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Ultimate high reso observing challenge

Started by ddrake, 07/17/2003 04:33PM
Posted 07/17/2003 04:33PM Opening Post
Only big aperture scopes can do this one. About 5 or 6 years ago S&T had an article about amazing triple stars. One in particular that caught my eye was a faint 9th mag triple star with seperations of 0.9, 0.7, and 0.3 arseconds. All components are roughly the same brightness. Intrigued, I thought I would see what this triple star looked like through my 18 inch tracking dob. High power views around 700x and above, did reveal the triple star system with the 0.3 arcsecond seperation as barely split or elongated and the other star completely seperated. This was a few years ago. Recently, while trying again I find that the 0.3 arcsecond double is proving elusive. Seeing may be the culprit as I have only tried twice in decent but not great seeing. I'm wondering if the two stars in question have closed in in their orbits or do I just need to keep trying. The star system in question is sao 47468 at 18H 24.2' and 49* 2.12'. Could someone out there either research this or try for themselves and report back. It should be mentioned that only scopes with at least about 14 inches in aperture will have any real chance at getting this one.
Posted 07/17/2003 04:38PM #1
Interesting challenge, but I'll bet Dawes' Limit can be bested by excellent optics and conditions. Now where are my star charts and Argo Navis.....