Tau Oph.

 
Eddy O'connor
Star: Tau Oph.
Date & Time: Monday, July 1st, 2002
10p.m - 11p.m. local; UT +9
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency: 8 <1-10, 10 best>
Location of site: Terara, New South Wales, Australia
150º.38, S 34º.52
Site classification: Suburban
Sky darkness:  <Limiting magnitude>
Moon: No Moon.
Temp. 8ºC
Telescope: 16" Newt. F5.1
Eyepieces:  10mm Plossl,18mm Ultima 
Celestron, 32 mm Teleview Plossl 
Magnification: 
 		 The wind is now rising as I head for the easy Tau Oph. It is found in the hand that clutches the serpent.

Comments:  This is a striking field and the two even white stars are just separated at high power. The view in the field at low power is a mathematician's dream, a triangle of stars within a triangle of stars with the double the common angle in both. Six stars in all and a double worth finding. HS1

The gales have returned , all house lights are darkened  as loose garden items whizz across my backyard. Even the bird and animal kingdom lie quiet. The first glimmerings of the rising Moon light the Eastern horizon. Somewhere to the far West of us the rich adventurer, Steve Fossett glides in across the coast in his silver balloon at high altitude, speeding along at 300 miles per hour. Whatever you think of the way he uses his money you have to admire the man who challenges the elements. Encapsulated in his still cabin does he look up at the wheeling stars and plan his next adventure? For me, looking up on a clear night is always an adventure.

 
Bob Hogeveen
Star: Tau Oph.
Date & Time: July 4, 2002 (23.30) 
Seeing: 7<1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency: 5 <1-10, 10 best>
Location of site: Annen, The Netherlands
53N, 6E
Site classification: Village backyard 
Sky darkness: 3 <Limiting magnitude>
Telescope: MK67 - 6" f/12 MCT
Eyepieces: 30mm Ultima, 20mm TV plossl, 12mm Nagler, 10mm plossl 
Magnification: 60x, 90x, 150x, 180x
Harshaw Scale: 3 <1-5; 1 best> 		 At 90x this pair gives a clear impression of not being single. Elongation in the direction of the PA can be seen and also a yellow color is striking.
Using 150x and 180x gives a good split and a nice view of this yellowish pair. 
The disadvantage of observing in twilight is noted when viewing this (and other) pair(s) with low power. Of the said to be nice field around this pair not much can be seen. The skybackground is bright and still very blue and the fainter fieldstars are difficult to see, or cannot be seen at all. 
 
 
 

 

 
Steve Bodin
Star: Tau Oph.
Date & Time: 8 July 2002,
11pm to 1 am local
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency:  good
Location of site: Silverdale, WA USA
47N,123W
Site classification: Suburban
Sky darkness: 5.7 - 6 <Limiting magnitude>
Telescope: Celestron C8
Eyepieces: 24mm Koenig, 18mm UO Ortho, 3x Barlow
Magnification: 250x, 333x
Additional: PC164C videcamera plus 3x Barlow app. 1000x magnification
 		 Another star that I visit during the summer, but it is usually not split due to its closeness and low altitude. Both appear white to yellow-white and this night were split at 250x. Measurement: 1.68 sec at 282.6 deg PA.

 

 
Patrick Thompson
Star: Tau Oph
Date & Time: 13th /14th July, 00:20
Seeing: 5 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency: 7 <1-10, 10 best>
Location of site: West Wickham, Kent, UK. 51°23' N, 0°0'E
Site classification: Suburban garden
Moon: 8% waxing crescent
Sky darkness: 4.5-5 <Limiting magnitude>
Telescope: 8" Meade LX-90 SCT f/10
Eyepieces:: 26mm Meade Super Plossl
18mm Televue Radian
13.8mm Meade SWA
12mm Meade Astrometric
8.8mm Meade UWA
Magnification: 80x, 115x, 145x, 170x, 230x
 		 Curious. No sign of duplicity at any magnification although this should be
easier than Lam. May have hit this in a patch of even poorer seeing.
Definitely the right star - e/p view tallied perfectly with Skymap. Also
spotted C component (11m, 100", 125°)

Will try again another time

Rating (1(best) - 5(worst))      : 5
 

 
William L. Schart
Star: Tau Oph
Date & Time: 7/23/02, 11:22 pm to ~ 00:00 CST
Seeing: 7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency:  <1-10, 10 best>
Location of site: Killeen, TX, USA
Site classification: Suburban
Sky darkness: 2-3 <Limiting magnitude>
Moon: Full Moon
Telescope: Celestar 8" SCT
Eyepieces: 25mm, 17mm, 12mm, 6,5mm
Magnification: 
Harshaw Scale:  <1-5; 1 best> 		 Rather tight, just under 2” apart but rather bright, making the 
identification easy. However there was little if any sign of duplicity 
at low power. It was noticably elongated at mid power and split at the 
high power, and even more so at hight power. In the low power FOV, this 
is part of a triangular asterism, with a couple of fainter stars located 
to the S and SW. There is also an extremely faint star S and a little E 
of tau, perhaps 1/3 of the way to the next star in the triangle.
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Thad Robosson 
Star: Tau Oph
Date & Time: Aug 02, 2002; 21:36:48
Seeing: 6 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency: 5->3 <1-10, 10 best>
Location of site: Twin Points Observatory,
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
33 26.725N, 112 18.902W
Site classification: 
Sky darkness:  <Limiting magnitude>
Temperature: 93ºF, 23% RH
Conditions: Some clouds in distance, none in
vicinity. Yet. Sky not quite dark.  Very still,
only a very slight breeze felt
Telescope: 8"f/6 Newtonian on EQ mount
Eyepieces: 10mm, 13mm, & 15mm Vixen
Lanthanum, 22mm & 35mm Televue Panoptic,
2x shorty Barlow, 5x Televue PowerMate,
Celestron Microguide, Custom built filar
micrometer.
Magnification: 
Harshaw Scale: 2 <1-5; 1 best> 
 		 EP/Magnification used...22mm/55x, 15mm/80x, 10mm/120x.
   
Notes....Found this one without incident.  My dec. circle is
off by 4*, something to correct later I suppose.  At 80x,
I suspect an elongation on a nearly E/W line.  Both seem
white.  120x shows me a fairly evenly matched pair at approx
280*.  There is mostly notching, but occasional dark lane
between the 2.  Another nice challenge!
 
 
 
 

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