Saturday, June 29, 2024

Lyra's Double Double Star (all night)

The constellation of Lyra is positioned high in the eastern sky during late evening in June. Keen eyes might reveal that the medium-bright star Epsilon Lyrae, which is located just a finger's width to the lower left (or one degree to the celestial east) of the very bright star Vega, is a close-together double star. Binoculars or a backyard telescope will certainly show the two stars. Examining Epsilon at high magnification will reveal that each of those stars is itself a double - hence its nick-name, 'the Double Double'. Each duo is a true binary star system, with the companions orbiting one another once every 600 and 1,200 years.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: CJ's Place, Orange City FL > cjsplace.thruhere.net (21:2/156)