{"id":56611,"date":"2024-04-02T13:50:14","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T13:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/85136663-5faf-4ab8-8a3f-7b1b14aebc22"},"modified":"2024-04-02T15:08:21","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T15:08:21","slug":"see-star-24-comae-berenices-springs-hidden-treasure","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/see-star-24-comae-berenices-springs-hidden-treasure\/","title":{"rendered":"See star 24 Comae Berenices, spring’s hidden treasure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you spot this springtime double star? <\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 02 April 2024 at 13:50 PM<\/p>

\n\n

24 Comae Berenices is spring\u2019s hidden treasure, a stunning pair of stars: one yellow-orange and the other blue-white.<\/p>

Located in a rather tricky part of the sky to navigate, just south of the open cluster Melotte 111, there are a couple of ways to find the stunning double star<\/a>.<\/p>

Chart showing the location of star 24 Comae Berenices, with deomnstration of the view through a telescope, inset. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Imagine the mid-point between Denebola (Beta (\u03b2) Leonis) and Diadem (Alpha (\u03b1) Comae Berenices).<\/p>

Nudge slightly towards Diadem and look 1.8\u00b0 to the north to locate 24 Comae.<\/p>

It can also be found two-thirds of the way between Porrima (Gamma (\u03b3) Virginis \u2013 not shown) and Gamma Comae Berenices.<\/p>

Observing 24 Comae Berenices<\/strong><\/h2>
\"View
View of star 24 Comae Berenices. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>

This is a beautiful pair of stars, formed from a yellow-orange, K0, mag. 5.2 primary separated by a little over 20 arcseconds from a blue-white, A3, mag. 6.7 secondary.<\/p>

The position angle is about 280\u00b0.<\/p>

The primary is 590 lightyears away, with the secondary 2,600 lightyears away, making this an optical line of sight double star rather than a true binary.<\/p>

A small telescope will show them, but mid to large apertures are required to make their colours stand out.<\/p>

\"Double
Double star Albireo, by Tony Moss, Downham Market, Norfolk, UK.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The contrast between both stars\u2019 colours is what makes the view so sublime, each providing a basis for comparison with the other.<\/p>

Their yellow-orange and blue-white colour combination draws further comparison with that heavenly gem, Albireo<\/a> (Beta (\u03b2) Cygni), the jewel in summer\u2019s crown.<\/p>

As a consequence, 24 Comae Berenices is often described as \u2018spring\u2019s Albireo\u2019. It\u2019s quite similar in appearance to Albireo, albeit dimmer and with slightly less colour contrast.<\/p>

This guide appeared in the April 2019 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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