DOUBLE STARS
W E L C O M E !
The Double Star Section
of
SOUTHERN ASTRONOMICAL DELIGHTS
In the following pages you will find descriptions
and information regarding Southern Double Star south of about
−30° Declination. We will discuss this region is because
it is a neglected region of the sky with very few useful resources to
guide amateur astronomers.
FOR THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS I have been an amateur with keen interest
in Southern Double Stars. My field of interest has been especially
with both the Dunlop and Rümker doubles. These were first viewed
in from the Sydney in the mid-1820s to 1830s. Although these were
really initial surveys for southern pairs, many of them proved to be
wide duos of limited astrophysical importance. One significant
advantage was that they are all at least visible for the smallest of
amateur ’scopes.
Among these ‘tid-bits’ you will find various descriptions of other
southern pairs, variable stars and single stars that might be of some
interest to the amateur. Sources of some of these objects might be a
bit obscure, though most originally featured in a series of articles
I wrote for the Astronomical Society of New South Wales Inc. (ASNSWI)
journal, “Universe”
entitled “Neat Southern
Planetaries”. A version of this can also be found at the
magnificent Website, “Planetary Nebulae
Homepage” by Doug Snyder. However, newer pairs that I have
been adding of late are among the brightest and most prominent in the
southern skies.
Like most webpages, the development or purpose of much of the
material presented often has to evolve and change. For example, the
original series of these pages was spread into divisions of 3 hours
in Right Ascension, but now they span single 1 hour bands. Even this
has proved inadequate, and you will find that the material is spread
over several pages within that 1 hour of Right Ascension. I have also
removed to whole NEW individual pages several prominent southern
objects, including the well known binaries and pairs — like
Alpha Centauri, Alpha Crucis and Beta Muscae, etc. You will
also find that new pairs and objects are being added almost all the
time. These can be found on the UPDATE PAGES, which will save
readers having to go through these pages repeatably. You may wish to
bookmark the site for future reference, and come back every know and
then.
I hope you find these pages useful, and if you
have any further ideas or improvements for this site please do not
hesitate to contact me. I am also willing to entertain adding other
observations from southern amateurs (with due and proper credit of
course.)
Other than that, CLEAR SKIES and ENJOY YOUR
OBSERVING !
Last Update : 23rd April 2011
Southern Astronomical Delights ©
(2011)
For any problems with this Website or Document please
e-mail me.
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