Astrometry measures for STFA 30AC

Tuesday 1st September: The sky is clear so the 8" SCT is out in the back garden but it is 11pm BST before I actually get to view an astronomical object...don't ask why! So I have decided that the wide optical double star 16 & 17 Draco, otherwise known as SAO 30012 or STFA 30AC. Both stars are equal in brightness. Still haven't reconfigured but made 3 sets of measures anyway! The PA is 194° and I measured the separation as 100.7"! So I have a +1° and +11.4" difference to the 2008 published values.

Disgruntled with this, I swung the scope to Jupiter. Though low to the southern horizon, it still is large enough to give a decent view. The Galilean Moons are stretched across the eyepiece fov. Callisto to the west, Io, Europa and Ganymede to the east. Jupiter is between Io and Callisto. The EQ-belts on the disk of the planet are well defined as is the SPR. The Moon is very close, being about 2° to the SW and so under these conditions, not a bad view at all!

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