Epsilon Bootis (Izar / Struve 1877)

Posted on by jperez1690

Observation Notes – June 10, 2012:

I made a new observation of Izar tonight and confirmed what I suspected: this is my favorite double. The six-inch scope does a perfect job showing off the amazing diffraction pattern. The blue secondary buzzing in the midst of the orange-yellow pattern is stunning and hypnotic. This also gave me an opportunity to measure PA and separation which agreed nicely with WDS 2010 data. If you haven’t observed this incredible pair yet, be sure to give it a look when Bootes is high in the sky.

Subject Epsilon Bootis (Izar / Struve 1877)
Classification Double Star
Position (J2000) Bootes [RA: 14 44 59.22 / Dec: +27 04 27.21]*
Position Angle* 343° [My Measurement 2012.4]
343°[WDS 2010]*
Separation* 2.6″ [My Measurement 2012.4]
2.8″[WDS 2010]*
Magnitudes* 2.6 / 4.8
Spectral Types* K0II-III / A2V
Date/Time JUNE 11, 2012 – 10:20 PM MST (JUNE 12, 2012 – 05:20 UT)
Observing Loc. Flagstaff, AZ – Home
Instrument Orion SVP 6LT Reflector (150 mm dia./1200 mm F/L)
Eyepieces/Mag. Pentax XW10 + 2X Barlow (240X); 12 mm Meade Astrometric EP + 2X Barlow (200X); 4 mm UO Orthoscopic EP + 2X Barlow (600X)
Conditions Clear, calm
Seeing 5/10 Pickering
Transparency 20.4 mag./arcsec^2
*References The Washington Visual Double Star Catalog (Mason+, 2001-2012); 1958PASP…70..168B – Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 70, 168-179 (1958) – 01.01.86 23.03.00

Observation Notes and Sketch – September 3, 2006:

This was an awesome pair! There is a brilliant orange-yellow primary with a rich Levi’s blue secondary hugging it. The seeing made it hard to tell, but the first diffraction rings either overlapped slightly or were close to touching. I’ll need to remember to come back to this one.

Date/Time SEP 03, 2006 – 10:20 PM MST (SEP 04, 2006 – 05:20 UT)
Observing Loc. Flagstaff, AZ – Home
Instrument Orion SVP 6LT Reflector (150 mm dia./1200 mm F/L)
Eyepieces/Mag. 10 mm Sirius Plossl + 2X Barlow (240X)
Conditions Partly cloudy, calm
Seeing 4/10 Pickering
Transparency NELM Mag ~4.0

4 Replies to “Epsilon Bootis (Izar / Struve 1877)”

  1. thanks for the wonderful pics
    now I know what they look like through a telescope
    l have heard so much about this pair of stars

  2. Hi Brandie, you’re welcome. I hope you get a chance to observe this beautiful pair sometime. If the view is a little fluttery, and you have trouble seeing the fainter companion, try again on a different night with better seeing. It’s worth the effort.
    Thanks for the comment!
    Jeremy

  3. Nice rendition Jeremy!! Saw this double for the first time last month (July, 2012) very nice double and pretty to boot!! I know what you mean about seeing, tryed this Thursday, 23 August, 2012 and it was horrible..lol. If you didn’t know where to look you would never see the comes. It was time to find a wider pair..lol. Nice drawing and a great site. I’ll be visiting again!! Working on the AL double list 8″ SCT/ACF LXD75 AL member at large.
    Cheers and Clear skys to all!!
    Johnny

  4. Thanks Johnny, I’m glad you like the illustration. When the seeing calms enough for the diffraction pattern to settle down, it’s really striking. Wishing you the best on the AL doubles.
    Jeremy

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