Beta Centauri 

Eddy O’connor
Star: Beta Centauri 
Date & Time: Sunday, May 13th  2001,
6:30 - 8:00 p.m local; UT +9. 
Seeing: 5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 6/10 
Location of site: Terara, New South Wales, Australia.
150º.38E; 34º.52S 
Site classification: 
Conditions: High humidity and low fog. No Moon.
Temperature: 9ºC 
Sky darkness: 5.5 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 8" Newt. F9
Eyepieces: 25mm K, 12.5 mm Ortho
Magnification: 73x, 146x

Star: Beta Centauri 
Date & Time: 7 -8.30  p.m local; UT +9.
Sunday, June 17th  2001
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 9/10
Location of site: Terara, New South Wales, Australia. 150º.38E; 34º.52S 
Site classification: Suburban
Conditions: No Moon.
Temperature: 7ºC
Sky darkness: 5? <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 16" F5 dob 
Eyepieces: 18 mm Celestron eyepiece
Magnification: 113x
 

 Time for a spotlight after some of these faint ones. If I didn't know better I would say this was an Aqua-coloured Star. It refused to budge at all powers. While listed at 1.3" separation, the glare of the primary will require serious machinations to split during 
the coming months! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is a brilliant Bluish/White star that I turned the 16" F5 dob on and it split neatly with an 18 mm Celestron eyepiece. 
The companion appears as a dullish off-white star of mag. 4 preceding the primary. HS2
Comments: This is a difficult object and impossible in my 8" F9 at any power. In contrast to Antares, which was split about 15º above the Eastern horizon, this double took much more refined focusing, and concentration  to split.