Phi Piscium (Struve 99)

 
Steve Bodin 
Star: Phi Piscium (Struve 99)
Date & Time: 13 Sept 2003 11:30pm to 1 am
Seeing: 5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: Fair
Location of site: Silverdale WA, USA
47N 123W
Site classification: suburb-rural
Conditions: temp 45-50F, dry
Sky darkness: 4.0 due  moon <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Celestron C8
Eyepieces: Video camera DX8263SL at prime focus
Magnification: app. 333x		 Well at least the color of this pair looks OK. Yellowish and blue for a G8 primary. This is a difficult pair due to the closeness and magnitude difference. Difficult to measure accurately too; 7.88 sec at 224.1 deg PA.

 

 
 Ilario Melandri
Star: Phi Piscium (Struve 99)
Date & Time: 22/9/2003 
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency:  --- <1 worst - 10 best> 
Location of site: San Romualdo, Italy
Site classification: Suburban-rural
Conditions: Temperature 18º C 
Sky darkness: 4.5 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 150mm (6”) f/15 refractor
Eyepieces: 16mm Plössl
Magnification: 140x		 A bit difficult double because difference in magnutude 

 

 
Tim Leese
Star: Phi Piscium (Struve 99)
Date & Time: 16 October 2003, 21:40UT
Seeing:  5 or 6 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency:  <1 worst - 10 best> 
Location of site: Northwich, Cheshire. UK
(53° 15' N -2º 33' W)
Site classification: Suburban
Conditions: Clear sky but strong breeze blowing from time to time. Moon rising later
Sky darkness:  4.3-3.0 (Umi) <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 200mm f/6 Newtonian reflector
Mount:  Vixen GP
Eyepieces: 18mm Orthoscopic
Magnification: X67		 An interesting double under these conditions. A nice yellow/orange star with a tiny mote of a companion, only just seen at times.  A higher magnification showed the companion but the view was very shaky due the poor seeing.  This would be nice a double at high magnification under a still, clear, dark sky. Not tonight though.
 
 
 
 

 

 
Luis Balanzino 
Star: Phi Piscium (Struve 99)
Date & Time: October 14-15 2003, 21h to 22h UT 
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 7 <1 worst - 10 best>
Location of site: Göteborg, Sweden 
57°43' N, 11°58' E 
Site classification: Urban area with
considerable light pollution 
Moon: in Taurus , illuminated fraction 0,8 
Sky darkness: 4 <Limiting magnitude> 
Temperature: 0-3º C 
Telescope: Meade ETX-90 Maksutov (90mm f/13.8) on photo tripod
Eyepieces: 26mm Meade and 12,5mm TAL Plossl, 2x TAL Barlow 
Magnification: 48x, 100x, 200x
 		 Not difficult to find, but very hard to split with this telescope. Primary bright and yellow, companion elusive, just glimpsed at 100x and 200x. Curious, the last data in WDS is from 1971, would the stars be closer now?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Eddy O'connor 
Star: Phi Piscium (Struve 99)
Date & Time: Thursday, October 23rd   2003
11-12 p.m local; UT +10
Seeing: 8 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 9 <1-10 Scale (10 best)>. 
Location of site: Terara, New South Wales, Australia.
Long.150.38 ; Lat 34.52S
Site classification: Suburban-Rural
Conditions: Temp. 12ºC. No Moon
Sky darkness:  <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: 8" F9 Newtonian
Eyepieces: 16mm and 12mm Ortho
Magnification: 72x, 144x
HS Scale: 2 <1-5, 1 best>
    		 Mag. 4.8/9.1; Sep7.9" This challenging double is easily located by star-hopping in almost a straight line South from 91 and 90 Psc. With moderate power this Yellow primary could not be budged. I noticed several fainter stars in the field but all looked like Red Herrings(sorry, I just had to set that one up!) However, I felt the seeing was clear enough and the eye dark-adjusted enough to snare this one. I rebaited the hook with something a little stronger 
and used the drift method -are you with me? Suddenly, as all alert fisher folk will attest to, patience and sheer concentration at last pays off and five minutes later, there it was: a glimmer of Blue star dust just drifting west in front of the primary. Other fainter stars lie south in the field.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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