Aitken 58

 
Steve Bodin 
Star: Aitken 58
Date & Time: 5 Jan 2003 8pm to 12:30 pm local
Seeing: 4  <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: good
Location of site: Silverdale WA, USA
47N 123W
Site classification: suburb-rural
Conditions: 35F, some dew
Sky darkness: 5.7 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 17.5 in Dobson with goto mount
Eyepieces: not used
Additional: PC164C video camera
Magnification: 350x video at pf with paracorr
 		 A close almost joined pair at this magnification. Really needed to throw on the 2x to get a good measure, but to cold outside to go out and the air too poor to support more magnification. There is also a C component along the same position angle. The WDS lists no magnitude for this companion, cataloged as GIR 1, but I guess it is about 12. Measurements: AB, somewhat poor, 5.60 sec at 158.7 sec, AC 95.25 sec at 155.7 deg PA.

 
 
 
William L. Schart
Star: Aitken 58
Date & Time:  30/01/2003
Seeing: 8 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)> 
Location of site: Killeen, TX (Lat 31 N, Elev 600 ft) 
Site classification: Suburban 
Sky darkness: 3.5->4 <Limiting magnitude> 
Moon: still hidden 
Telescope: Celestar 8” SCT
Eyepieces: 25mm, 17mm, and 10mm, CMG 
Magnification: 
 		 This was pretty faint, but still easy to find and split. There is a slight, but noticable difference in magnitude. I couldn’t tell much about color.
 
First attempt at finding this revealed almost nothing: stars of any kind. Then it dawned on me: Dew! A trip inside to procure a dewzapper (aka my wife’s hairdryer). After zapping the dew, it was fairly easy. Again there was a fair amount of magnitude contrast, but it was still easy to split at low power. The primary was tinged with blue, but the secondary was too faint to tell.
   
 

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