Notes from the telescope- April 2012

Last night (this morning actually) I spent some time with my favorite Miras in Draco. T Dra, the variable double [1] was a delight to observe as always. The sequence when it is in this range of brightness is so convenient it makes it easy to do, so you can spend a few extra moments afterwards enjoying the redness of this particular beast.

One of my all time favorite "twofers" (two variables in one FOV) is W and X Dra. I usually synch my LX200 on the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543- how easy is THAT to remember!), enjoy a quick look at the Cat's Eye and then slew to W and X Draconis. Last time is the first time I ever recorded them as being the same brightness. They both have pretty extreme ranges (X= 8.9-15.8V and W= 8.9-15.4V), so this has got to be rare. Careful not to use the combined magnitude of the 109 comp near X Dra when doing W at this magnitude. I tried doing it with my 80mm finder and realized I was creating trouble for myself. Look for yourself, and see what I mean.

I also clocked V Dra in at less than 15.0. I could see the 144 and 150 just fine, but no hint of V Dra. Just goes to show you, even Miras can have some surprises. The range in VSX is stated as being 9.5-14.7V, but that is just an average. Obviously, V Dra doesn't care what we have in the catalog. it is hiding out deep in the inner sanctum this week.

That's all for now. What are you looking at?