19 february 2022

The RA motor for the Byers mount for my 6-inch f/15 died while I was doing some solar observing. Too bad because there were a lot of very large and interesting prominences. So I will need to wait for the new motors to arrive. I hope it is just the motor and not something messed up in the electronics to cause the motor to fail.

I covered the 6-inch and set up my 80mm f/15, and while all the features were on a smaller scale, and there was not quite as much detail, it did not give up very much to the 6-inch. At least I have a back-up!

At night the seeing was not very good, though it did improve somewhat later in the night and when viewing at higher elevations. I masked to 7-inch and observed Struves for a couple hours. Most were easy, but a few pretty tough challenges.

STF 688 AB: 178; 150x: Easy, wide, near equal, A is light orange, spectral class K3V+F1 (yellow-orange/yellow-white).  WDS says proper motion indicates physical, and I find 69% parallax range overlap, 2,066 AU weighted separation, and 2.5+2.4 Msol, so likely they are binary.

05h 19m 20.88s -10° 44' 49.9" P.A. 95.00 sep 10.5 mag 7.52,7.55 Sp K3V+F1

STF 693 AB: 178; 150x: Fairly faint, well split, near equal.  WDS says physical, and there is 2% parallax overlap, 856 AU weighted separation, 1.9+1.7 Msol, so probably binary
05h 21m 39.91s -02° 03' 04.6" P.A. 11.00 sep 3.5 mag 9.09,9.52 Sp A7V dist. 201.61 pc (657.65 l.y.)

STF 709 AB: 178; 150x: Fairly faint, wide, 1 Dm.  WDS says not physical, and there is no parallax range overlap, -49%, so they are not.
05h 24m 44.91s -07° 42' 08.9" P.A. 320.00 sep 11.9 mag 9.88,10.26 Sp G5

STF 713 AB: 178; 150x: White A and significantly fainter B, well separated.  WDS uncertain, however there is 94% parallax range overlap, only 354 AU weighted separation, and 1.2+0.9 Msol, so they are likely binary.
05h 27m 13.10s +06° 57' 58.7" P.A. 30.00 sep 3.2 mag 9.36,10.30 Sp G0

STF 744 AB: 178; 150x: Significantly fainter B is widly separated, can see it direct but it brightens with averted vision.  WDS says physical, but there is no overlap to the parallax ranges -21%, so they are not binary.
05h 35m 30.65s +07° 16' 21.2" P.A. 268.00 sep 13.2 mag 9.25,11.48 Sp F8 dist. 185.87 pc (606.31 l.y.)

STF 748 AB: 178; 150x: One of the trapezium pairs, 1 Dm, wide around 9".  WDS says uncertain, however there is 84% parallax range overlap, 3,340 AU weighted separation, and 4.1+3.1 Msol
05h 35m 15.82s -05° 23' 14.3" P.A. 32.00 sep 8.9 mag 6.55,7.49 Sp B0.5V+B1V dist. 18.93 pc (61.75 l.y.)

STF 750 AB: 178; 150x: White A and 2 Dm, well separated B, near an arc of stars.  WDS uncertain, however there is 29% parallax range overlap, 1,632 AU weighted separation, and substaintial 4.3+2.7 Msol.
05h 35m 31.07s -04° 21' 50.6" P.A. 61.00 sep 4.2 mag 6.43,8.39 Sp B2.5IV dist. 361.01 pc (1177.61 l.y.)

STF 763 AB: 178; 150x: Fairly faint pair, well separated, significant delta magnitude.  WDS says Proper motion indicates physical.  There is 3% parallax range overlap, 374 AU weighted separation, and 1.0+0.9 Msol, so it is possible they are binary.
05h 39m 17.19s +10° 15' 35.5" P.A. 319.00 sep 6.3 mag 8.89,9.48 Sp F8 dist. 61.8 pc (201.59 l.y.)

STF 766 AB: 178; 150x: Easy pair, white A and wide 1 Dm B.  WDS says physical, but there is no parallax data for the primary.
05h 40m 18.85s +15° 21' 00.2" P.A. 275.00 sep 10.1 mag 7.00,8.36 Sp F0 dist. 257.07 pc (838.56 l.y.)

STF 788 AB: 178; 150x: Easy white A and 3 Dm B, fairly close. AC is a similar magnitude star around 60 degrees in PA compared to the AB pair, but much farther out.  WDS is uncertain, but there is 12% parallax range overlap, 1,967 AU weighted separation, and 2.7+1.6 Msol, so they are possibly binary.

05h 44m 43.46s +03° 49' 53.1" P.A. 91.00 sep 7.5 mag 7.61,10.05 Sp B9 dist. 295.86 pc (965.1 l.y.)

STF 790 AB: 178; 150x: Bright light yellow A (spectral class G8III: yellow) and well separated, 3 Dm B.  WDS says physical, however there is no parallax range overlap, -21%, so these are not binary. 
05h 46m 02.87s -04° 16' 06.5" P.A. 88.00 sep 7.0 mag 6.43,8.98 Sp G8III: dist. 111.48 pc (363.65 l.y.)

STF 804 AB: 178; 150x: Wide separation, near equal.  WDS say parallax indicates physical, and there is 48% overlap of their parallax ranges, but the weighted separation is a very far 14,217 AU, and the Msol is a little low at 2.5+2.0 -- so these probably are not binary.
05h 48m 54.61s -09° 42' 53.7" P.A. 98.00 sep 26.4 mag 9.65,10.58 Sp A2

STF 815 AB: 178; 150x: White A and 2 Dm wide B.  WDS says physical, and there is 12% paralax range overlap, 4,227 AU weighted separation, and 2.7+1.6 Msol.  However the radial velocity delta (5.91) exceeds the escape velocity (1.35), so these are or will not remain binary.
05h 54m 35.83s +05° 21' 13.4" P.A. 137.00 sep 13.1 mag 8.35,9.82 Sp G5 dist. 138.12 pc (450.55 l.y.)

STF 816 AB: 178; 150x: White A and very light orange B, very pretty, 2 Dm, wide around 5".  WDS uncertain, but there is no overlap in parallax ranges (-82%), so they are not binary.
05h 54m 55.46s +05° 51' 38.8" P.A. 287.00 sep 4.0 mag 6.90,9.27 Sp B9 dist. 239.23 pc (780.37 l.y.)

STF 826 AB: 178; 205x: A challenge, very close split, >1 Dm, around 2", need best seeing.  WDS is uncertain, but there is no overlap in parallax ranges (-44%), so they are not binary.
05h 58m 54.46s -01° 19' 31.0" P.A. 132.00 sep 2.0 mag 8.84,9.68 Sp B9

STF 835 AB: 178; 150x: Tough pair, need averted vision for B to appear, a good split around 2".  WDS uncertain, and unfortnately the secondary seems missing from the Gaia data.
06h 04m 59.00s +18° 18' 39.8" P.A. 150.00 sep 2.4 mag 9.10,10.10 Sp A3 dist. 203.67 pc (664.37 l.y.)

STF 839 AB: 178; 150x: Near equal white stars, easily split around 5".  WDS says proper motion indicates physical, however there is no overlap in their parallax ranges -22%, so they are not binary.
06h 04m 52.99s -02° 43' 02.0" P.A. 289.00 sep 5.1 mag 9.72,10.07 Sp A0

STF 836 AB: 178; 205x: Quite fine, 1 Dm, white.  WDS says Parallax indicates physical, however there is no overlap in the parallax ranges (-21%), so these are not binary.
06h 02m 30.98s -02° 21' 39.8" P.A. 24.00 sep 2.0 mag 8.57,10.08 Sp A0

STF 846 AB: 178; 150x: White A and faint b, well split.  WDS uncertain, but there is no parallax range overlap -12%, so they are not binary.
06h 07m 24.76s +02° 08' 31.6" P.A. 138.00 sep 12.9 mag 8.60,10.81 Sp A5 dist. 289.02 pc (942.78 l.y.)

STF 850 AB: 178; 150x: Close split, around 2", 1 Dm.  WDS says Proper motion indicates physical, however there is no overlap in their parallax ranges, -57%, so these are not binary.

06h 07m 22.05s -03° 59' 38.6" P.A. 15.00 sep 2.2 mag 9.05,9.96 Sp F2

STF 852 AB: 178; 150x: White A and very wide, very faint B, need averted vision.
06h 08m 36.21s +07° 17' 50.0" P.A. 320.00 sep 9.3 mag 9.92,10.90 Sp F5

STF 856 AB: 178; 150x: Whtie and more >2 Dm B, failry wide.  In front of a cloud of faint stars, rich field.  WDS uncertain, but there is 80% parallax range overlap, but a pretty far 5,079 AU weighted separation, 3.0+1.7 Msol, so might be binary.
06h 09m 07.83s +07° 03' 19.5" P.A. 50.00 sep 10.3 mag 8.50,10.99 Sp A0 dist. 373.13 pc (1217.15 l.y.)

STF 859 AB: 178; 150x: Gold A and blue B, near equal, superwide.  WDS says not physical, and there is no Gaia data for the secondary.
06h 09m 35.88s +05° 40' 07.6" P.A. 242.00 sep 45.2 mag 8.49,8.97 Sp G0 dist. 28.79 pc (93.91 l.y.)

STF 871 AB: 178; 150x: White stars, near equal, well split.  WDS uncertain, but there is 48% parallax range overlap, 3,812 AU weighted separation, and 2.9+2.6 Msol, so they may be binary.
06h 11m 33.86s -00° 46' 01.6" P.A. 307.00 sep 7.3 mag 8.84,9.38 Sp A0

STF 873 AB: 178; 150x: Faint near equal pair, easy, well spit.  WDS says not physical, and there is no overlap in their parallax ranges, -93%
06h 12m 37.71s -01° 18' 07.6" P.A. 294.00 sep 8.6 mag 9.87,10.42 Sp G

STF 867 AB: 178; 150x: Very pretty blue-white A (spectral class B9.5III blue-white) and light orange B, nearly 2 Dm, closely split around 2".
06h 11m 39.01s +17° 22' 39.3" P.A. 159.00 sep 2.3 mag 7.53,8.88 Sp B9.5III

STF 885 AB: 178; 150x: Pretty pair, light orange A and wide 2 Dm B.  Near rough circlet of similar magnitude stars.  WDS says not physical, but there is 76% overlap of the parallax ranges, a wide 8,715 AU weighted separation, 3.6+2.4 Msol, so might be binary.
06h 16m 51.65s +05° 59' 45.6" P.A. 297.00 sep 10.1 mag 8.99,10.52 Sp A0

STF1207 AB: 178; 150x: Whtie A and 2 Dm B, very wide.  WDS says not physical, and there is -73% overlap of the parallax ranges
08h 15m 15.82s +05° 33' 28.9" P.A. 191.00 sep 13.9 mag 8.77,11.31 Sp A0 dist. 319.49 pc (1042.18 l.y.)

STF1213 AB: 178; 205x: Pretty faint, >1 Dm, well split but needed more magnification to see it well.  WDS says not physical, and there is no overlap, -55%, in their parallax ranges.
08h 17m 56.56s +06° 28' 07.7" P.A. 304.00 sep 6.0 mag 9.80,11.50 Sp F0

STF1216 AB: 178; 333x: White stars, very slight snowman, significant delta mag, can tell PA to the NW.  Physical with a 402-year period, there is no Gaia data for the primary.
08h 21m 20.28s -01° 36' 07.3" P.A. 313.20 sep 0.5 mag 6.85,7.88 Sp A2Vpn: dist. 156.49 pc (510.47 l.y.)

STF1226 AB: 178; 205x: Faint par, can split at 150x but best seen at 205x, 2 Dm, nice close split.  WDS says parallax indicates physical, but actually there is no overlap in their parallax ranges, -38%, so they are not binary.
08h 26m 11.23s +04° 30' 10.0" P.A. 144.00 sep 2.5 mag 8.46,10.52 Sp A2

STF1267 AB: 178; 150x: Light orange A (spectral class M, red), and very faint B, nice separation, very good pair.  WDS uncertain, but there is no overlap, -91%, of the parallax ranges, so not binary.
08h 46m 30.72s +04° 19' 01.4" P.A. 61.00 sep 10.9 mag 8.23,11.50 Sp M

STF1264 AB: 178; 150x: Near equal white stars, well separated.  WDS says Proper motion indicates physical, but there is no overlap at all, -86%, of the parallax ranges, so they are not binary.
08h 42m 15.56s -08° 23' 58.4" P.A. 269.00 sep 6.4 mag 9.42,9.49 Sp F5

STF1260 AB: 178; 150x: Slightly unqeual white stars, wide.  WDS says physical, and indeed there is 80% parallax range overlap, 729 AU weighted average separation, and 1.9+1.7 Msol, so they are likely binary.
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.)

STF1295 AB: 178; 150x: This was behind the meridian tree when I slewed to it.  So I let it track for a bit and distracted myself with binoculars.  A few minutes later I went back to the scope and theree it was, this pair, a slighly unequal well separated around 4" pair.  WDS is uncertain, but there is 8% parallax range overlap, 372 AU weighted separation, and 2.0+1.9 Msol, so there is a possibility these are binary.
08h 55m 29.60s -07° 58' 15.9" P.A. 3.00 sep 4.0 mag 6.73,6.93 Sp A2m+A7m dist. 88.5 pc (288.69 l.y.)

STF 886 AB: 178; 150x: Faint but fine pair, well separated, >1 Dm.  WDS uncertain, but there is no overlap, -94%, of the parallax ranges, so they are not binary.
06h 18m 57.74s +23° 16' 30.6" P.A. 194.00 sep 4.8 mag 10.20,12.20

STF 942 AB: 175: 150x: Fine, faint, near equal pair.  WDS says physical, but there is 7% overlap in the parallax ranges, 982 AU weighted separation, and 1.6+1.6 Msol, so they might be binary.
06h 37m 40.87s +23° 38' 54.2" P.A. 246.00 sep 3.5 mag 10.07,10.10 Sp F0

STF 959 AB: 178; 150x: Very faint B, need averted vision to show it, wide separation.  At the edge of an open cluster.  WDS says physical, and there is 52% parallax range overlap, 2,612 AU weighted separation, 1.5+1.4 Msol, so they might be binary.
06h 44m 57.18s +13° 45' 38.0" P.A. 175.00 sep 11.8 mag 9.86,10.13 Sp G5

STF 997 AB: 178; 150x: White and 2 Dm B, well separated, in a rich area.  WDS uncertain, but there is 77% overlap of parallax ranges, 832 AU weighted separation, and 3.0+5.7 Msol, so they may be binary.
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.)

STF3116 AB: 178; 205x: Fairly bright A, FR CMa, B appears with averted vision only, very closely separated around 4".  WDS uncertain, but there is 27% overlap of parallax ranges, 2,106 AU weighted separation, 6.3+2.6 Msol, so they might be binary.
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.)

STF 990 AB: 178; 205x: Very tough, needed averted vision to reveal the very close, very finat B.  WDS says not physical, but there is 10% parallax range overlap, 2,510 AU weighted separation, 3.0+2.7 Msol, though nearly diverging proper motion -- so might be binary.
06h 54m 20.27s -14° 14' 34.2" P.A. 275.00 sep 3.2 mag 9.55,10.23 Sp B8/9Ib dist. 215.98 pc (704.53 l.y.)

STF 972 A-BC: 178; 150x: 1 Dm, pretty wide, faint.  WDS says not physical, but no parallax data for the secondary.
06h 48m 22.15s -15° 19' 47.3" P.A. 154.00 sep 12.5 mag 8.28,9.27 Sp B8 dist. 86.58 pc (282.42 l.y.)

STF 971 AB: 178; 300x: Very difficult, need best seeing, hairline split, significant delta magnitude.  WDS uncertain, and there is no overlap, -1%, of parallax range overlap, so not binary.

06h 48m 21.40s -13° 26' 27.0" P.A. 323.00 sep 1.2 mag 8.58,8.85 Sp F5/6V

10 february 2022

Seeing was forecast to be above average, and I was all set to go after the close pairs on the true binary list, but the sky would not support it.  So I masked to 7-inches and went after Struves, mainly in Monoceros.  It was fun popping these off and I covered many in just 90 minutes.  I went after a couple of small aperture Burnhams in the same area of the sky.  

By observing one and then the other, I could immediately tell Struves are brighter and generally more widely separated, while Burnhams are closer and have a larger delta mag.  One can deduce this by just reviewing magnitude and separation tables of their pairs, but it is striking and obvious to see in the eyepiece.  Struve should have been able to see many of the the Burnham 6-inch pairs, especially given his 3-inch aperture advantage over Burnham.  I read somewhere Struve observed very quickly, spending only a minute or two on each star, so it could be he did not pay the close attention needed to detect close unequal pairs.  Or maybe he saw these, but there was a limitation with his micrometer in getting a faint pair under the wire for measurement, so didn't take a measure and didn't publish the discovery.

The Struves are a fun project and I'll make another set of SkyTools list just for them and the Burnhams, it should only take a year or two to polish them all off.  I could do those on the mediocre nights and save the physicals for the best nights.

STF1029 AB: 178; 205x: Nice close split, <1 Dm, white stars.  WDS uncertain, however there is strong parallax range overlap 79%, 337 AU weighted separation, and 2.47+2.21 Msol, so very likely these are binary.
07h 07m 56.87s -04° 40' 39.8" P.A. 27.00 sep 1.6 mag 7.47,7.95 Sp A9V dist. 225.23 pc (734.7 l.y.)

STF1003 AB: 178; 150x: Close pair, pretty faint near equal, well split around 4".  WDS says proper motion indicates physical, and there is 6% parallax range overlap, 1,284 AU weighted separation, and 1.98+1.84 Msol.
06h 58m 34.62s -09° 10' 02.3" P.A. 321.00 sep 3.9 mag 9.57,9.92 Sp F2

STF1015 AB: 178; 150x: Well split, near equal, white.  WDS says parallax indicates physical, however their ranges do not overlap (-33%), so really these are not likely to be physical.
07h 04m 55.36s -05° 46' 28.4" P.A. 199.00 sep 4.9 mag 9.41,9.40 Sp A0

STF1028 AB: 178; 150x: Light orange A and wide, much fainter B, at the edge of a triangle-shaped open cluster (NGC 2343).  WDS uncertain, and there is 32% parallax range overlap, a rather wide 11,464 AU weighted separation, but large 4.82+2.64 Msol -- so might be binary.  SIMBAD shows the secondary as part of NGC 2343 (#11), but the primary, HD 54387, is not included as an NGC 2343 member; maybe the NGC count needs to be revised given the EDR3 parallax data?
07h 08m 16.08s -10° 37' 25.8" P.A. 304.00 sep 11.0 mag 8.59,11.10 Sp G5

STF1034 AB: 178; 150x: Close unequal pair, just split this low magnification.  WDS says parallax indicates physical.  It has 7% parallax range overlap, 281 AU weighted separation, 1.26/1.11 Msol, and the radial velocity delta (2.31) is less than the escape velocity (3.86), so it is binary.
07h 09m 21.70s -08° 18' 58.4" P.A. 10.00 sep 2.4 mag 9.43,9.89

STF1036 AB: 178; 150x: Wide 1 Dm.  Not physical.
07h 10m 12.63s -06° 16' 42.9" P.A. 103.00 sep 17.4 mag 9.22,9.92 Sp F5

STF1043 AB: 178; 150x: Very fine, equal white stars, just split.  WDS says parallax indicates physical, and they do overlap 84% of their parallax ranges, have 977 AU weighted separation, and equal 2.26 Msol, so likely binary

07h 12m 36.98s -00° 40' 46.4" P.A. 68.00 sep 2.4 mag 9.37,9.42 Sp A0

STF1045 AB: 178; 150x: Ice blue A and 2 Dm B, well separated.  WDS says proper motion indicates non-physical.  They don't share parallax ranges, -96%, so certainly not binary.
07h 12m 42.24s -03° 10' 41.0" P.A. 236.00 sep 5.6 mag 8.01,9.08 Sp F5 dist. 73.48 pc (239.69 l.y.)

STF1049 AB: 178; 150x: Close pair, 1 Dm, pretty pair in a rich field.  WDS says not physical, and they don't share parallax ranges (-51%)
07h 13m 42.33s -08° 55' 31.0" P.A. 41.00 sep 3.6 mag 8.36,9.47 Sp B9.5V dist. 338.98 pc (1105.75 l.y.)

STF1056 AB: 178; 150x: White and 2 Dm, well separated in a rich field.  WDS uncertain, however they share 79% of their parallax ranges, have a moderate 1,095 AU weighted separation, and 2.79+2.02 Msol, so these are likely binary.
07h 15m 34.34s -01° 51' 36.8" P.A. 299.00 sep 3.9 mag 8.04,8.88 Sp G0 dist. 246.91 pc (805.42 l.y.)

STF1060 AB: 178; 150x: Well split 1 Dm, white, and arc of faint stars nearby, in a rich field.  WDS not physical, and they don't overlap parallax ranges, -20%
07h 16m 06.71s -09° 16' 10.9" P.A. 24.00 sep 6.9 mag 8.60,9.59 Sp B7V dist. 284.9 pc (929.34 l.y.)

STF1077 AB: 178; 150x: Faint near equal stars, well separated, and the C star appears with averted vision a little wider than the others, at 90-degrees difference in PA.  WDS says physical, however they do not overlap parallax ranges (-10%), and the radial velocity delta (1.85) just exceeds the escape velocity (1.81), so these are not binary
07h 20m 59.96s -00° 40' 13.1" P.A. 319.00 sep 5.5 mag 9.89,9.78 Sp A3

STF1085 AB: 178; 150x: Nicely separated around 3", white A and 1 Dm B.  WDS says not physical, but in fact they share 80% of their parallax ranges, have a small 785 AU weighted separation, and a healthy 2.10+1.57 Msol -- these are likely binary.
07h 24m 28.43s -04° 36' 30.3" P.A. 283.00 sep 3.2 mag 8.63,10.04 Sp A3

STF1109 AB: 178; 150x: Quite fine, white stars, near equal, nicely separated around 3".  WDS says not physical, but they share 38% parallax overlap, 3,023 AU weighted separation, and healthy 3.57+3.60 Msol, and are likely binary
07h 31m 54.40s -00° 31' 30.9" P.A. 17.00 sep 3.1 mag 9.26,9.26 Sp A0

STF1133 AB: 178; 150x: Ice blue-white A and light orange B, brighter than 10th magnitude, around 1 Dm.  WDS uncertain, but 68% of their parallax ranges overlap, 956 AU weighted separation, and 1.89+1.50 Msol, so they are likely binary.
07h 42m 34.02s -04° 01' 35.4" P.A. 108.00 sep 4.3 mag 8.88,9.96 Sp A5 dist. 152.21 pc (496.51 l.y.)

STF1152 AB: 178; 150x: 2 Dm, well split stars.  WDS says not physical, but 5% of their parallax ranges overlap, 1,693 AU weighted separation, 2.48+1.59 Msol, and the radial velocity delta (0.5) is much less than the escape velocity (2.07), so they may be binary.
07h 50m 59.24s -03° 07' 15.6" P.A. 314.00 sep 6.0 mag 8.41,10.29 Sp G5 dist. 316.46 pc (1032.29 l.y.)

STF1154 AB: 178; 150x: Very pretty pair, 2 Dm, closely separated around 3".  WDS says proper motion indicates physical, but they do not share parallax ranges (-16%), so likely not binary.
07h 52m 08.46s -03° 03' 14.9" P.A. 353.00 sep 2.8 mag 7.13,9.26 Sp A5 dist. 111.98 pc (365.28 l.y.)

STF1157 AB: 178; 300x: Snowman, light yellow stars, significant delta magnitude.  WDS says physical with 1448 year period, however they do not share parallax ranges (-43%), even though the lateral separation is 85 AU.  This is not binary.
07h 54m 33.03s -02° 47' 44.9" P.A. 170.80 sep 0.7 mag 7.93,7.89 Sp F0

STF1183 AB: 178; 150x: Wide, 2 Dm.  Other faint close pairings not seen.  WDS uncertain, they share 10% of parallax ranges, but very far 8,454 AU weighted separation, 3.85+2.56 Msol, so there is some chance these could be binary.
08h 06m 27.42s -09° 14' 40.1" P.A. 328.00 sep 30.6 mag 6.22,7.77 Sp B9.5IV dist. 307.69 pc (1003.68 l.y.)

STF1189 AB: 178; 150x: White and 3 Dm wide B.  WDS uncertain, but they share 10% parallax ranges, 4,625 AU weighted separation, and 3.66+2.01 Msol, so they could be binary.
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.)

BU 196 AB: 178; 300x: Faint pairing, B is quite faint by comparison to A but only 1 Dm, around 3" separation, best seen with higher magnification.  Discovered with 6-inch.  WDS uncertain, but they share 30% of their parallax ranges, 2,269 AU weighted separation, 2.95+2.15 Msol, so these might be binary.
07h 12m 20.84s -05° 25' 53.8" P.A. 193.00 sep 3.1 mag 9.90,10.90 Sp A2

BU 197 AB: 178; 150x: Very fine, rather difficult, 2 Dm, <3" separation.  Discovered with 6-inch.  WDS uncertain, but with 44% parallax range overlap, 1,784 AU weighted separation, and large 4.81+3.17 Msol, they are likely binary.
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 330 AB: 178; 150x: Extremely fine, with seeing only, 1 Dm, light orange stars, tough pair.  Discovered with 6-inch.  WDS uncertain, but they do not overlap parallax ranges (-34%), so are not binary.
07h 19m 33.10s -00° 54' 30.3" P.A. 214.00 sep 1.3 mag 8.75,9.83 Sp B8

BU 573 AB 178; 150x: Hairline split, 1 Dm, quite a pair.  Discovered with 18.5-inch.  WDS says physical with an 855-year period, but there is no EDR3 data for the secondary, so can't verify
07h 01m 49.89s -10° 52' 56.3" P.A. 316.00 sep 0.5 mag 7.16,7.83 Sp F8 dist. 118.34 pc (386.03 l.y.)

BU 583 AB: 178; 205x: Hairline split at low power, split at 205x, very nice near equal pair.  Discovered with 18.5-inch.  WDS uncertain, but 27% of the parallax ranges overlap, 775 AU weighted separation, and 2.4+2.2 Msol, so likely binary.
08h 09m 11.66s -06° 42' 08.0" P.A. 71.00 sep 1.8 mag 9.60,9.95 Sp G5

BU 903 AB: 178; 205x: Very faint B just resolved with seeing, very closely split.  Discovered with 18.5-inch.  WDS uncertain, but 95% of the parallax ranges overlap, only 521 AU weighted separation, and 2.6+1.8 Msol, so these are very probably binary.
08h 04m 14.08s -01° 51' 10.1" P.A. 34.00 sep 1.6 mag 8.21,9.81 Sp B9 dist. 323.62 pc (1055.65 l.y.)

BU 1279 AB: 158; 300x: Very tough, with seeing, unequal closely separation around 1".  Discovered with 18.5-inch.  WDS uncertain, but 5% of the parallax ranges overlap, only 879 AU weighted separation, and 3.1/2.7 Msol, so it is possible they are binary.

07h 10m 24.09s -04° 05' 45.4" P.A. 12.00 sep 1.2 mag 9.33,9.74 Sp B9

8 february 2022

Bad news on the 6-inch, the RA motor seems to be malfunctioning.  It makes a loud clacking noise and has an electrical-sounding buzz when I try to slew.  It still tracks and I'll use it for solar observing for the time being.  I bought that motor used, thinking to save money, but I suppose the seller offloaded a bum unit on me.  I've ordered two new ones from Hurst and also ordered replacement belts for the encoders, so I'll be forced into doing the maintenance. 

Last night I observed the moon for a while at 20-inches.  The Leica zoom is perfect for this observing, as I can take in the scene then zoom in for more detail.  The TPAS seemed to help.  Seeing did not hold up after 9pm when it started to get cold, and a thin marine haze blew in.  I masked to 7-inches and went after some easy doubles.  I decided to clean up some Struves I haven't observed in Gem, CMi, and Cnc -- at least ones with <15" separation as that was the upper limit of my list.  Knocked them all off... 

STF1007 AB: 178; 150x: A is white and has a near equal very wide companion (AD, 7.43/7.74 67.7").  AB is faint, 4 Dm, and around 15", I needed to use averted vision at first but then could hold it.  Not physical.
07h 00m 37.12s +12° 43' 24.2" P.A. 300.00 sep 14.6 mag 7.43,11.40 Sp A2V dist. 280.11 pc (913.72 l.y.)

BU 100 AB: B is quite faint, 4 Dm, can see it direct vision, and very close to the white primary star, around 3".  Very nice looking pair.  Burnham discovered with his 6-inch.  WDS uncertain, but there is a good chance it is binary: 35% parallax overlap, 2,277 AU weighted separation, and high solar mass 5.16/2.46.
07h 00m 56.55s +12° 24' 00.4" P.A. 259.00 sep 3.4 mag 7.34,11.10 Sp K0

STF1008 AB: 178; 150x: B is very closely split, around 2", and about 1 Dm.  WDS uncertain, but it is a good possibility to be binary: 63% parallax range overlap, 1,240 AU weighted separation, 2.96/2.14 Msol.
07h 01m 36.12s +26° 34' 25.3" P.A. 272.00 sep 2.3 mag 8.70,9.96 Sp B9

STF1012 AB: 178; 150x: Wide, 1 Dm.  WDS calls it physical and likely this is correct: 21% parallax range overlap, 1,050 AU weighted separation, 1.10/0.94 Msol--however lacking radial velocity data for the secondary.
07h 04m 54.51s +28° 07' 01.3" P.A. 168.00 sep 12.8 mag 9.20,9.83 Sp G0

STF1116 AB: 178; 150x: Fine hairline split at 150s.  B is orange color, closely split about 2", more than 1 Dm.  WDS uncertain, but they don't share parallax ranges (-25%), so these are not binary.
07h 34m 32.02s +12° 18' 16.9" P.A. 95.00 sep 1.7 mag 7.81,8.50 Sp B8 dist. 248.14 pc (809.43 l.y.)

STF1047 A-BC: 178; 150x: The A-BC pair is easy, wide, nearly 2 Dm.  BC not seen.  Not physical.

07h 14m 20.05s +15° 45' 33.5" P.A. 30.00 sep 24.1 mag 8.07,9.66 Sp A5III

STF1046 AB: 178; 150x: B is wide and faint, needed averted vision to detect it, then can hold direct.  Not physical.
07h 14m 38.43s +14° 33' 41.1" P.A. 244.00 sep 9.3 mag 9.41,12.50 Sp A4V

STF1155 AB: 178; 150x: Faint and wide B.  BC is a near equal 0.5" pair, COU1111.
07h 54m 28.38s +26° 10' 01.9" P.A. 343.00 sep 16.8 mag 8.67,10.40 Sp K2 dist. 694.44 pc (2265.26 l.y.)

STF1143 AB: 178; 150x: Very faint, barely there, seen with averted vision only.  Well separated around 10".  WDS uncertain, and I don't find Gaia data for the secondary.

07h 48m 03.42s +05° 24' 35.5" P.A. 152.00 sep 9.3 mag 6.60,11.00 Sp K0 dist. 254.45 pc (830.02 l.y.)

STF1134 AB: 178; 150x: White A and very faint B, well separated around 10".  WDS claims physical, though I don't find Gaia data for the secondary.
07h 43m 31.09s +03° 29' 09.8" P.A. 147.00 sep 9.6 mag 7.07,10.38 Sp F8 dist. 50.94 pc (166.17 l.y.)

STF1114 AB: 178; 150x: Well split, half delta mag.  WDS says physical, however they do not share parallax ranges (-82%) so they are not binary.
07h 33m 41.76s +09° 17' 18.0" P.A. 52.00 sep 6.4 mag 9.23,9.99 Sp G5

STF1103 AB: 178; 150x: Ice blue-white A and Dm B, well separated.  WDS uncertain, however the chances are good it is binary: 41% parallax range overlap, 931 AU weighted separation, 2.75/1.93 Msol.
07h 30m 33.61s +05° 15' 16.8" P.A. 245.00 sep 4.2 mag 7.12,8.64 Sp B9 dist. 187.62 pc (612.02 l.y.)

STF1099 AB: 178; 150x: White stars, near equal, good split.  WDS uncertain, but they do not share parallax ranges (-47%), so they are not binary.
07h 29m 25.86s +11° 31' 44.5" P.A. 344.00 sep 3.9 mag 8.54,8.94 Sp A0

STF1063 BC: Near equal faint stars, well separated around 7".  WDS says physical, and they probably are: 59% parallax range overlap, 2,885 AU weighted separation, 1.80+1.65 Msol. 
07h 18m 02.98s +04° 21' 03.8" P.A. 208.00 sep 7.1 mag 10.42,10.95

STF1168 AB: 178; 150x: Bright white A and very much fainter B, closely split, can just see direct.  BV CMi, WDS is uncertain, however their parallax ranges do not overlap (-77%), so they are not binary.
07h 58m 45.18s +05° 37' 23.8" P.A. 218.00 sep 6.0 mag 6.97,14.60 Sp B9 dist. 1086.96 pc (3545.66 l.y.)

STF1185 AB: 178; 150x: Faint but pretty pair, nearly 1 Dm, close but nice split.  WDS says physical, and the parallax range do overlap (24%), there is a modest 348 AU weighted separation, and 1.06+0.93 Msol, and the delta in radial velocities (0.21) is less than the escape velocity (3.18), so they are indeed very likely to be binary.
08h 07m 07.38s +01° 20' 46.5" P.A. 94.00 sep 3.8 mag 9.59,10.26 Sp K0

STF1194 AB: 178; 150x: White stars, B is very closely separated around 3", and very faint.  WDS says not physical, however there is 12% parallax range overlap, 2,192 AU weighted separation, and 2.91+2.21 Msol, so it is possible they could be binary.
08h 10m 27.54s +01° 55' 03.5" P.A. 319.00 sep 3.3 mag 9.40,10.70 Sp A2

STF1167 AB: 178; 150x: Faint but well separated pair, 1 Dm.  WDS uncertain, but there is no parallax range overlap (-56%), so they are not binary.
07h 58m 34.29s +16° 28' 09.3" P.A. 229.00 sep 12.2 mag 9.79,11.80 Sp G0

STF1179 AB: 178; 150x: Faint, near equal, wide.  Not physical.
08h 04m 44.84s +12° 04' 22.9" P.A. 202.00 sep 23.4 mag 10.19,9.95 Sp G0

STF1191 AB: 178; 150x: Near equal white stars, pretty close.  WDS says not physical, however they share parallax ranges (16%), only 552 AU weighted separation, 1.19+1.10 Msol, and the radial velocity delta (0.1) is less than the escape velocity (2.71), so they are likely binary.
08h 10m 47.59s +19° 01' 51.9" P.A. 77.00 sep 3.6 mag 10.30,10.80 Sp G5

STF1202 AB: 178; 205x: White A, faint B seen best with higher magnification, very closely separated around 3".
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.)

STF1206 AB: 178; 150x: Near equal, pretty wide.  WDS uncertain, but they do not share parallax ranges (-70%), so they are not binary.
08h 14m 41.20s +07° 10' 42.4" P.A. 200.00 sep 11.7 mag 9.90,10.38 Sp A2

STF1214 A-BC: 178; 150x: Faint, very close around 5".  BC not seen.  WDS not physical, and they do not share parallax ranges (-84%).  Also, the BC pair, BU 1320, is also not physical in spite of the the 0.6" separation, as this pair also does not share parallax ranges (-58%)
08h 20m 12.15s +17° 00' 19.4" sep 4.8 mag 10.70,11.00 Sp F8

STF1218 AB: 178; 150x: B is very faint, and just hold it direct, 2 Dm, well split around 4".  WDS says physical, and they do share parallax ranges (34%), 1,281 AU weighted separation, 1.81+1.38 Msol, however the radial velocity delta (3.28) exceeds the escape velocity (2.1), so these are not or will not remain binary.
08h 23m 27.70s +23° 10' 47.6" P.A. 268.00 sep 4.1 mag 9.76,11.30 Sp F2

STF1221 AB: 178; 150x: B is faint 1 Dm, well split around 5".  WDS uncertain, however they share parallax ranges (18%), 2,112 AU weighted separation, 1.94+1.63 Msol, so might be binary.

08h 24m 35.10s +13° 40' 12.2" P.A. 110.00 sep 4.9 mag 10.40,11.60

6 february 2022

A few days ago Steve posted on TAC about Sirius B, and I shared some of my prior observations.  I gave it a try Saturday night with the 6-inch f/15 refractor, and was pleased to see it after Sirius had moved away from a neighbor's roof at around 9:30pm.  It was faint, but not too difficult.  It was my first time using the Leica zoom, a lovely and surprisingly large and heavy eyepiece.  Sirius is so bright that even when focused it showed several concentric rings, and Sirius B was a faint star fairly well separated from the primary but still within the outermost rings.  Seen even with lowest power 134x (actually it was best at this power).  I plan to try my NP101 some night this week to see if I can make an observation that low -- I am sure it is possible.

The bad news from that Saturday is I think the declination encoder is either broken or the belt has snapped or slipped off the gear wheels.  After observing Sirius I was going to observe more using the Argo but the declination numbers would not change.  I reseated all the connectors, but still no movement.  It stinks because to get at that encoder I have to tear the whole mount down.  That might turn out to be a good thing since I might change out the rings and do some other maintenance.  

Last night I observed with the 20-inch.  Seeing was ok, but not great.  Transparency better than the usual winter haze.  I ran through a 30 star TPAS with the Argo, hoping I did it correctly (the instructions are confusing) and that it sticks.  It seemed to help with initial observations but the pointing accuracy started to drift during the night.

I created new lists of doubles, specifically those only with known orbits.  I'm combining what was generated by SkyTools, which seems to be an out-of-date database, and a fresh list from StelleDoppie.  There are plenty of pairs and this should keep me occupied for a couple of years.  It will also help me sweep up some short period pairs, those with periods of greater than 80 years, which was the limit on my prior lists.  I ran through the pairs in CMi and some of Gemini last night, with good results.

STF1130 AB: 508; 300x; Light yellow-orange stars, noticeable magnitude difference, elongated at lower magnifications, hairline split at 300x.  Discovered at 2", it has a 1000-year period (give or take 300 years), it is coming off a very fast and close periastron and will widen very considerably in the coming decades.  WDS notes the orbit is premature, and needs speckle for future observations.  I don't find parallax for them in EDR3, so can't determine further.
07h 41m 42.35s +09° 42' 17.3" P.A. 69.30 sep 0.6 mag 8.76,9.48 Sp G0 dist. 66.45 pc (216.76 l.y.)

A2869 AB: 508; 667x: Light yellow-orange stars, hairline to strongly notched overlapping disks at 667x, as much as seeing will support.  PA is ESE, and the pair forms an equal triangle with two other stars in the field.  143-year period, it will made a modest movement of around 0.1" wider separation by 2040.  I don't find parallax in EDR3.
07h 30m 27.65s +07° 43' 09.3" P.A. 108.50 sep 0.3 mag 8.30,8.50 Sp A5 dist. 207.47 pc (676.77 l.y.)

STF1175 A pretty white and light yellow b, nicely split, two dm. twenty seventeen.  WDS notes this is a premature orbit, and it may not turn out to be physical.  With EDR3 data I find there is no parallax range overlap (-65%) so very likely this is not a binary.

08h 02m 26.06s +04° 09' 07.5" P.A. 288.70 sep 1.4 mag 7.89,9.13 Sp G5 dist. 40.55 pc (132.27 l.y.)

A2880 AB: 508; 1334x: Elongated with moments of strong notching, noticeable magnitude difference, PA to the SSE.  106-year period, it will have a SSW PA by 2040.  I don't find the EDR3 data.
07h 50m 47.36s +03° 16' 38.4" P.A. 176.20 sep 0.2 mag 7.10,7.10 Sp K1III dist. 150.15 pc (489.79 l.y.)

J420 AB: 508; 150; An equilateral triangle of similar magnitude stars, one corner of which is J420, which is a near equal pair, nicely split.  A 168-year period, it will remain in the same quadrant for the next 40 years.  WDS notes "Appears to be in rapid retrograde motion," and what I find in EDR3 is there is no parallax range overlap, -94%, so this is not binary at all.
08h 06m 15.16s +02° 00' 47.3" P.A. 192.70 sep 2.2 mag 11.06,11.46 dist. 114.03 pc (371.97 l.y.)

STT175 AB: 508; 889x: Light orange stars, elongated out of round but not notched, seems to be one delta.  213-year period, it may widen by 0.1" by 2040 so might become better resolved by then.  

07h 35m 08.79s +30° 57' 39.3" P.A. 338.80 sep 0.1 mag 6.08,6.49 Sp K0III dist. 114.16 pc (372.39 l.y.)

STT187 AB: 508; 667x: White stars, 1 Dm, hairline at 333x, nice close split at 667x.  254-year period, it will pretty much stay where it is the next couple of decades.  Lacks EDR3 data.
08h 04m 08.38s +33° 01' 50.8" P.A. 334.60 sep 0.4 mag 6.94,8.50 Sp A1.5V dist. 172.71 pc (563.38 l.y.)

STT149 AB: 508; 889x: At 2 Dm the pair is fairly tough to resolve.  PA is just south of west (actually just north of west), nicely split B in A's diffraction. 119-year period, it will tighten rapidly to the south and become close to undetectable by 2040.  Insufficient data in EDR3.
06h 36m 26.26s +27° 16' 42.2" P.A. 276.40 sep 0.7 mag 7.14,8.97 Sp dG2 dist. 33.11 pc (108 l.y.)