Lacerta is certainly worth a visit

I managed a couple of observing session over the last month and had a look round Lacerta, not a constellation I know very well. Here are my notes, thanks for reading. Mike

NGC7209 , m7.7: Roughly U-shaped cluster of relatively faint stars, about 40 being easily visible. One is deep orange and two copper-red stars lie below the base of the U. A brilliant, orange star is just to the North.
STT462, 8.05, 9.53, 1.1: Rather faint, yellow star, split by a hair from a fainter, white companion at 350X. Nearby, and almost at right angles to the first two, a very faint star is barely discernible against the sky glow.
HJ1735, 6.73, 6.77, 109: Super-wide even at 50x, this is a pair of bright white stars, with a third, fainter component, almost in line.
Cr445, m9: Very rich field, containing mostly faint stars, but the cluster was not visible against the relatively bright sky background. Increasing the magnification from 50X to 90X helped, but still there was no more than a hint of the cluster of faint stars.
STF2876, 8.1, 9.8, 11.8: Unequal golden stars, nicely separated at 50x, in a rich field.
STTA230, 8.02, 9.7, 47.5: At 50x, the golden primary is widely separated from the fainter secondary of the same colour.
C16, Cr448, m6.4: Prominent cluster with more than 20 stars easily visible. Irregular shape that includes lots of wide doubles, so it looks a bit like a squiggle drawn with a very wide pen.
STF2890, 9.42, 9.71, 9.4: Nice pair of similar white stars, close at 50X, at the heart of NGC7243.
STF2894, 6.2, 8.9, 15.9: Unequal pair of white stars,perhaps with a hint of yellow, well separated at 50x.
STF2902, 7.6, 8.2, 6.4: Slightly unequal pair of bright, deep yellow stars, wide at 215x.
STF2906, 6.46, 9.64, 4.2: Two white stars, one brilliant, the other struggling to emerge from the glare. Split at 90x, easy at 215X.
STTA234, 8.15, 8.49, 36: Very similar, moderately bright, white stars, wide at 50x. The rich field contains a brilliant white star, a deep copper red star, and some other faint wide doubles.
STF2917, 8.28, 8.56, 4.6: Pale yellow stars, of very similar brightness, delightfully close at 90x against a rich backdrop of fainter stars.
STF2918, 7.99, 9.43, 1.6: Pale yellow primary, with a much fainter companion that appear to be white. They are split by a hair at 215X, and better resolved at 350X. A more distant star is almost in line with these two..
HJ1786, 7, 9.64, 43.7: Unequal pair of bluish stars, widely separated at 50x. There is a very bright, deep orange star nearby in the rich field. The primary is a close double, but I didn't realise that and didn't increase the magnification.
HJ1791, 7.71, 9.69, 17.2: Pale yellow star, well separated from a much fainter companion at 50x, in a rich field that contains a brilliant, deep yellow star.
STF2922, 5.7, 6.3, 22.4: Attractive pair of bright, white stars, wide at 50x, with two much fainter companions in close attendance.
STF2942, 6.18, 8.94, 3.2: Superb, bright, fiery orange primary, nicely separated from a much fainter, but equally deep orange, secondary at 215X.
STF2946, 8.12, 8.25, 5.2: Identical yellow stars, nice and bright, and attractively close at 90x.
HJ975, 5.7, 9.2, 52.3: Brilliant white primary, with a considerably fainter orange-red companion, very wide at 55x.
HDS3262, 8, 9.54, 28.1: Moderately unequal, and both rather faint, these two bluish stars are wide at 50x in a very rich field.

Excellent list Mike, I couldn't even find Lacerta with both hands and a map. There are some cracking doubles on the list, what list are you operating from?

Paul

Thanks Paul.
I control the mount from a laptop and build lists of targets in AstroPlanner using the Washington Double Star catalogue. Finding Lacerta from my back garden in light-polluted Ballinteer would be a challenge even if I knew where to look, but the GoTo mount with computer control makes it s breeze to locate even faint objects.

Mike

Isn't Lacerta the Lizard north Pegasus and close the zenith?

Aubrey.

Yes Aubrey, Lacerta was near the zenith at the time of the observations.

Some further details on how I compile lists of targets Paul. In AstroPlanner, the WDS can be searched according to criteria such as magnitude range for each star, magnitude difference between the stars, and separation range, so a comprehensive list that meet the chosen criteria can be created. Likewise, a variety of other catalogues can be used to add other types of targets. I compile lists for each constellation in this way. I usually go through the Sissy Haas book, Alain Gerard's superb web site ( www.astrosurf.com/agerard/observ.html , in French but Google translate does a reasonable job), and the Night Sky Observers Guide (bought from you!) to add additional objects, and I add to the lists when I come across other interesting objects from magazines, web sites (including this forum), etc. Constructing the lists takes quite a bit of time, but there are many occasions when observing isn't possible and working on the lists is a pleasant way of dabbling in the hobby. Also, having the lists in advance helps to ensure that valuable eyepiece time is used to best advantage. Or, maybe I'm just a nerd? :)

Mike

I sometimes wonder why some of us love double stars. Could it be we are soft romantics at heart? In real life a man enjoys the close company of a good woman. Go on -someone say: speak for yourself, flt158!

Aubrey.