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(IAAC) Obj: Alcyone - Inst: 8 inch Orion Deep Space Explorer Dob/Newt
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Observer: Penny Fischer
Your skills: Intermediate (some years)
Date/time of observation: March 5th 8 p.m. EST
Location of site: Central NJ USA (Lat 40, Elev )
Site classification: Suburban
Sky darkness: 3.5-4.0 <Limiting magnitude>
Seeing: 4 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: Major - gibbous or near object
Instrument: 8 inch Orion Deep Space Explorer Dob/Newt
Magnification: 47X
Filter(s):
Object(s): Alcyone
Category: Multiple star
Class:
Constellation: Uma
Data: mag size
Position: RA : DEC :
Description:
At mag. 3, Alcyone is one of the brightest of the Pleiades open
cluster. I don't know how many people know, but Alcyone is really part
of a multiple star system!
Observation of this star (which is one of my most favorite multiples!)
showed it's much fainter but quite interesting companions. In my eyes,
the companions make a dim but very easily recognizable triangle near
the star. You may have noticed them before but not known they are part
of the same star system. The three stars that make up this equlatoral
triangle are three different colors. One is a wonderful deep blue,
another is a carbon brownish-red, and the other appears golden or
yellowish to me. Check this out next time and tell me what you see!
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** This observing log automatically submitted via the Web from:
http://www.visualdeepsky.org/enter-log.html