| Tim Leese | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cancri
Date and Time: 2nd March 2001(22:45 UT) Seeing: 7 <1 worst - 10 best> Location of Site: Cheshire. UK 53° 15' N -2º 33' W Site Classification: Suburban Sky Darkness: 3.0 <Limiting Magnitude> Conditions: cold and clear, harsh frost, Moon 1st quarter. Temp: Telescope: 200mm f/6 Newtonian mounted over a Vixen GP mount (manual slow motion). Any Quoted PA or SEP using Celestron micro guide (CMG) Magnification: X67( ortho ), X96( CMG ) |
This turned
out to be a very beautiful double star I hadn't observed until now. Using
X67 the colour of the primary appeared to be a yellow with a hint of orange,
the secondary a beautiful blue colour. The two contrasting stars seemed
to glow against the background of the fainter stars in the same FOV.
Using the CMG at X96 I estimated the PA of the secondary to be 305deg with a separation of 31sec.
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| Tom Teague | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cnc
Date & Time: 2001 March 5 (2245 UT) Seeing: 5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. Location of site: Chester, England (53 11 08N; 02 51 39W) Site classification: Suburban Sky darkness: 3 (Moon high and bright) <Limiting magnitude> Telescope: 63/840mm Zeiss Telementor refractor Magnification: x56, x112, x140, x158 (ring micrometer measures only) |
This celebrated pair is
magnificent. I see it as deep yellow and a luminous sea-green.
PA estimated at 300°. Well seen at all powers, but x112 is really
the highest power the atmosphere will stand tonight. I took 3 transits
with the Zeiss ring micrometer (x158), and obtained:-
PA = 306°8 Sep = 27"6 Hipparcos (J1991.25) gives PA = 307°550 and sep = 30"480. [Of course, 3 transits is nowhere near enough, and anyway the ring method is not very accurate at this separation.] The pair is fixed for all practical purposes. My 1881 edition of Webb gives a measure from 1836 which is virtually identical to the Hipparcos data, and the same applies to Struve's measure of 1828. Webb (1881) gives the colours as pale orange and clear blue, a description omitted from the Dover reprint of the 1917 edition, which merely notes "beautiful contrast". Smyth gives exactly the same colours. So, curiously, does Couteau, attributing them to Flammarion. My battered old copy of the 1964 edition of Norton describes the pair simply as yellow and blue, adding "fine contrast" - a remark with which no observer is likely to disagree. I have split this double
with a pair of hand-held 12x40 binoculars, although I could see no colours.
My first recorded observation of it was made with a Japanese 3-inch refractor
of rather indifferent quality on 1984 April 25, when I noted merely "gorgeous
pair - gold and blue". Tonight, with the Zeiss, the companion definitely
seems strongly greenish.
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| John Talbot | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cancri
Date & Time: 13 mar 2001, 22.30 - 23.00 Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)> Location of site: Oxfordshire, UK 51°38'N 1°17'W Site classification: Suburban-rural Sky darkness: 4.6 <Limiting magnitude> Transparency: -- <1 worst - 10 best> Temperature: 3ºC Conditions: No moon, cool, no wind or cloud. Telescope: 8" f6 Meade Starfinder, Dobsonian mount Magnification: 76x Eyepiece(s): 16mm Plossl |
One of my favourite
double stars. Easily spilt pair, primary bright and
yellow, secondary blue/green. PA estimated to be ~290° (not bad considering it is 307°!). I first observed this pair in 1999 my notes from then say "WOW! fantastic double, yellow-blue, easily split and beautiful at x76"
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| Glen Chapman | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cnc
Date & Time: 17/3/01 20.30 UT + 11 Seeing: 8.5 to 9.5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)> Location of site: Seven Hills, NSW, Australia Site classification: Semi Urban Sky darkness: 4.3 <Limiting magnitude> Sky condition: No Moon, No clouds, slight breeze Temperature: 24ºC Telescope: 203mm F6 Dobsonian Magnification: 50x |
Description:
Primary gold, secondary pale blue
Notes: Wonderful combination of colours in a star within the reach of even the smallest telescope
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| Ilario Melandri | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cancri
Date & Time: 19 Mar 2001 Seeing: 6 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)> Location of site: S.Romualdo, Ravenna, Italy Site classification: Rural Sky darkness: 4.5 <Telescope Limiting magnitude> Temperature: +11ºC Telescope: 150mm f/15 achromatic refractor (lens by Romano Zen, Venice) Eyepiece(s): Clave Plossl 16 mm) Magnification: 140 x |
Note: the photocopy
of Albireo!
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| Jim Jones | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cancri
Date and Time: 3/22/01 0503UTC Seeing: 7 <1 worst - 10 best> Location of Site: Lake Oswego, Oregon Site Classification: Suburban Sky Darkness: 4.0 <Limiting Magnitude> Telescope: 80mm f/5 refractor Magnification: 15x Eye Piece(s): 26mm Meade 4000 |
Est PA without
instrumentation....300d
Primary...yellow to orange Companion...blue white Very nice open field through 80mm refractor. Gentle arc of dimmer stars to southwest. Two equal mag stars 1/2 degree or so to south 150" to 250" apart.
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| Philippe Dejocas | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cancri
Date & Time: April 4 and 5 2001 Seeing: 7.5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. Location of site: Ottawa/Hull, Canada Site classification: suburban, urban Sky darkness: ~ 4.3- UMi <Limiting magnitude> Temperature: 8°C/ 2°C (beg/end) Humidity : below 50% Sky : Dark blue, even with the presence of the moon on both nights. Telescope: Aldebaran 6" f5 Newtonian Magnification: 40x |
I remember catching my breath
the first time I saw this pair, a doubly (pardon the pun) pleasant surprise
as I chanced upon it. No more than 40x.
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| Thad Robosson | ||||
| Star:
Iota
Cancri
Date & Time: 1:30 to 3:30 UT, 4/24 (UT) Seeing: 6~7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)> Transparency: About 3~3.5/10 Location of site: Phoenix, USA 33º 32.674N, -112º 08.029W Site classification: n Sky darkness: -- <Limiting magnitude> Weather: Clear, warm, very slight breeze. Temperature: Telescope: 8" f/6 newtonian on Eq mount with wonderfully large setting circles Eyepieces: Vixen Lanthanum 10 and 15mm, Meade 32 mm Super wide, Celestron 2x barlow, Teleview 5x powermate. Magnification: 38x |
Ambiance: Traffic noise,
no gunshots, no emergency vehicles. Just me, Baby and Charlie, though they're
not interested except to be patted on the head on occasion. Traffic
noise quickly tuned out, and soon I had my thoughts all to myself.
As always, a very lovely sight to partake in! A lovely yellow with a royal lavender companion. Very easily split at 38x, est pa at 320*. Rated a 2 on the Harshaw scale.
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| Mary Flanagan | ||||
| Star:
Iota Cancri
Date & Time: 27 Apr 2001 03:05 UT; 26 Apr 10:05 CDT Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)> Transparency: 7 <1-10 Scale (10 best)> Location of site: Apple Valley MN, USA 93º 14' 25" W; 44º 45' 17"N Site classification: Suburban Sky darkness: 4 <Limiting magnitude> Telescope: 12.5" f/5 Dobsonian Magnification: 50x, 106x |
What a beauty this one is!
Primary creamy gold, secondary looked
lilac/blue to me. Colors were better at 50x; they washed out a bit at 106x. Other comments: I finally, finally had the combination of a clear night and getting the SkyComm box figured out. (I was out once last week, but had set up the azimuth control backwards <g>) Felt a little guilty about
using DSCs. I can hear Hank humming "Your Cheatin' Heart" in the background,
but Cancer is absolutely invisible from my yard, and the Starmaster came
with only a Rigel Quikfinder and the SkyComm.
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