Theta Aurigae

 
Bill Green
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: 11 January 2004. 1900 to 2200 (UT -5)
Seeing:  6 to 7 <Pickering> (fair to good)
Transparency:  <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Catawba, VA U.S.A
(37° 16' N 79º 57' W).
Site classification: Rural
Conditions: 0% cloud cover, excellent transparency, 
light surface breeze, cold!
Sky darkness: 4.8 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: TV NP101 f/5.4 APO Refractor
Eyepieces: Nagler type 6 (7, 5, 3.5mm)
Panoptic 24 used as finder
Magnification: 77x, 154x		 This was a difficult pair. Previous attempts to split this double were not successful. Poor seeing conditions had the B star hiding in the turbulent diffraction "noise" of A. This night the seeing was just good enough the reveal the relatively faint B star about 50% of the time. Most of this time the B star was still amongst the A star's diffraction rings but easily observed. During very good moments the A and B stars were cleanly split with black sky 
separating them. 77x provided a visual split but 154X seemed to make it a little easier. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
Richard Harshaw
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: January 12, 2004
Seeing: 4 to 5  <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 6 <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Northern Kansas City, Missouri (USA), 
94º 30m W, 39º 15m N
980 ft above Mean Sea Level
Site classification: suburban
Conditions: 
Sky darkness:   <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Celestron C-11
Eyepieces: 
Magnification: 654x
Rating Scale: 5D <1 to 5 (1 being outstanding
view, to 5, a dismal view) and letter E, M or D (easy, moderate or difficult)>		 Observed at 654x with diffraction mask.  W, ?.  The companion comes and goes between the diffraction spikes.
 

 

 
Morgan Spangle
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: 1/19/2004
Seeing: 6 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 9 <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Larchmont, NY
40.55.26N, 73.44.43W
Site classification: Suburban
Conditions: windy, front just moved through,
very cold (0ºF)
Sky darkness: 4 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Borg 101ED, f6.4
Eyepieces: Celestron Axiom 23mm,
Takahashi Ortho 18mm, 7mm, 2.8mm,
mounted in Borg turret eyepiece holder
Magnification: 28x, 36x, 91x, 228x 
 

Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: 1/23/2004
Seeing: 8 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 9 <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Larchmont, NY
40.55.26N, 73.44.43W
Site classification: Suburban
Conditions: Much steadier conditions, still very cold, between 0 and -5F.
Sky darkness: 4 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Borg 101ED, f6.4
Eyepieces: Celestron Axiom 23mm,
Takahashi Ortho 18mm, 7mm, 2.8mm,
mounted in Borg turret eyepiece holder
Magnification: 28x, 36x, 91x, 228x 
 

 Couldn't resolve, couldn't even catch any elongation, secondary must be buried in the airy disk of the primary.better seeing needed, or maybe bigger aperture?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

revisited, still couldn't find the secondary, must need a larger scope 
or move to a darker location once my wife kicks me out for spending so much 
time in the crazy cold trying to do this!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
William Schart
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: 25, January, 2004
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency:  <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Texas, USA
Site classification: Suburban
Conditions: 
Sky darkness:  <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 6" Dobsonian
Eyepieces: 
Magnification: 48x, 72x, 120x		 After my success with omega, I thought I should be able to get this. However, try as I might, I was unable to make the companion at any power.

Ambience: While observing, someone on the next street was shooting off some fireworks. 
Presumably either oriental or else just using the Chinese New Year as an excuse for pyrotechnics.

 
 Steve Bodin
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: 9 Feb 2004, 8 pm to 10 pm local
Seeing:  4-5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency:  good
Location of site: Silverdale WA, USA
47N 123W
Site classification: suburb-rural
Conditions: temp 34F, damp
Sky darkness: 5 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Celestron C8
Eyepieces: not used
Additional: DX-8263SL video camera at 3x
Magnification: app. 1000x		 Very difficult, only glimpsed on the TV in real time. Processed 300 video frames in Registax and the secondary popped out well. Even seems to be a orange color to it. Primary pure white, A0 spectral type the standard candle for white. Measurement, 4.04 sec at 311.9 deg PA.

 

 
 Mike Sutherland
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: 9 Feb. '04, 8:26 PM PST
Seeing: 7/8 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency:  Fair to good
Location of site: Beaverton, OR, USA
Site classification: Suburban, (330 ft elevation)
Conditions: Cool, calm. 40*F, (4*C)
Sky darkness: ~4 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Takahashi FS102, F8
Eyepieces: 6mm monocentric, 2.2x barlow
Magnification: approx. 300x
 

 

 Having observed this before, I knew I'd need some power to split it. As I added power it was dancing in the eyepiece, but was also getting better and better separation. Finally at about 300x I was getting a real jumping bean, but also had moments when the companion really popped. Very exciting! Dark sky between the components about half the time. Primary a clean white and the companion was too tough to tell.

Ambience: 19 day old moon and numerous porchlights with no leaves on the trees made for a bit of a challenge, but I wasn't looking at the bottom of a cloud, so I'm satisfied.
 
 

 

 
 Louis Marchesi
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: January 9, 2004,
00:30 à 04:00 UTC
Seeing:  Pickering 4 à 5
Transparency:  Average
Location of site: Marchesi Observing Site
Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, USA
39d 45m N, 75d 52m W
Elevation: 97 m (318 ft)
Site classification: Rural
Conditions: Clear, -9 C (16 F), 
Calmed Winds
Moon: Waning Gibbous, Phase: 90% 
Moonrise: 01:03 UTC
Sky darkness: Not Determined
Telescope: TMB 152 f/7.9
Eyepieces: 
Magnification: 		 Frankly, I was expecting this too be a difficult split because of the magnitude difference and the closeness of the two stars. Its difficulty index (DI) is 95. But this was surprisingly easy, perhaps because of its high altitude at the time of observation. The bright white primary was accompanied by a much fainter, orange star.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
John Ryan 
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: Feb.9, 2004, 
7:30 to 10:00 local time
Seeing: 8 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency:  Good
Location of site: Barreras, Salamanca, Spain
Site classification: Rural
Conditions: Temp. 15ºC
Sky darkness:  <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Celestron 9.25" SCT
Eyepieces: none
Additional: DX-8263SL video camera with 2.5 Telemate.		 Theta: This is almost a duplicate of Omega with the cherry on the grapefruit. I was just able to split this double not all that close but the 2.7 mag A component was like a hugh snowball. Both white. PA = 308.23º, Dist. = 3.70". 

 
Doug Mcdoogle
Star: Theta Aurigae
Date & Time: February 22, 2004/10:30pm EST
Seeing: II (Anton.)
Transparency:  <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Location of site: Geneva, NY
42:52:12.749N 76:59:31.412W 
Site classification: Suburban
Conditions: Class 5/6 Sky
Sky darkness:  <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 76.2mm f/15.75
Eyepieces: 32, 21 plossl, 12, 9 ortho,
2x barlow
Magnification: 192x		 Note: failed to split at 192x

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