3 stars in Hercules

Well, you are turning the clock back for me, Pat.
I did split 68 Herculis way back on 8th September 2004 -almost 11 years ago. It is good to keep diaries.
I owned a 8.75" Newtonian on a pillar mount, and I split 68 Herculis with 117X and 146X.
A and B do not change in appearance much but A varies in brightness from 4.7 to 5.1.
Therefore it must be easier to separate when it is at minima. It varies every 2 days -quite extraordinary!

Good man, Pat.

Aubrey.

Thanks for the reports Aubrey & Pat - you are taking on some difficult targets. I tried Zeta Herculis once, two years ago, but the seeing was not great and I failed to resolve it. I have never observed 68 Her or Lambda Cyg, but I did take a look at Mu Cyg a couple of years ago using an 8" reflector at 200x. I noted 'Very close yellow stars, in contact at 200X. Another bright component (optical) is nearby to the NE. Slightly better resolution at 256X." Bob Argyle reported in Astronomy Now, Jul 2014, that his recent data suggest that the period is longer than the calculated 789 years.
I must take another crack at Zeta Her.

Mike

Hi, Mike.

Mu Cygni has been getting very slightly tighter over the last 15 years.
stelledoppie.goaction.it states that the current separation is 1.5 arc seconds. Its PA is 321 degrees. Your are spot on about the optical companion. It is a great help in locating Mu Cygni.
I am aiming to resolving it next clear night.

Thanks, Mike. Keep up the great fun on double stars.

Aubrey.