Double and Multiple Stars

Here are a few images of double stars and some of the more beautiful double and multiple stars. Most were taken using a Minolta Dimage 7i camera mounted to a ScopeTronics MaxView40 eyepiece. The telescope is a Meade LX-90 8" F/10 Schmidt-Cassigrain. For some, moving your mouse over the image will show more detailed information or will zoom in to the image. Clicking on the star name will bring up more information about the star from the Simbad Database.

---

Andromida

Gamma Andromidae 10x4 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 Also known as Almach, this Blue and Gold pair is a wonder to behold. It's clearly a rival to Alberio. It really looks like this in a telescope, there was no color enhancement. This pair is at a distance of about 355 lightyears. "A" is also known as SAO 37734 and has a spectral class of K3 which means it's pretty cool compared to "B" "B" is also known as SAO 37735 and has a spectral class of B8 which means it's pretty hot, much hotter than the Sun. Move your mouse over the image to zoom in.

---

Aries

Gamma Aries 10x4 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 Two nearly identical white stars! A beautiful pair at moderate magnification. This pair is at a distance of about 205 lightyears and is a very close binary. "g2," is also a very close binary. The pair is also known as 5-Ari and has a spectral class of A0 which means it's pretty hot. The dimmer, yellow star is known as SAO 92684 and is located at a distance of about 680 lightyears so it isn't associated with Gamma Aries. Click on the image for a closer look.

---

Capricorn

Alpha 1/2 Capricorni 5x10 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 Also known as Algedi, lies at a distance of about 108 lightyears. "A" is also known as SAO 163427 and has a spectral class of G6. "B" is also known as SAO 163422 lies at a distance of about 687 lightyears and has a spectral class of G3 and is a bit hotter than "A." This pair is an optical double.

---

Cassiopeiae

Alpha Cassiopeiae 10x4 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 Also known as Schedar, is an optical double Alpha Cass-A lies at a distance of about 230 lightyears. "A" is also known as SAO 21609 and has a spectral class of K0 which means it's pretty cool. "B" is also known as HD 236494 and has a spectral class of K0 but is slightly cooler and more yellow. Alpha Cassiopeiae is also a variable star. Click on the image for a zoom in view.

Eta Cassiopeiae 10x4 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 Eta Cass-A is a spectroscopic binary and lies at a distance of about 20 lightyears. The visable pair is an optical double, the companion lies about 830 lightyears away. "A" is also known as SAO 21732 and has a spectral class of G0 which means it's about the same as our sun. "B" is also known as GSC 3663:1792 and has a spectral class of K0 and is slightly cooler and more orange. Eta Cass is a combination of a spectroscopic binary and an optical double.

STF 3053 Cassiopeiae 10x4 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 This photo doesn't give this binary justice. It's a beautiful yellow/blue-white pair that lies at a distance of about 2078 lightyears. "A" is also known as SAO 10937 and has a spectral class of G8 which means it's about the same as our sun. "B" is also known as SAO 10938 and has a spectral class of A7 and is hotter and more white. The very dim star at the bottom right is CCDM J00026+6606C, magnitude 11

---

Coma Berenices

24 Coma Berenices With a separation of 20.3" splitting this binary is quite easy in small telescopes. "A", SAO 100160, is a fairly cool K2 spectral class star. It glows yellow-orange at a magnitude of 6.4. "B", SAO 100159, is a hotter A7 spectral class star glowing blue to blue-green at magnitude 6.5. The pair is about 615 lightyears away.

---

Cygnus

Albereo (Beta Cygni)25x4 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 This is one of the most beautiful double stars in the sky. At Blue and Orange it is a wonder to behold in a small to moderate sized telescope. This beautiful double star makes up the "nose" of the swan. "A", also known as Beta-01 Cygni, and SAO 87301, has a spectral class of K3. This means that it is the cooler of the pair giving it a slightly orange tint. This color contrast is exaggerated by its hotter, bluer companion. "B", also konwn as Beta-02 Cygni, and SAO 87302, has a spectral class of B8. It is dimmer but much hotter than A. The pair is at a distance of about 385 lightyears.

31-Cygni (Omicron Cygni) 10x4 seconds ISO 400 Meade LX-90 This nice little multiple is also known as the "Patriotic Multiple" because of its colors, "red, white and blue." Yes, if you look closely and have a bit of an imagination you will notice the colors as red-orange, white and blue. Move your mouse of the image to zoom in.

---

Hercules

Rasalgethi (Alpha Hercules) 16x4 sec ISO 400 Meade LX-90 Now here is a rival to Albereo in a moderate scope! Rasalgethi gets its name from the Arabic name for the star Al Ras al Jathiyy, "The Kneeler's Head". "A", SAO 102680, is a very cool M5 star. It is a deep red-orange color glowing at a magnitude 5. It is separated from "B" by only 4.7" so it's difficult to split in small scopes. "B", SAO 102681, is a main sequence G type star (G5) glowing blue-green at magnitude 7 and is a spectroscopic binary. The pair is at a distance of about 382 lightyears.

---

Lyra

Delta 1/ 2 Lyra 6x4 seconds ISO 400 Meade LX-90 This is a really nice, wide pair that is easily separated in a small scope. The color difference is pretty striking even though the stars aren't particularly close together.

---

Ursa Minor

Polaris (Alpha UMa) "The North Star" 20x4 seconds ISO 400 Meade LX-90 Speaking of the "Pole Star", here it is. At a magnitude of 1.9 it isn't one of the brightest stars in the sky, which is a common misconception. Polaris is about 430 lightyears away. It marks the end of the handle in the "Little Dipper" which isn't a constellation but an asterism like the "Big Dipper".

Back

Constellation maps created using TheSky 4.0 Level IV
available from Bisque Software

Last Update 02/08/2005
©2001-2005 Kevin Muenzler, Eagle Creek Observatory.