I observed off The Bedford Catalogue list, which are objects described by William Smyth in his book. He also observed with a 6-inch (at f/17) from his back yard, so it's a fun project to compare my (more light polluted) observations with his. He very much enjoyed describing color in stars, and his list makes a good survey of double stars with contrasting colors.
H 5 39: Vega and the faint stars around it.
18h 36m 56.33s +38° 47' 01.2" P.A. 185.00 sep 85.3 mag 0.09,9.50 Sp A0Va dist. 7.68 pc (25.05 l.y.)
STF 2362 AB: 152; 180x: 1 Dm close split pair, I can also resolve it with the 80mm at high power. 27% PRO, 428 AU WS, 1.7+1.3 Msol, it might be binary and needs an orbit. Smyth called it "elegant" and "very neat," with A pale white and B lilac.
18h 38m 25.70s +36° 03' 11.3" P.A. 187.00 sep 4.3 mag 7.53,8.72 Sp A5 dist. 105.26 pc (343.36 l.y.)
STFA 37 AB,CD: Double-double. Split at low power with the Nikon zoom, in the 6-inch showed perfect airy disks with a single diffraction ring looping around them. Smyth is effusive about this pair. I will note in his diagram he notices three faint stars in between the main pairs -- I remember only seeing one.
18h 44m 20.34s +39° 40' 12.4" P.A. 172.00 sep 209.4 mag 4.67,4.56 Sp A4V dist. 49.78 pc (162.38 l.y.)
STFA 38 AB: 152; 125x: Light yellow A, wide 1 Dm white B. 83% PRO, 2119 AU WS, 2.5+1.8 Msol, and RVD 1.2 < EV 1.9, it is likely binary and needs an orbit. Smyth colors A topaz B greenish, which I do not see.
18h 44m 46.36s +37° 36' 18.4" P.A. 150.00 sep 43.9 mag 4.34,5.62 Sp F0IVv dist. 47.87 pc (156.15 l.y.)
H 5 40 AC: 152; 125x: Light yellow bright A, several faint stars around it. None of the faint stars share parallax range, they are not binary. Smyth calls it a "delicate set" and assigns bluish colors to the fainter stars, and notes some difficulties with the measures.
18h 49m 45.91s +32° 48' 46.2" P.A. 120.00 sep 57.5 mag 5.89,11.20 Sp B3IV dist. 401.61 pc (1310.05 l.y.)
Nu Lyr / 9 Lyr: 152; 125x: Light yellow star.
18h 49m 52.92s +32° 33' 03.9"
STFA 39 AB: 152; 125x: Sheliak, Beta Lyrae. Bright yellow in a triangle of stars, seen with both scopes. None of the surrounding stars share parallax ranges, they are not binary (with the exception of spectroscopic binary CIA 3 Aa1,2).
18h 50m 04.79s +33° 21' 45.6" P.A. 148.00 sep 45.5 mag 3.63,6.69 Sp B7Ve+A8p dist. 294.99 pc (962.26 l.y.)
M57: Visible in both scopes. In 80mm seen with low power as a very faint oval with brighter edges, view improved with higher powers which darkened the sky. In the 6-inch it was brighter and more structured, with a thickness to the sides. Smyth calls it "this aureola of glory." He notes Herschel first assuming it was composed of very faint and distant stars. "A solid ring of light in the profundity of space." He thought the center black and void but noted John Herschel and later Rosse reporting it being filled with nebulous light.
18h 53m 35.079s, +33° 01′ 45.03″
HJ 1362 : 152; 125x: Yellow-white A and wide 5 Dm faint B. -58% PRO, it is not binary. Smyth calls A white!
19h 01m 26.36s +46° 56' 06.1" P.A. 289.00 sep 46.9 mag 5.01,10.60 Sp A7V dist. 37.44 pc (122.13 l.y.)
STF 2461 AB: 152; 240x: 17 Lyr. Excellent light-yellow A, split faint B on the outside edge of A's diffraction ring. 82% PRO, 159 AU WS, 2.0+0.7 Msol, it is likely binary and needs an orbit. Smyth assigns light yellow to A and cerulean blue to B and calls it a "very beautiful and delicate object."
19h 07m 25.58s +32° 30' 06.2" P.A. 281.00 sep 3.2 mag 5.26,9.10 Sp F0V dist. 41.58 pc (135.63 l.y.)
STF 2469 AB: 152; 240x: Difficult! Split at best moments, very fine split of extremely faint and small B. 30% PRO, 181 AU WS, 1.9+1.4 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit. Smyth yellowish A and pale white B.
19h 07m 47.60s +38° 55' 41.6" P.A. 126.00 sep 1.3 mag 7.93,9.13 Sp A3 dist. 139.08 pc (453.68 l.y.)
STF 2472 AB: 152; 125x: Red star in center of large, loose, sparse open cluster Stephenson 1. -93% PRO, it is not binary. Smyth has the color as bright yellow and calls the cluster a "difficult compound object" I assume because of the faintness and number of the other stars.
19h 08m 33.73s +37° 54' 36.8" P.A. 340.00 sep 22.7 mag 8.38,10.44 Sp K0 dist. 219.78 pc (716.92 l.y.)
Delta Draconis: Lovely light-yellow star. Smyth called it deep yellow.
19h 12m 33.30 +67° 39′ 41.53
STF 2487 AB: 152; 125x: Lovely yellow A and wide faint B. 41% PRO, 9908 AU WS, 6.6+2.5 Msol, but RVD 3.9 > EV 1.3, it is not binary. Smyth calls A sky blue and B violet tint.
19h 13m 45.49s +39° 08' 45.5" P.A. 81.00 sep 28.4 mag 4.38,8.58 Sp B2.5IV dist. 425.53 pc (1388.08 l.y.)
M56: Seen with both scopes. In the 80mm it is a washed-out stain, in the 6-inch 125x it is larger, irregularly round with ridged edges and faintly resolved stars throughout.
19h 16m 35.50s, +30° 11′ 04.2″
STF 2509 AB: 152; 180x: !! Beautiful fine split 1 Dm in the 6-inch, and I can resolve it with the 80mm at high power! SOC grade 4 orbit 627-year period. 45% PRO, 141 AU WS, 1.6+1.3 Msol. Smyth called both stars white, and a difficult pair.
19h 16m 53.09s +63° 12' 27.0" P.A. 329.00 sep 1.9 mag 7.44,8.17 Sp F6V dist. 78.25 pc (255.25 l.y.)
STF 2603 AB: 152; 125x: Tyl. Light yellow and 2 Dm blue B, split with low power in the 6-inch and high power in the 80mm, B sits just outside A's diffraction ring. SOC grade 5 orbit 2753-year period. 62% PRO, 149 AU WS, 2.9+1.3 Msol. For once my colors match Smyth's, light-yellow and blue.
19h 48m 10.35s +70° 16' 04.5" P.A. 21.00 sep 3.1 mag 4.01,6.87 Sp G7IIIb dist. 45.37 pc (148 l.y.)
20h 05m 35.38s +63° 42' 19.5" P.A. 191.00 sep 1.8 mag 9.34,9.41 Sp G0 dist. 68.26 pc (222.66 l.y.)
STF 2675 AB: 152; 125x: Light-yellow A well separated from 2 Dm blue B, seen in 80mm too. -3% PRO it is not likely binary.
20h 08m 53.32s +77° 42' 40.9" P.A. 121.00 sep 7.3 mag 4.39,8.34 Sp B9III dist. 96.53 pc (314.88 l.y.)
NGC 6939: Barely seen as a haze with some relatively brighter (faint) stars, in both scopes. Smyth waxes: "the whole exhibits a grand but distinct collocation of suns, which are evidently bound together by mutual relations, under the energy of a force which, though reason asserts its existence, imagination fails in conceiving." Back when observing was filled with wonder.
20h 31m 30s, +60° 39′ 42″
Eta Cep: Pretty light-yellow star. Smyth calls it pale yellow.
20h 45m 17.37s +61° 50' 19.6"
STF 2780 AB: 152; 240x: Notched elongation in the 80mm with high power, hairline split, unequal stars in the 6-inch. Lacks Gaia parallax data.
21h 11m 48.24s +59° 59' 11.8" P.A. 211.00 sep 1.0 mag 6.09,6.77 Sp B0II dist. 1315.79 pc (4292.11 l.y.)
STF 2790 AB: 152; 180x: Light-orange A, well-split faint B, seen with 125x better at 180x. -19% PRO, it is not binary.
21h 19m 15.69s +58° 37' 24.6" P.A. 45.00 sep 4.6 mag 5.85,9.27 Sp M1I+B2+B3 dist. 591.72 pc (1930.19 l.y.)
STF 2806 AB: 152; 125x: Alfirk. Bright white A, wide B is much fainter and appears blue-green. Seen in 80mm too. Analyzed before.
21h 28m 39.58s +70° 33' 38.5" P.A. 248.00 sep 13.5 mag 3.17,8.63 Sp B1IV dist. 210.08 pc (685.28 l.y.)
STF 2816 AB: 152; 125x: ! Lovely arc of stars with a light-orange A and 1 Dm B & C both light blue. Rich field, seen in both scopes. This would be great to look at from a dark sky. Not binary, analyzed before, too bad Smyth didn't have accurate parallax data. He again enthuses about star movements: "Through all anomalies, here are palpable gleams of a force which penetrates through creation; and wonderous is the inference! Those mighty orbs move through space in a curve which it bewilders the mind to figure, obediently to a mysterious impulse which binds them in affinity with some vast central phenomenon."
21h 38m 57.61s +57° 29' 20.5" P.A. 120.00 sep 11.9 mag 5.73,7.48 Sp +B5V dist. 606.06 pc (1976.97 l.y.)
STF 2819 AB: 152; 125x: Lovely unequal wide pair, STF 2816 at edge of FOV. 97% PRO, 1304 AU WS, 1.8+1.4 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit.
21h 40m 21.45s +57° 34' 53.7" P.A. 59.00 sep 12.7 mag 7.44,8.64 Sp F5V
STF 2863 AB: 152; 125x: Kurhah, Xi Cephei. Light-yellow pair, wide, 2 Dm, seen in 80mm too. 92% PRO, 246 AU WS, 2.0+1.2 Msol, it is possibly binary and needs an orbit. Smyth calls it "splendid," both "bluish."
22h 03m 47.45s +64° 37' 40.7" P.A. 275.00 sep 8.1 mag 4.45,6.40 Sp A3m dist. 29.59 pc (96.52 l.y.)
STF 2872 BC: 152; 240x: Out of round light-orange star, cannot resolve. At the corner of a trapezium asterism. Lacks Gaia parallax data. Smyth describes the very wide AC pair.
22h 08m 34.12s +59° 17' 37.5" P.A. 296.00 sep 0.8 mag 7.98,8.00 Sp A1V
STFA 58 AC: 152; 125x: ! Delta Cephei. Another one for a dark sky. Very pretty light-yellow A, wide blue B, 2 Dm. 49% PRO, 11624 AU WS, 6.7+3.9 Msol, but RVD 3.1 > EV 1.3, it is not binary. Smyth calls A "orange tint," B "fine blue," "the colours, under proportionately magnifying powers, being in fine contrast."
22h 29m 10.25s +58° 24' 54.7" P.A. 191.00 sep 41.0 mag 4.21,6.11 Sp F5Iab+B7 dist. 265.25 pc (865.25 l.y.)
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