Observation by Mazin Younis: Double star in 3D

Uploaded by

Mazin Younis

Observer

Mazin Younis

Observed

2023 Jul 23 - 02:00

Uploaded

2023 Jul 23 - 16:49

Objects

HIP-109657

Planetarium overlay

Enable overlay
Show stars
Label stars
Show deep sky objects
Label deep sky objects
Show constellation boundaries
Show constellation sticks
Show constellation labels
Show RA/Dec grid

Constellation

Cepheus

Field centre

RA: 22^h11^m
Dec: +73°19'
Position angle: +10°36'

Field size

0°31' × 0°18'

Equipment

Quattro 200mm Newtonian f/4
ASI 294MC-Pro

Exposure

30 x 240s

Location

Personal remote telescope - Morocco

Title

Double star in 3D

About this image

This double star in the heart of the Shark Nebula looks astonishingly 3D, thanks to the different colour temperatures of the two stars and the diffraction spikes of the brighter star concealing the fainter one, creating the illusion that it is positioned behind it."

Files associated with this observation

Shark_Neb_Double.jpg (251.8 kB)

Like this image

Hugh Allen, Callum Potter, David Strange, Jeremy Shears, Robin Leadbeater, Philip Jennings, Graham Winstanley

Comments

Robin Leadbeater, 2023 Jul 25 - 09:59 UTC

I see from the Gaia DR3 parallaxes given in SIMBAD, the "background" star (HD211300B) may actually be the slightly nearer of the two (4.57 mas parallax compared to 4.54 mas) though the difference is marginal given the quoted uncertainties. (The G5 spectral classification for HD211300B from SIMBAD is clearly nonsense given the colour and B-V = 0.2)

Mazin Younis, 2023 Jul 25 - 18:47 UTC

Thanks Robin for this valuable insight that has made the two stars quite intriguing beyond my basic optical observation. However, I am unsure whether they form a proper binary system or if their alignment is merely coincidental, on the same line of sight!

Robin Leadbeater, 2023 Jul 26 - 11:37 UTC

They do seem to be catalogued as a physical binary with common motion, though I am not sure if that means that they are in orbit. Combining the Gaia and Hipparcos data does indicate that they are moving together through space at least with similar radial velocity and proper motion.

https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR?-source=J/ApJS/254/42

I guess it should be possible from the current separation and masses of the stars (This paper puts the spectral class of HD211300B as a more sensible A5v https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1988ApJ...331..922A/abstract ) to put some limits on an orbital solution if they are a binary system.

Mazin Younis

Copyright of all images and other observations submitted to the BAA remains with the owner of the work. Reproduction of work by third parties is expressly forbidden without the consent of the copyright holder. By submitting images to this online gallery, you grant the BAA permission to reproduce them in any of our publications.

Registered charity no. 210769
Registered company no. 117572

For more information including contact details, click here.

Our Terms of Use are here.

Our Privacy Policy is here.