Antares

Hi,
Some weeks ago I tried to split Antares with my Vixen 114/600 ED
Refractor at 150x, with blue filter, but I'm not sure it was successful.
It seemed to me that the 5,4 mag companion was positioned on the first
diffraction ring of the primary. Also, the air was not very steady.
I'd like to learn if anyone managed to split Antares, and with which
equipment ?

Clear skies,
Volker

I'd like to learn if anyone managed to split Antares, and with which
equipment ?

splitting Antares is not a difficult because of aperture or separation.
it's more a matter of steady conditions and it's altitude in your local sky.
north of 40deg latitude it gets tough, but from places like arizona it's
been split with 80-90mm.
YMMV

"SaberScorpX" wrote in message
...
I'd like to learn if anyone managed to split Antares, and with which
equipment ?

splitting Antares is not a difficult because of aperture or separation.
it's more a matter of steady conditions and it's altitude in your local
sky.
north of 40deg latitude it gets tough, but from places like arizona it's
been split with 80-90mm.
YMMV


What is the separation between the two in arcseconds?

Also, the air was not very steady.
I'd like to learn if anyone managed to split Antares, and with which
equipment ?

Hi:

I've never tried it in a refractor of this aperture, but it can be fairly easy
in a 6 inch Newtonian at high magnification. _When the seeind is good_; that's
the key.

Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of _Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope_
Like SCTs and MCTs?
Check-out sct-user, the mailing list for CAT fanciers!
Goto http://members.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index.html

splitting Antares is not a difficult because of aperture or separation.
it's more a matter of optical quality, steady conditions, and it's altitude
in your local sky.
north of 40deg latitude it gets tough, but from places like arizona it's
been split with 80-90mm.
YMMV

What is the separation between the two in arcseconds?

2.6". companion is at P.A. 274

What is the separation between the two in arcseconds?

2.6". companion is at P.A. 274


Is PA clockwise or counter clockwise from 0 to 360?

Is PA clockwise or counter clockwise from 0 to 360?

Clockwise and counter-clockwise are confusing, because they depend on
whether you're looking through a telescope with a star diagonal.

Instead, position angle is interpreted as follows:

0 = secondary is north of primary
90 = secondary is east of primary
180 = secondary is south of primary
270 = secondary is west of primary

Those directions are celestial north, east, etc. In a refractor or
compound scope with a star diagonal, position angle generally increases
in a clockwise direction. In a Newtonian reflector, it increases in a
counter-clockwise direction. But I imagine there may be some odd cases.

Brian Tung
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.txt

2.6". companion is at P.A. 274


Of course what makes it difficult is that the brighter of the two is magnitude
1.1 while the companion is magnitude 5.4. It takes good seeing..

jon

"Jon Isaacs" wrote in message
...
2.6". companion is at P.A. 274


Of course what makes it difficult is that the brighter of the two is
magnitude
1.1 while the companion is magnitude 5.4. It takes good seeing..

jon

In other words, GLARE

"Brian Tung" wrote in message
...
Is PA clockwise or counter clockwise from 0 to 360?

Clockwise and counter-clockwise are confusing, because they depend on
whether you're looking through a telescope with a star diagonal.

Instead, position angle is interpreted as follows:

0 = secondary is north of primary
90 = secondary is east of primary
180 = secondary is south of primary
270 = secondary is west of primary

Those directions are celestial north, east, etc. In a refractor or
compound scope with a star diagonal, position angle generally increases
in a clockwise direction. In a Newtonian reflector, it increases in a
counter-clockwise direction. But I imagine there may be some odd cases.


Perfect answer. Thanks.