Otto Struve 508

 
Carol Lakomiak
Star: Otto Struve 508
Date & Time: July 8-9 2003
Seeing: 6 [see
http://www.backyard-astro.com/Logs/logsreport.html
Transparency: 3/10 
Location of site: 45°N // Tomahawk
WI, USA
Site classification: Rural
Temperature: 65°F dropping to 50°F
Sky darkness:  4/10 (Thompson Scale)
Conditions: surprisingly minimal dew;
slight breeze from the North
Telescope: Meade 8" f/10 LX-10 (Snoopy )
Eyepieces: 32mm, 13.8mm, 9mm, 5mm
Magnification: 63x, 147x, 226x, 406x
 

Star: Otto Struve 508
Date & Time: July 12-13, 2003
Seeing: 3 [see
http://www.backyard-astro.com/Logs/logsreport.html
Transparency: --- 
Location of site: 45°N // Tomahawk
WI, USA
Site classification: Rural
Temperature: 56°F at 10pm CDT, dropping to
50°F by 3:15am CDT
Sky darkness:  10/10 (Thompson Scale)
Conditions: Not too much dew; extreme
Lunar interference; generally pleasant
Telescope: Meade 8" f/10 LX-10 (Snoopy )
Eyepieces: 32mm, 13.8mm, 9mm, 5mm
Magnification: 63x, 147x, 226x, 406x

This is the first 'non-split' of the night. Although visiting it twice this 
evening, neither attempt brought any success other than the composite 
appearing orange.

As a small consolation prize, a very nice asterism can be seen to its' upper 
left at 63x. With a small stretch of the imagination, it looks like the big 
dipper and has a double star located in the approximate region where Alcor 
and Mizar are. Actually, there's another star atop the bowl of the dipper, 
making it look more like a muffin or Auriga with a handle coming out of the 
left end... a real cutie.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is one of the failures of July 8-9, but I went back in hopes that the 
night's steadier atmosphere would allow a split and was rewarded with 
success. Momentary splits were easy 226x. Both components were white. 
Surprisingly, the B star wasn't as difficult to detect in the moonwash as I 
thought it would have been.
 
 







 


 
Tim Leese
Star: Otto Struve 508
Date: 13 July 2003, 02:00hrs UT
Location of Site: Northwich, Cheshire. UK
(53° 15' N -2º 33' W)
Seeing: 6 <1-10 Seeing scale (10 best)>
Transparency:  <1-10 scale (10 best)>
Conditions: Clear sky with drifting high haze later. Moon bright.
Site classification: Suburban
Sky darkness: 3.0 ( UMi ) <Limiting magnitude>.
Telescope: 4inch f/15 Vixen achromat.
Mount: EQ5
Eyepieces: 9mm Orthoscopic
Magnifications: X167
I failed to split this star using this magnification. On occasion, when the seeing allowed, I got the faintest impression of some elongation in the listed PA for this star.
 
 

 


 
Luis Argüelles
Star:Otto Struve 508
Date: 29, July, 2003 , 23:45 -> 2:45 local time
Location of Site: Sena de Luna, Spain
42.55N, 05.57W
Seeing: 8->7 <1-10 Seeing scale (10 best)>
Transparency: 8->7 <1-10 scale (10 best)>
Other conditions: No Moon. 
Temperature:18ºC
Altitude: 1,200 mts (3,940 ft)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: about 5.5
Telescope: Takahashi FS-102
Mount: Vixen GP + Skysensor 2000
Eyepieces: 9mm Nagler, 5mm and 3.8mm Eudiascopics
Diagonal: Zeiss prism diagonal
Magnifications: 91x, 164x, 215x
Since this one hovers a bit higher over the horizon, using the 9mm Nagler at only 91x I already suspect I'm observing a double star.  Switching to the 3.8mm Eudiascopic at 215x a clear "eight-figure" is observed, with a clear difference of magnitudes. Although it's very difficult to give colors, one of the components seems  hotter than the other one. 

Due to observing conditions, switching down to a 5mm Eudiascopic, the view is sharper, and although the 8-figure is not so clear as using the 3.8mm, the "picture" tell it clearly that this is a double star, and again having into account the observing conditions, the best description I can give is: "it seems components are intermittently playing to hide one from the other, both appearing from time to time".
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


 
Bob Hogeveen
Star: Otto Struve 508
Date: 9, August, 2003 , 00:00 -> 02:30
Location of Site: Eext, The Netherlands
(53N, 06E)
Seeing: 4 <1-10 Seeing scale (10 best)>
Transparency: 7 <1-10 scale (10 best)>
Other conditions: No Moon.
Temperature: 20ºC
Altitude: 1,200 mts (3,940 ft)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: about 5.5
Telescope: Celestron C11
Mount: Losmandy G11
Eyepieces: 40mm Pentax SMC XL,
20mm TV Plossl, 10mm plossl, 5mm LV. 
Magnifications: 70x, 140x, 280x, 560x
  
This pair takes 280x to be split, and even than not easy in given circumstances.
The primary is yellow, almost deep-yellow.

A C-component of mag. 10.7 can be seen at a distance of 62.4" 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
Steve Bodin 
Star: Otto Struve 508
Date & Time: 4 and 5 Sep 2003 11pm to midnight
Seeing: strange 5-7/10 but slow blurring
Transparency: Fair
Location of site: Silverdale WA, USA
47N 123W
Site classification: suburb-rural
Conditions: pleasant temps no wind
Sky darkness: 5.4 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Celestron C8
Eyepieces: Video camera DX8263SL
Magnification: 3x barlow app 1000x
Very difficult star, certainly worthy of it 92 DI. Primary whitish 
and the very faint joined companion as blue. Measured poorly at 1.49 
sec at 200 deg PA
 
 

    

 

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