. 265.00 sep 4.7 mag 6.89,7.54 Sp F2IV dist. 61.77 pc (201.49 l.y.)

STF1276 AB: 178; 140x: Near equal, wide. 29% PRO, 2,874 AU WS, 2.1+2.0 Msol, it is possibly binary, and orbit can be tried.
08h 47m 10.99s +11° 09' 34.2" P.A. 353.00 sep 12.7 mag 8.32,8.56 Sp A0 dist. 245.1 pc (799.52 l.y.)

STF1283 AB: 178; 140x: 2 Dm, wide.  81% PRO, 3,223 AU WS, 2.4+1.9 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit.
08h 49m 55.86s +14° 50' 00.2" P.A. 123.00 sep 16.5 mag 7.66,8.45 Sp F0 dist. 444.44 pc (1449.76 l.y.)

STF1290 AB: 178; 140x: Nice looking close split at low power, 1 Dm.  -18% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 52m 03.40s +04° 27' 58.0" P.A. 325.00 sep 2.8 mag 7.40,9.24 Sp A2 dist. 202.84 pc (661.66 l.y.)

STT 103 AB: 178; 140x: Very faint B, well split from bright A, 3 Dm. -43% PRO, it is not binary.
05h 18m 10.56s +33° 22' 17.8" P.A. 55.00 sep 4.1 mag 4.80,10.60 Sp K3.5III dist. 71.23 pc (232.35 l.y.)

STT 118 AB: 508; 280x: When viewed through the peephole in the eyepiece cap, I see an unequal snowman with an obvious notch, but it won't split.  No Gaia data.  SOC grade 4 orbit, 231.5-year nearly edge on, it is widening slowly, but not enough to show much change in the next 20 years.
05h 48m 22.36s +20° 52' 10.3" P.A. 320.00 sep 0.217 mag 6.32,7.57 Sp B9Vn dist. 167.5 pc (546.38 l.y.)

STT 176 AB: 178; 280x: Excellent pair, quite closely split, white and dull white, >1 Dm. -53% PRO, it is not binary.
07h 38m 30.46s +00° 30' 18.1" P.A. 220.00 sep 1.5 mag 7.21,9.24 Sp B9 dist. 485.44 pc (1583.51 l.y.)

STT 179 AB: 178; 140x: Kap Gem.  Well split, light-yellow A, very much fainter B.  33% PRO, 330 AU WS, 3.0+0.8 Msol, it is possibly binary and an orbit should be tried.
07h 44m 26.87s +24° 23' 53.3" P.A. 243.00 sep 7.0 mag 3.66,10.00 Sp G8IIIa dist. 43.35 pc (141.41 l.y.)

STT 186 AB: 178; 280x: Nice looking unequal pair, white stars, closely split.  49% PRO, 238 AU WS, 2.4+2.6 Msol, positive PMV, it is probably binary and needs an orbit.
08h 03m 18.52s +26° 16' 03.5" P.A. 75.00 sep 1.1 mag 7.71,7.93 Sp A4V dist. 188.32 pc (614.3 l.y.)

STT 191 AB: 178; 140x: Very wide, 1 Dm.  97% PRO, 12,597 AU WS, 3.4+2.4, and RVD 2.2 > EV 0.9, it is not binary.
08h 24m 49.18s +20° 09' 10.8" P.A. 192.00 sep 36.9 mag 7.41,8.62 Sp A5 dist. 259.74 pc (847.27 l.y.)

STT 195 AB: 178; 140x: Slightly unequal wide pair.  77% PRO, 882 AU WS, 1.6+1.4 Msol, and RVD 0.6 < EV 2.5, it is probably binary and needs an orbit.
08h 53m 57.80s +08° 25' 17.7" P.A. 138.00 sep 9.8 mag 7.73,8.33 Sp F8 dist. 1315.79 pc (4292.11 l.y.)

STTA 88 AB: 178; 140x: Super wide, 1 Dm.  21% PRO, 4,513 AU WS, 1.6+1.2 Msol, RVD 1.1 nearly equal to EV 1.0, and a positive PMV.  It's possibly binary, an orbit should be tried.
07h 48m 58.22s +00° 39' 42.9" P.A. 6.00 sep 57.1 mag 7.48,8.90 Sp F2 dist. 69.83 pc (227.79 l.y.)

STTA 89 AB: 178; 140x: Super wide, 1 Dm.  81% PRO, 12,124 AU WS, 2.5+2.1 Msol, and RVD 0.9 nearly equal to EV 0.8, with a positive PMV.  It's possible to be binary, an orbit should be tried.
07h 51m 00.20s +31° 36' 48.7" P.A. 84.00 sep 76.6 mag 6.83,7.69 Sp A6III dist. 202.43 pc (660.33 l.y.)

STTA 94 AB: 178; 140x: 2 Dm, super wide. -25% PRO, it is not binary.
08h 36m 10.95s +13° 46' 39.2" P.A. 133.00 sep 43.2 mag 7.39,8.11 Sp A0 dist. 296.74 pc (967.97 l.y.)

WRH 27 AB: 178; 140x: 3 Dm, wide.  0% PRO, and RVD 4.6 > EV 0.9, it is not binary.

08h 09m 42.35s +25° 33' 32.6" P.A. 98.00 sep 28.9 mag 7.61,10.69 Sp K5III dist. 653.59 pc (2132.01 l.y.)

20 february 2025

A night out with my 6-inch, after a month of cloudy weather.  I had some difficulty getting the setting circles to align, and conditions were not very good -- poor transparency and average seeing, even with the small aperture -- and I had a late start as it was.  Good to be out all the same.

A  2142 AB: 152; 250x: Faint unequal pair, hairline split.  -14% PRO, and a poor PMV, it is not binary.

10h 05m 43.55s +41° 02' 42.7" P.A. 293.00 sep 1.0 mag 7.97,8.83 Sp F0 dist. 137.55 pc (448.69 l.y.)

BU  219 AB: 152; 250x: Excellent close pair, 2 Dm, nicely split, best seen with high power.  -23% PRO and a poor PMV, it is not binary.

10h 21m 35.86s -22° 31' 42.7" P.A. 186.00 sep 1.8 mag 6.70,8.52 Sp A1V dist. 165.29 pc (539.18 l.y.)

BU  411 AB: 152; 200x: Faint, very close split.  15% PRO, a poor PMV, only 59 AU WS, 1.4+1.1 Msol, it is probably binary.  SOC grade 2 orbit, 159.3-year period, it is at apastron and won't have much change the next coupld of decades. 

10h 36m 04.49s -26° 40' 31.6" P.A. 303.00 sep 1.3 mag 6.68,7.77 Sp F6V dist. 41.25 pc (134.56 l.y.)

HJ 4311 AB: 152; 125x: Very bright primary and well split faint secondary, looks like a star with a planet.  36% PRO, 249 AU WS, poor PMV, 1.6+0.7 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit

10h 23m 17.55s -13° 22' 37.7" P.A. 119.00 sep 4.7 mag 6.70,10.26 Sp F5V dist. 53.45 pc (174.35 l.y.)

HU 1128 AB: 152; 125x: Wide B noticed with averted vision then can hold.  75% PRO, 68 AU WS, negative PMV, and RVD 4.8 < EV 5.6.  SOC grade 5 orbit 241-year period. 

09h 35m 39.50s +35° 48' 36.4" P.A. 58.00 sep 7.3 mag 4.80,12.50 Sp G8V dist. 11.37 pc (37.09 l.y.)

LDS2863 AB: 152; 125x: 4 Dm, super wide, white A, light orange B.  These appear to share a similar proper motion, but there is only 1% PRO, 1,588 AU WS, 1.2+0.5 Msol, but RVD 2.8 > EV 1.4, it is not binary.

10h 30m 37.58s +55° 58' 49.9" P.A. 303.00 sep 122.8 mag 4.88,8.86 Sp F8V+K7V dist. 12.78 pc (41.69 l.y.)

STF1405 AB: 152; 125x: White stars, well separated, B detected with averted vision then can hold.  18% PRO, 2,800 AU WS, 2.0+0.8 Msol, but RVD 3.6 > EV 1.3, it is not binary.

10h 05m 55.92s +39° 34' 55.7" P.A. 252.00 sep 22.2 mag 7.30,11.76 Sp A9V dist. 105.82 pc (345.18 l.y.)

STF1424 AB: 152; 125x: Algieba.  Lovely same color light-yellow stars, 3 Dm, well split.  Seen with the 60mm too, with 40x and best at 90x, with nice diffraction rings.  No Gaia data.  SOC grade 4 orbit, 554-year period. 

10h 19m 58.35s +19° 50' 29.4" P.A. 127.00 sep 4.7 mag 2.37,3.64 Sp K1III+gG7 dist. 39.89 pc (130.12 l.y.)

STF1426 AB: 152; 250x: Unequal hairline with seeing only. No Gaia data for A.  SOC grade 4 orbit, 774-year period.

10h 20m 32.32s +06° 25' 47.6" P.A. 315.00 sep 0.9 mag 7.99,8.30 Sp F5 dist. 149.7 pc (488.32 l.y.)

STF1431 AB: 152; 125x: 2 Dm, nicely split.  -1% PRO, poor PMV, it is not likely binary.

10h 25m 35.12s +08° 46' 35.4" P.A. 76.00 sep 3.6 mag 7.76,9.07 Sp A8III dist. 151.98 pc (495.76 l.y.)

STF1432 AB: 152; 125x: Super wide, 2 Dm.  -93% PRO, it is not binary.

10h 26m 59.53s +29° 40' 31.0" P.A. 121.00 sep 28.6 mag 7.84,10.28 Sp F2 dist. 100.3 pc (327.18 l.y.)

STF1440 AB: 152; 125x: 1 Dm, wide.  Only 6% PRO, a poor PMV, it is not likely binary. 

10h 29m 49.23s -03° 54' 55.2" P.A. 345.00 sep 14.8 mag 7.81,9.17 Sp G0 dist. 145.35 pc (474.13 l.y.)

STF1441 AB: 152; 200x: Excellent pair, light orange stars with a closely split 2 Dm B.  No Gaia data for B.  Low chance of it being binary, given the distance from us and the relatively wide split.  An orbit can be tried all the same.

10h 30m 58.78s -07° 38' 15.2" P.A. 167.00 sep 2.8 mag 6.51,8.81 Sp K5III+F6V dist. 348.43 pc (1136.58 l.y.)

STF1450 AB: 152; 200x: Very fine close split, dull white stars, 2 Dm.  No Gaia data for B.  Given the distance from us, I don't think chances are good for it to be binary.

10h 35m 02.16s +08° 39' 01.6" P.A. 157.00 sep 2.0 mag 5.80,7.90 Sp A2V dist. 131.41 pc (428.66 l.y.)

STF1457 AB: 152; 200x: Very closely split unequal pair.  -62% PRO, it is not binary.

10h 38m 43.14s +05° 44' 02.9" P.A. 334.00 sep 1.9 mag 7.69,8.16 Sp F5V dist. 65.4 pc (213.33 l.y.)

STFB  6 AB: 60; 40x: Unequal super wide.  No Gaia data. 

10h 08m 22.31s +11° 58' 01.9" P.A. 304.00 sep 179.2 mag 1.40,8.24 Sp B7V dist. 24.31 pc (79.3 l.y.)

STT 215 AB: 152; 250x: Very fine white unequal pair, close clean split with high power, suspected lower powers. 31% PRO, 152 AU WS, 1.9+1.8, it is probably binary.  SOC grade 4 orbit, 468-year period.

10h 16m 16.05s +17° 44' 24.6" P.A. 176.00 sep 1.5 mag 7.25,7.46 Sp A9IV dist. 114.55 pc (373.66 l.y.)

STT 216 AB: 152; 250x: Difficult, with seeing, two hazy hairline split stars.  Elongates with averted vision.  -32% PRO, 1.0+0.6 Msol, RVD 2.0 < EV 6.8.  There is a SOC grade 3 orbit, 315-year period, it may well be binary in spite of the parallax discrepancy.

10h 22m 43.81s +15° 20' 39.7" P.A. 228.00 sep 2.5 mag 7.38,10.28 Sp G5 dist. 28.77 pc (93.85 l.y.)

STT 219 AB: 152; 125x: B seen with averted vision only.  -73% PRO, it is not binary.

10h 30m 11.49s +50° 59' 36.2" P.A. 297.00 sep 13.2 mag 7.60,11.70 Sp A7IV dist. 158.48 pc (516.96 l.y.)

STT 523 AB: 152; 200x: Very faint B seen with averted vision only, well split. 71% PRO, 173 AU WS, 1.2+0.4 Msol, RVD 4.2 > EV 4.0, but not by much.  It is possibly binary and an orbit is needed.

10h 17m 14.53s +23° 06' 22.3" P.A. 300.00 sep 7.9 mag 5.80,11.30 Sp F6V+M1.5 dist. 22.81 pc (74.41 l.y.) 

16 january 2025

A very productive night with the 6-inch.  Seeing was quite good, nearly perfect at higher elevations.  A bit of typical marine haze.  Cold, in the upper 30s, and light dew.  I observed from around 7:00 and caught the beginnings of an Io shadow transit on Jupiter, and Venus and Saturn close to each other (through branches of a neighbor's tree), and Mars, with a polar ice cap and dark features visible.  I ended the night around 11pm with a bino-viewed look at the moon.  All around a great night.

BGH  21 AB: 60; 40x: 2 Dm, superwide.  This pair have a very similar proper motion in speed and direction, but with -92% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 10m 03.87s +27° 33' 23.4" P.A. 353.00 sep 314.6 mag 7.02,9.27 Sp F5+G5 dist. 39.67 pc (129.4 l.y.)

BU  189 AB: 152; 125x: 3 Dm, well separated B with averted vision only.  26% PRO, 1,407 AU WS, 3.8+1.6 Msol, but RVD 3.3 > EV 2.6, it is not binary.

05h 20m 26.41s -05° 22' 03.1" P.A. 285.00 sep 4.6 mag 6.41,9.80 Sp B8III dist. 281.69 pc (918.87 l.y.)

BU  317 AB: 152; 200x: Reddish A, wide B with averted vision only.  25% PRO, 2,044 AU WS, 2.9+1.4 Msol, but RVD 3.5 > EV 1.9, it is not binary.

05h 13m 55.82s -22° 59' 18.6" P.A. 13.00 sep 8.7 mag 7.54,10.27 Sp K0III dist. 243.9 pc (795.6 l.y.)

BU  327 AB: 152; 250x: Unequal hairline split, with seeing and high power only.  No Gaia data for the companion.  Given how close it is, an orbit should be tried.

06h 58m 28.16s -03° 01' 25.4" P.A. 107.00 sep 0.6 mag 7.80,8.15 Sp B0.5IV dist. 515.46 pc (1681.43 l.y.)

BU  560 AB: 152; 200x: Beautiful close unequal pair.  -7% PRO, it is not likely binary.

05h 47m 24.87s +29° 39' 26.9" P.A. 124.00 sep 1.7 mag 7.77,8.24 Sp F8 dist. 79.55 pc (259.49 l.y.)

BU  573 AB: 152; 250x: Hairline split with seeing, near equal, white.  No Gaia data for the companion.  SOC grade 4 orbit, 855-year period, if correct it will drastically tighten over the next 20 years.

07h 01m 49.89s -10° 52' 56.3" P.A. 311.00 sep 0.8 mag 7.16,7.83 Sp F8 dist. 118.34 pc (386.03 l.y.)

BUP  79 AC: 152; 125x: 5 Dm superwide, C on edge of direct vision.  -80% PRO, it is not binary.  Nor is AB, -73% PRO.

05h 27m 38.89s +34° 28' 33.6" P.A. 72.00 sep 61.8 mag 5.22,10.87 Sp K3IIICN+2 dist. 138.89 pc (453.06 l.y.)

COO  31 AB: 152; 125x: 2 Dm, B just seen direct vision, very wide.  19% PRO, 2,419 AU WS, 2.1+1.1 Msol, but the RVD 2.3 > EV 1.5, it is not binary.

05h 23m 38.15s -22° 18' 29.2" P.A. 284.00 sep 17.4 mag 7.45,10.22 Sp A7V dist. 684.93 pc (2234.24 l.y.)

CPO 7 AB: 152; 250x: Adhara. As challenging as nearby Sirus B.  B is faint but well separated from A's dancing diffraction. No Gaia data.

06h 58m 37.55s -28° 58' 19.5" P.A. 162.00 sep 7.9 mag 1.50,7.50 Sp B2II dist. 124.22 pc (405.21 l.y.)

DA  3 AB: 152; 250x: Exquisitely close hairline split, 1 Dm.  1% PRO 2.5% error, 337 AU WS, 3.4+2.7 Msol, it probably is not binary.

05h 35m 54.08s -05° 37' 42.4" P.A. 173.00 sep 0.9 mag 7.33,8.54 Sp B6Ve

DA  4 AB: 152; 250x: Very challenging, close separation, B appears as a steady brightening in A's diffraction.  No Gaia parallax data for B.  It might be too far to be binary, but an orbit could be tried.

05h 35m 23.16s -04° 50' 18.1" P.A. 202.00 sep 1.2 mag 4.61,7.50 Sp B1V dist. 271 pc (884 l.y.)

ENG  22 AS: 152; 125x: Superwide 3 Dm.  Part of BUP 82.  19% PRO, 1,203 AU WS, 0.8+0.4 Msol, but RVD 2.3 > EV 1.4, it is not binary.

05h 41m 20.33s +53° 28' 51.7" P.A. 72.00 sep 97.9 mag 6.29,9.84 Sp K1V+M0.5V dist. 12.28 pc (40.06 l.y.)

H 6 40 AB: 152; 125x: Superwide, 3 Dm.  26% PRO, 864 AU WS, 1.3+0.7 Msol, and the RVD 2.1 is =/> EV 2.0.  There is a chance it's binary, an orbit should be tried.

05h 44m 27.79s -22° 26' 54.2" P.A. 349.00 sep 95.5 mag 3.64,6.28 Sp F6V+K2V dist. 8.93 pc (29.13 l.y.)

HDS 713 AB: 152; 200x: Faint unequal, very wide.  46% PRO, 4,411 AU WS, 1.3+1.3 Msol, and RVD 0.1 < EV 1.0, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.

05h 26m 05.38s +22° 49' 33.6" P.A. 129.00 sep 24.0 mag 10.00,10.19 Sp G0 dist. 362.32 pc (1181.89 l.y.)

HJ 3750 AB: 152; 200x: Pretty, bright, cream-colored A, light orange B, close but good separation, 4 Dm. 86% PRO, 513 AU WS, 3.7+1.6 Msol, it is probably binary and needs an orbit tried.

05h 20m 26.91s -21° 14' 23.1" P.A. 279.00 sep 4.0 mag 4.72,8.45 Sp A0Vv dist. 127.55 pc (416.07 l.y.)

HJ 3752 AB: 152; 200x: Lovely 3 Dm, good separation.  -15% PRO, it is not likely binary.

05h 21m 46.27s -24° 46' 22.6" P.A. 91.00 sep 3.5 mag 5.44,6.58 Sp G0 dist. 107.87 pc (351.87 l.y.)

HJ 3770 AB: 152; 125x: Well separated B barely seen with averted vision.  57% PRO, 218 AU WS, 1.2+0.6 Msol, and RVD 2.6 < EV 3.8, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.

05h 33m 30.36s -24° 20' 16.6" P.A. 24.00 sep 4.2 mag 7.79,11.35 Sp F7V dist. 50.58 pc (164.99 l.y.)

HJ 3788 AB: 152; 125x: 2 Dm, superwide.  -33% PRO, and RVD 1.7 > EV 1.5, it is not binary.

05h 41m 16.85s -26° 20' 48.0" P.A. 155.00 sep 25.7 mag 7.60,9.20 Sp F3/5V dist. 68.26 pc (222.66 l.y.)

HJ 3798 AB: 152; 125x: Unequal very wide.  -77% PRO, they are not binary.

05h 47m 12.85s -24° 29' 44.1" P.A. 70.00 sep 15.3 mag 8.19,8.76 Sp F2V+F5IV

HJ 3914 AB: 152; 125x: Wide, 3 Dm B with averted vision only.  5% PRO, 2,562 AU WS, 2.8+1.0 Msol, there is a small possibility it's binary and an orbit can be tried.

07h 02m 08.61s -23° 29' 49.3" P.A. 314.00 sep 11.0 mag 7.52,11.00 Sp G8III/IV

HO  342 AB: 152; 250x: Unequal 1 Dm, close separation.  -11% PRO, it is not likely binary.

07h 02m 50.54s +13° 05' 21.7" P.A. 89.00 sep 1.2 mag 7.99,8.71 Sp F5 dist. 212.31 pc (692.56 l.y.)

HU  112 AB: 152; 250x: Subtlety notched elongation, unequal.  Needs more aperture to resolve.  No Gaia data.  This is an insanely tight, sub-arcsecond triple!  Or, quadruple, as there is a spectroscopic Ba,Bb pair.  The B and C pairs have nearly identical position angles and separations, so likely appear overlapped.  I need to observe this with the 20-inch.   

HU 112 AB: 07h 01m 49.51s -11° 18' 03.3" P.A. 196.00 sep 0.6 mag 7.03,7.70 Sp B2V+B9V dist. 444.44 pc (1449.76 l.y.)

SAO 3 AC: 07h 01m 49.51s -11° 18' 03.3" P.A. 198.00 sep 0.7 mag 7.03,7.80 Sp B2V+B9V dist. 444.44 pc (1449.76 l.y.)

HU 1107 AB: 152; 250x: Difficult, B is very much fainter, but steady on white A's diffraction ring. -32% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 37m 15.06s +64° 09' 16.9" P.A. 57.00 sep 1.5 mag 6.18,9.81 Sp A0V dist. 111.23 pc (362.83 l.y.)

I   183 AB: 152; 200x: Not very difficult, 4 Dm, well separated, seen at 125x, better view with 200x.  -81% PRO, it is not binary.

07h 00m 47.55s -25° 38' 37.6" P.A. 139.00 sep 3.9 mag 7.41,9.93 Sp B2IV dist. 515.46 pc (1681.43 l.y.)

J 36 AB: 152; 250x: Beautiful, faint B close split.  -3% PRO, only 131 AU WS, 1.5+1.0 Msol -- it is probably not binary, but an orbit could be tried.

05h 48m 15.09s +03° 53' 56.2" P.A. 95.00 sep 1.4 mag 7.83,9.56 Sp F8

S   476 AB: 152; 125x: Wide, slightly unequal.  -13% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 19m 17.44s -18° 31' 11.8" P.A. 18.00 sep 39.3 mag 6.31,6.48 Sp B3V+Ap dist. 263.16 pc (858.43 l.y.)

S   541 AB: 152; 125x: 1 Dm, super wide.  6% PRO, 5,983 AU WS, 3.1+2.3 Msol, RVD 1.4 => EV 1.3.  The numbers are marginal, but there is some chance it is binary, an orbit can be tried.

06h 56m 34.17s -22° 38' 41.5" P.A. 44.00 sep 23.3 mag 7.48,8.53 Sp K0III+F dist. 290.7 pc (948.26 l.y.)

STF 645 A-BC: 152; 125x: White and well separated 2 Dm B.  No Gaia data for B, but it's BC that's the prize, BU 1047 SOC grade 3 orbit.

05h 09m 45.06s +28° 01' 50.2" P.A. 29.00 sep 11.3 mag 6.04,9.11 Sp A5m dist. 52.6 pc (171.58 l.y.)

STF 648: AB: 152; 125x: Unequal, well separated, light orange.  14% PRO, 211 AU WS, 1.1+0.9 Msol, and RVD 0.7 < EV 4.0, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.

STF 676 AB: 152; 125x: Close split, 1 Dm.  -30% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 24m 47.16s +64° 43' 52.7" P.A. 268.00 sep 1.4 mag 8.13,8.92 Sp F8 dist. 204.08 pc (665.71 l.y.)

STF 677 AB: 152; 250x: Very closely split, 1 Dm, nice pair.  -9% PRO, it is not likely binary, in spite of the SOC grade 4 orbit 430-year period.

05h 24m 44.29s +63° 23' 11.1" P.A. 108.00 sep 1.2 mag 7.86,8.50 Sp G0 dist. 47.15 pc (153.8 l.y.)

STF 684 AB: 152; 250x: Very close separation, 2 Dm.  -11% PRO, it is not likely binary.

05h 22m 11.04s +45° 04' 53.9" P.A. 141.00 sep 1.5 mag 7.72,9.34 Sp B8III dist. 5882.35 pc (19188.23 l.y.)

STF 698 AB: 152; 125x: 1 Dm, superwide.  -92% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 25m 12.94s +34° 51' 18.6" P.A. 348.00 sep 31.4 mag 6.65,8.33 Sp K2III dist. 5263.16 pc (17168.43 l.y.)

STF 699 AB: 152; 125x: White, 1 Dm, wide, in a rich field.  -4% PRO with 4% error, 1,804 AU WS, 2.2+1.9 Msol, and a 0.09 PMV.  It's possible to be binary, an orbit could be tried.

05h 25m 38.50s +38° 02' 41.1" P.A. 345.00 sep 8.9 mag 7.90,8.61 Sp A1V dist. 308.64 pc (1006.78 l.y.)

STF 711 AB: 152; 125x: 2 Dm, wide.  -44% PRO, it is not binary (in spite of SOC grade 5 orbit).

05h 31m 28.89s +54° 39' 15.8" P.A. 226.00 sep 7.3 mag 7.78,9.67 Sp G1+K2 dist. 39.31 pc (128.23 l.y.)

STF 718 AB: 152; 125x: Near equal white stars, well separated, in a rich field.  17% PRO, 847 AU WS, 1.8+1.8 Msol, and RVD 0.1 < EV 2.8, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.  It is very close to us, so the separation is apparently wide for us to see easily.

05h 32m 20.59s +49° 23' 36.5" P.A. 72.00 sep 7.8 mag 7.47,7.54 Sp F5 dist. 82.58 pc (269.38 l.y.)

STF 719 AB: 152; 250x: Lovely closely split 2 Dm pair, with a similar magnitude C further out with similar position angle.  -29% it is not binary (nor is the C pair).

05h 30m 06.14s +29° 32' 55.3" P.A. 336.00 sep 1.4 mag 7.50,8.76 Sp G5 dist. 169.78 pc (553.82 l.y.)

STF 734 AB: 152; 250x: Excellent close split, >1 Dm.  -28% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 33m 07.35s -01° 43' 02.5" P.A. 355.00 sep 1.6 mag 6.67,8.22 Sp B4Vn dist. 315.46 pc (1029.03 l.y.)

STF 736 AB: 152; 250x: Lovely close pair, 1 Dm.  47% PRO, 112 AU WS, 1.2+0.9 Msol, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.

05h 37m 07.20s +41° 49' 41.7" sep 2.7 mag 7.45,8.57 Sp F8 dist. 44.19 pc (144.15 l.y.)

STF 768 AB: 152; 125x: 3 Dm wide pair.  12% PRO, 9,636 AU WS, 3.9+2.0, there is some chance it is binary, and orbit can be tried.

05h 43m 17.17s +41° 07' 22.4" P.A. 221.00 sep 18.8 mag 7.45,10.32 Sp B8 dist. 82.37 pc (268.69 l.y.)

STF 973 AB: 152; 125x: Slightly unequal, wide.  -23% PRO, it is not binary.

07h 04m 03.92s +75° 13' 39.1" P.A. 32.00 sep 12.8 mag 7.22,8.19 Sp G0 dist. 35.71 pc (116.49 l.y.)

STF 997 AB: 152; 200x: Light orange A and blue B, well separated.  86% PRO, 832 AU WS, 5.7+3.0 Msol, it is likely binary and an orbit is needed.

06h 56m 06.59s -14° 02' 33.6" P.A. 343.00 sep 2.9 mag 5.27,7.14 Sp G5III+A2 dist. 381.68 pc (1245.04 l.y.)

STT 106 AB: 152; 125x: White, 2 Dm wide pair.  7% PRO, 581 AU WS, 1.5+0.7 Msol, but RVD 3.0 > EV 2.6, it is not binary.

05h 22m 11.20s +05° 23' 43.1" P.A. 40.00 sep 9.5 mag 7.06,10.06 Sp F6V dist. 56.66 pc (184.82 l.y.)

STT 108 AB: 152; 200x: Very much fainter B nicely split from white A.  -7% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 29m 19.14s +18° 21' 56.5" P.A. 131.00 sep 3.2 mag 6.77,10.42 Sp A2 dist. 186.92 pc (609.73 l.y.)

STT 112 AB: 152; 250x: ! Unequal hairline split, great pair.  -41% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 39m 54.31s +37° 57' 28.8" P.A. 46.00 sep 0.9 mag 7.92,8.21 Sp B9

STT 117 AB: 152; 125x: Light yellow-orange A, wide and very faint B plainly seen.  47% PRO, 3,691 AU WS, 3.9+1.7 Msol, but RVD 4.3 > EV 1.6, it is not binary.

05h 48m 11.46s +30° 32' 06.7" P.A. 31.00 sep 11.7 mag 7.11,10.01 Sp K5 dist. 284.09 pc (926.7 l.y.)

STT 159 AB: 152; 250x: Light yellow, notched snowman with a small head.  No Gaia data for B.  SOC grade 3 orbit, 262-year period, 

06h 57m 16.60s +58° 25' 23.0" P.A. 237.00 sep 0.7 mag 4.45,5.50 Sp G8III+F8V dist. 54.67 pc (178.33 l.y.)

STTA 61 AB: 152; 125x: 2 Dm, supewrwide.  66% PRO, 3,628 AU WS, 1.5+1.0, but RVD 1.7 > EV 1.1, it is not binary.

05h 09m 43.70s +29° 47' 55.1" P.A. 245.00 sep 68.4 mag 6.72,8.49 Sp F8V dist. 52.97 pc (172.79 l.y.)

STTA 63 AB: 152; 125x: More than 1 Dm, superwide.  -95% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 30m 45.08s +39° 49' 33.3" P.A. 277.00 sep 75.2 mag 6.49,7.69 Sp G9III dist. 217.86 pc (710.66 l.y.)

WNC 2 A-BC: White, near equal, well separated. No Gaia parallax data for the secondary.  SOC Grade 5 orbit 923 year period.  BC is A 847, 7.6/7.8 0.2" 47-year period SOC grade 2.

05h 23m 51.32s -00° 51' 59.8" P.A. 159.00 sep 3.1 mag 6.87,6.96 Sp F6V+F5V dist. 55.71 pc (181.73 l.y.)

lake sonoma 20 january 2025

A nice observing window opened up last Monday night.  Clear conditions with good seeing, low possibility of dew, and a 3rd quarter moon.  I drove up to Lake Sonoma where a sizable group, for a work night, gathered, including Bob, Dan, and Steve.  The transparency was not quite perfect, as we noticed a long and persistent contrail to the west during dusk.  But Steve recorded 21.3+ on his SQM, so it was pretty good.  The drive up was 2 hours non-stop, with the usual slowdowns on 880 -- I even used the express lane all the way up 880, and it was still slow.  So much for "holiday light."

Because I planned to drive home at midnight, I kept my set-up simple, with night vision on a NP101 and 60mm ED dual mounted on a Twighlight  II, with Nexus DSC.  I also brought my monopod for 1x and 3x viewing -- though I wish I brought my mirror mount, as my primary goal for the night was at zenith...  I revisited many observations I made previously.  

My main goal was a sweep of very faint nebulosity which comes off of the California nebula NGC 1499 to the south to Sivan 4, then tuns west past Barnard 3 and north in long filamentary streams.  The stringy nebula stream stretches a whopping 20 degrees.  I've wanted to observe this for the 2 years since I first noticed it on Aladin.   I found the existence of this nebula by bringing up the Finkbeiner Ha gas line on Aladin, then using the Pixel Mapping slider to the left, which greatly enhances the view of faint extended nebula.  

Near the center of the Aladin screen shot is a comparatively brighter "H" shape, centered at roughly 03:00h RA, +37:00 Dec.  Using my 60mm refractor which has 5x and a 9-degree field of view, I pushed my scope to the position.  Starting out with a 685 longpass filter, I saw a nice field of stars, and while looking through the eyepiece flipped to a 3nm Ha, and instantly saw a broad, subtly mottled very faint nebula, as thick as half the field but steaming through all of it, orientated N-S.  It was very faint, but not difficult, and looked like a broken up, lingering contrail.  The nebula also showed fairly well with a Ha+OIII dual band, but perhaps because I knew what to look for.  I did not clearly distinguish a "H" shape, but there were some subtly brighter sections in the stream.

I proceeded to pan the telescope to follow the stream, first south-eastward.  The nebula quickly faded and became very difficult to follow until I came to the region near Barnard 3 (aka the "Wreath Nebula"), a large, round dusty cloud about 1.5x2.0 degrees, very faint and turbulent, with a brighter irregular knot in the middle, and three turbulent clouds on the east, south, and southwest periphery of the nebulous circle.  Further northeast is Sivan 4, a broad featureless glow, then NGC 1499, which was very bright and layered with filamentary streaks, especially on its long flanks.  Since NGC 1499 "points" westward toward the "H" shaped nebula, I panned in that direction, losing sight of all nebulae briefly until the filamentary trunk reappeared.  I then panned northward, and the trunk very quickly dissipated.  The nebula became very broken up and intermingled with the sky background, and I lost the trail of it the further north I panned.

I plan to re-observe this steam the next chance I get, probably with my mirror mount at 3x, to make the viewing easier on my neck.

Another highlight was IRAS 22298+6505, which the WISE website describes as a "a hidden star-forming cloud complex of dust and gas located in the constellation of Cepheus."  Observed with the 4-inch with 3nm Ha, I saw a large arc of very faint nebula which took half the field.  The inside arc was deeply crenellated with dark lanes, leaving the clear impression of dust and gas being blown out by stellar winds.  The outside arc was a sheet of mottled nebula which dissipated slowly.  I also noticed a tight round knot of brighter nebula around a star, which can be seen on the WISE image below.  As their website explains, this is the "bright blue giant star, 26 Cephei...[it] is surrounded by a bubble of cool, red dust and dust-enshrouded younger stars that may owe their existence to their older sibling."  

NGC 7380, aka the "Wizard Nebula": With the 4-inch, it appeared as a very faint crinkly arc with the Tr-band, but was transformed when flipping to the 3nm Ha.  The inside arc became very bright and the dark nebula columns were prominent.  The back end of the arc cut-off rather quickly but irregularly.  I had the sense the whole area was a dark, turbulent cloud of smoke, with only a small part of it illuminated by a candle.

Sivan 3: My prior observations were slightly tentative, only picking out a very weak nebula.  This time, with the 60mm, I had a "no doubt about it" experience.  It was still very weak, but it was immediately detected when flipping from the Tri-band (in which I didn't see anything but stars) to the 3nm Ha: a very large, curved mottled cloud, with Alpha Camelopardalis lying inside the arc.  The nebula was 3-degrees in width, which took up half the field of view, and extended a little beyond the field on either side.  I believe I did see the bow shock feature, which is the arc of brighter nebulosity near Alpha (above it, in this image, with Sivan 3 in the background) -- but I really didn't make a careful enough sketch.  I must try better next time!

15 january 2025

Rather a Jeckel and Hyde night.  After evening chores, I went out to use the Zerochromat, which I had recollimated that afternoon.  I bought a new laser collimator with a narrow beam just for the purpose.  But the views in the evening were not good at all.  Still showing coma.  The star test showed the one section of concentric, even rings as one would hope, but only around one rim.  The rest of the star test image was smeared and blurred.  I tried collimating off the star test, but it only made things worse.  I gave up for the night.  I'm fairly close to giving up altogether.  I fear I need to make alignments inside the tube, which will be difficult and iterative, since there are no means to adjust the second mirror and objective from the outside.  

After 9pm I switched to my trusty 6-inch f/15 refractor, and it performed wonderfully.  I observed for two hours and made over forty observations.  Many challenging Burnhams, Struve the Youngers, and even one Aitken, which I am surprised to be able to get with just a 6-inch.  I wonder, do I already have the ideal set-up with the 6-inch and 20-inch, am I chasing phantoms?

A   509 AB: 152; 250x: Delicate split, very faint B settles with seeing and is just visible with direct vision.  No Gaia data for the secondary.  The pair is quite far away, it is less likely to be binary, though an orbit could be tried.  

06h 37m 51.23s -08° 46' 54.1" P.A. 137.00 sep 1.4 mag 7.67,9.66 Sp K0 dist. 337.84 pc (1102.03 l.y.)

AC    3 AB: 152; 250x: Very slightly notched elongation, needs more aperture to resolve.  No Gaia data for the secondary, an orbit could be tried.

06h 11m 43.72s -04° 39' 55.6" P.A. 201.00 sep 0.7 mag 6.34,8.15 Sp B9pHgMn dist. 176.06 pc (574.31 l.y.)

ARG  12 AB: 152; 125x: Unequal, well split.  15% PRO, 1,382 AU WS, 2.4+2.4 Msol, it is possibly binary and an orbit could be tried.

06h 05m 15.92s -25° 01' 36.1" P.A. 296.00 sep 4.6 mag 8.38,8.46 Sp A2IV/V dist. 274.73 pc (896.17 l.y.)

H 5 100 AB: 152; 125x: Superwide, 4 Dm.  -95% PRO, it is not binary.

ARN  37 AC: 152; 140x: Superwide, 1 Dm.  While they share a similar proper motion, they have 0% PRO, and the WS is 19,039 AU, far too apart to be binary.

05h 58m 24.44s +01° 50' 13.6" P.A. 206.00 sep 36.7 mag 5.91,10.44 Sp A5m dist. 111.73 pc (364.46 l.y.)

BU   16 AB: 152; 250x: Excellent close pair, 3 Dm.  15% PRO, 586 AU WS, 5.2+2.5 Msol, it is probably binary and an orbit should be tried.

06h 01m 50.42s -10° 35' 52.6" P.A. 354.00 sep 2.0 mag 4.99,7.96 Sp B5III dist. 240.38 pc (784.12 l.y.)

BU   17 AB: 152; 200x: Faint B, well separated.  -88% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 08m 25.39s -11° 08' 46.6" P.A. 192.00 sep 3.6 mag 6.92,9.34 Sp A5IV dist. 104.93 pc (342.28 l.y.)

BU   18 AB: 152; 250x: Nice close pair, 2 Dm, could resolve with 140x but best seen at 250x.  -31% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 16m 41.61s -12° 02' 50.1" P.A. 286.00 sep 1.9 mag 7.06,8.42 Sp F2V dist. 161.81 pc (527.82 l.y.)

BU   19 AB: 152; 125x: 2 Dm, well split.  93% PRO, 1,607 AU WS, 4.0+2.4 Msol, however it has poor proper motion fit.  An orbit can be tried all the same.

06h 41m 59.70s -16° 00' 25.8" P.A. 167.00 sep 3.8 mag 7.07,9.00 Sp B8/9III dist. 526.32 pc (1716.86 l.y.)

BU   20 AB: 152; 250x: Fairly close, good close split, at 200x and 250x.  -16% PRO, it is not likely binary.

06h 48m 48.78s -16° 12' 41.8" P.A. 27.00 sep 3.3 mag 7.82,9.90 Sp K1III dist. 242.13 pc (789.83 l.y.)

BU  195 AB: 152; 125x: Well split 3 Dm.  -2% PRO, with nearly as much error, it is not likely binary.

06h 42m 27.58s -23° 13' 57.4" P.A. 216.00 sep 5.8 mag 7.12,9.59 Sp B3V dist. 636.94 pc (2077.7 l.y.)

BU  324 AB: 152; 250x: Close split, 2 Dm.  -20% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 49m 44.00s -24° 04' 33.7" P.A. 210.00 sep 1.8 mag 6.56,7.93 Sp A0/1V dist. 245.7 pc (801.47 l.y.)

BU  325 AB: 152; 200x: Faint pair, close split.  50% PRO, 1,406 AU WS, 4.5+3.3 Msol, though it has a weak radial velocity fit.  It is possible to be binary, an orbit should be tried.

06h 51m 49.39s -26° 34' 54.2" P.A. 38.00 sep 1.7 mag 7.86,9.11 Sp B2V dist. 1063.83 pc (3470.21 l.y.)

BU  567 AB: 152; 200x: Very much fainter, well separated B, just barely seen with direct vision, 4 Dm.  29% PRO, 313 AU WS, 2.1+0.8 Msol, with only a 0.04 PM vector.  It might be binary, an orbit should be tried. 

06h 15m 29.66s -04° 54' 52.7" P.A. 239.00 sep 4.3 mag 6.01,10.00 Sp A5IVs dist. 65.06 pc (212.23 l.y.)

BU  568 AB: 152; 250x: Barest hairline split, nearly 2 Dm, with seeing and 250x only.  26% PRO, 273 AU WS, 3.6+2.7 Msol, only 0.09 PMV, it could be binary, and orbit should be tried.

06h 23m 47.66s -19° 47' 07.6" P.A. 155.00 sep 0.8 mag 6.85,8.18 Sp B8IIIHewk dist. 411.52 pc (1342.38 l.y.)

BU  569 AB: 152; 250x: Challenging, very close split and large delta, with seeing and 250x only. -1% PRO, it is not likely binary.

06h 25m 14.75s -10° 55' 55.0" P.A. 115.00 sep 1.7 mag 7.94,9.67 Sp K0 dist. 186.22 pc (607.45 l.y.)

BU 1008 AB: 152; 200x: Propus.  Gorgeous light orange A, much fainter close B on A's diffraction ring. No Gaia data for the companion.  SOC grade 5 orbit, 1031-year period.  If the orbit is correct, the pair will drastically and quickly tighten over the next 10-20 years.

06h 14m 52.69s +22° 30' 24.6" P.A. 258.00 sep 1.8 mag 3.52,6.15 Sp M2III dist. 117.92 pc (384.66 l.y.)

GAN   2 AB: 152; 250x: Faint, wide B needed averted vision to detect, 1 Dm.  62% PRO, 245 AU WS, 0.9+0.5 Msol, and RVD 2.2 < EV 3.1, but with a low 0.01 RVD.  It might be binary, an orbit should be tried.

05h 54m 30.15s -19° 42' 15.6" P.A. 20.00 sep 10.7 mag 7.60,10.57 Sp G6V dist. 23.57 pc (76.89 l.y.)

H 2  60 AB: 152; 125x: Wide, white stars, 1 Dm.  -4% PRO, 2,715 AU WS, 3.9+2.0 Msol, it is not likely binary.

06h 36m 41.07s -22° 36' 53.1" P.A. 336.00 sep 9.0 mag 6.39,9.31 Sp B5V dist. 322.58 pc (1052.26 l.y.)

HJ 3825 AB: 152; 125x: Faint B, 3 Dm, super wide.  60% PRO, 1,772 AU WS, 1.4+0.7 Msol, but the RVD 2.6 > EV 1.4, it is not binary.

06h 02m 06.48s -27° 25' 38.2" P.A. 338.00 sep 32.7 mag 7.22,10.46 Sp F5IV/V dist. 56.82 pc (185.35 l.y.)

HJ 3863 AB: 152; 250x: Unequal close split, with 250x.  48% PRO, 724 AU WS, 3.1+2.1 Msol, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.

06h 29m 25.56s -22° 35' 27.9" P.A. 120.00 sep 2.8 mag 7.03,8.69 Sp A1V dist. 185.19 pc (604.09 l.y.)

HJ 3871 AB: 152; 125x: Easy, well split, 1 Dm.  45% PRO, 974 AU WS, 2.1+1.6 Msol, and RVD 1.1 < EV 2.6, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.

06h 34m 08.11s -29° 37' 46.8" P.A. 354.00 sep 7.7 mag 7.13,8.21 Sp A1V dist. 133.33 pc (434.92 l.y.)

HJ 3891 AB: 152; 125x: 2 Dm, nice medium split.  84% PRO, 3,014 AU WS, 6.4+3.5 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit.

06h 45m 31.20s -30° 56' 56.3" P.A. 223.00 sep 5.0 mag 5.66,8.21 Sp B2III dist. 581.4 pc (1896.53 l.y.)

S   524 AB: 152; 125x: Unequal superwide.  68% PRO, 4,979 AU WS, 1.8+1.7 Msol, and RVD 0 < EV 1.1, it is likely binary and needs an orbit.

06h 34m 07.10s +22° 07' 27.2" P.A. 244.00 sep 53.0 mag 7.17,7.41 Sp A3 dist. 85.98 pc (280.47 l.y.)

S   534 AB: 152; 125x: 3 Dm, supwewide.  65% PRO, 884 AU WS, 1.6+1.0 Msol, and RVD 1.8 < EV 2.3, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit tried.

06h 42m 46.04s -22° 26' 54.9" P.A. 145.00 sep 18.1 mag 6.27,8.30 Sp F2V dist. 54.32 pc (177.19 l.y.)

S   538 AB: 152; 125x: Superwide.  33% PRO, 5,671 AU WS, 2.7+2.1 Msol, and RVD 1.1 < EV 1.2, it is possibly binary and an orbit should be tried.

06h 49m 38.05s -24° 08' 36.5" P.A. 4.00 sep 26.9 mag 7.16,8.18 Sp A2 dist. 247.52 pc (807.41 l.y.)

SHJ  73 AB: 152; 125x: Superwide.  -59% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 36m 22.85s -18° 39' 35.6" P.A. 264.00 sep 17.4 mag 5.79,7.38 Sp G5III dist. 60.86 pc (198.53 l.y.)

STF 922 AB: 152; 200x: Well-split 3 Dm B seen with averted vision only.  -42% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 38m 18.76s +64° 44' 06.0" P.A. 138.00 sep 9.5 mag 7.66,10.82 Sp F4V dist. 78.06 pc (254.63 l.y.)

STF 929 AB: 152; 125x: Unequal, well-split, seems to float in front of the rich field.  -69% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 35m 22.03s +37° 42' 55.1" P.A. 24.00 sep 6.5 mag 7.35,8.44 Sp G5 dist. 184.16 pc (600.73 l.y.)

STF 941 AB: 152; 250x: Unequal white stars, closely split, best with high power.  -11% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 38m 40.76s +41° 34' 53.4" P.A. 83.00 sep 2.0 mag 7.25,8.17 Sp B9 dist. 344.83 pc (1124.84 l.y.)

STF3116 AB: 152; 200x: Relatively bright white A and much fainter, well separated B.  27% PRO, 2,106 AU WS, 6.3+2.6 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit.

06h 21m 24.71s -11° 46' 23.6" P.A. 23.00 sep 3.9 mag 5.55,9.70 Sp B1Vpe+B9V dist. 337.84 pc (1102.03 l.y.)

STT 123 AB: 152; 250x: Easy close split, 2 Dm.  -2% PRO, it is not likely binary.

05h 54m 09.53s +10° 14' 39.4" P.A. 187.00 sep 2.1 mag 7.34,9.05 Sp G5 dist. 132.8 pc (433.19 l.y.)

STT 125 AB: 152; 250x: Suspected at low power, nice clean split at 250x, 1 Dm. -40% PRO, it is not binary.

05h 59m 42.46s +22° 28' 15.0" sep 1.4 mag 7.89,8.89 Sp A0

STT 131 AB: 152; 250x: Very delicate close split, 4 Dm B.  No Gaia data for B.

06h 07m 25.84s +36° 16' 28.7" P.A. 277.00 sep 1.5 mag 7.04,9.45 Sp B9II dist. 301.2 pc (982.51 l.y.)

STT 132 AB: 152; 250x: Very faint B, closely separated, 4 Dm.  -94% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 08m 11.68s +37° 58' 57.9" P.A. 332.00 sep 1.8 mag 7.16,9.63 Sp A2V dist. 184.5 pc (601.84 l.y.)

STT 133 AB: 152; 250x: Close split, able to see 4 Dm B with direct vision.  Excellent pair. -1% PRO, it is probably not binary. 

06h 08m 02.39s +21° 17' 43.5" P.A. 33.00 sep 3.3 mag 7.35,11.17 Sp F0 dist. 103.09 pc (336.28 l.y.)

STT 134 AB: 152; 125x: Superwide, 2 Dm.  49% PRO, 27,171 AU WS, 5.6+3.6 Msol, it is too far apart to be binary.

06h 09m 15.94s +24° 25' 40.3" P.A. 189.00 sep 31.2 mag 7.55,9.14 Sp G0

STT 140 AB: 152; 250x: Very delicate B, close separation, 4 Dm. 17% PRO, 1,365 AU WS, 4.2+2.1 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit.

06h 26m 37.73s +15° 31' 25.3" P.A. 119.00 sep 3.0 mag 6.92,10.08 Sp B9.5IV dist. 337.84 pc (1102.03 l.y.)

STT 142 AB: 152; 200x: B flashes with averted vision only.  -3% PRO, it is not likely binary.

06h 29m 55.96s +07° 06' 43.2" P.A. 353.00 sep 8.5 mag 7.12,10.57 Sp B2.5IV/V dist. 409.84 pc (1336.9 l.y.)

STT 145 AB: 152; 250x: Wow! Super-faint B, 2 Dm, a close clean split, held direct.  No Gaia data for B.  

06h 32m 20.69s +15° 42' 22.3" P.A. 336.00 sep 1.4 mag 7.30,9.93 Sp F5 dist. 198.02 pc (645.94 l.y.)

STT 152 AB: 152; 250x: Unequal, barest hairline split.  No Gaia data for B.  Given how close it is, it is possibly binary and an orbit should be tried.

06h 39m 33.12s +28° 15' 47.4" P.A. 34.00 sep 0.8 mag 6.21,7.85 Sp B7III dist. 258.4 pc (842.9 l.y.)

STT 160 AB: 152; 250x: Very close split, with seeing B settles to just within A's diffraction ring. No Gaia data for B.  Since it is relatively close to us, an orbit should be tried.

06h 54m 21.32s +21° 09' 40.8" P.A. 188.00 sep 1.3 mag 6.66,9.92 Sp K1III dist. 118.48 pc (386.48 l.y.)

STT 545 AB: 152; 250x: Seen with 125x but best seen 250x, bright light yellow A and fairly close, much fainter B.  The refractor's clean star images make it possible.  No Gaia data for B.  SOC grade 5 orbit, 471-year period.

05h 59m 43.24s +37° 12' 45.9" P.A. 304.00 sep 4.2 mag 2.60,7.20 Sp A0V dist. 50.76 pc (165.58 l.y.)

STTA 72 AB: 152; 125x: Superwide.  -95% PRO, it is not binary.

06h 24m 43.95s +59° 40' 10.4" P.A. 305.00 sep 46.1 mag 7.58,10.84 Sp K0

WEB   5 AB: 152; 125x: Superwide 2 Dm.  100% PRO (4% error), 9,323 AU WS, 2.8+1.7 Msol, but RVD 2.1 > EV 0.9, it is not binary. 

06h 09m 39.64s +43° 08' 26.7" P.A. 216.00 sep 43.8 mag 7.10,9.19 Sp A0 dist. 258.4 pc (842.9 l.y.)