Andrew Cooper
Aug 15, 2021    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 76x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

A lovely binary with a 7th magnitude companion visible 17" southwest the primary is yellow, 63 Cet is visible 38' northwest

Gaia DR2 shows matching parallax and proper motion data for the pair

Andrew Cooper
Nov 15, 2020    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 76x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

66 Cet is a fine binary, 66Cet A is a 5th magnitude yellow primary while 66Cet B is a 7th magnitude yellow companion visible 16" southwest. 63 Cet is 38' northwest.

The Gaia DR2 data shows a good match in both parallax and proper motion, this is a binary pair.

Captain William Henry Smyth
Nov 21, 1837    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

A neat double star, on the neck of Cetus, nearly in mid-distance between γ and θ. A 7, pale yellow; B 8½, sapphire blue. This interesting object is formed by Piazzi's Nos. 17 and 18. It was registered H IV 25; but as there is a probability of direct orbital motion, or else a greater proper motion of the principal star, it is to be regretted that William Herschel left no decided measures in 1780, those given by John Herschel from the MS. being estimations. When H. and S. attacked it, it was found:

    Pos. 226°05'  Dist. 16".173  Ep. 1822.90

S. measured it with great care, and obtained:

    Pos. 228°55'  Dist. 15".540  Ep. 1832.67

The proper motion of A through space, has been thus valued :

    P.... RA +0".81  Dec. -0".05
    B....    +0".54       -0".04
    A....    +0".39       -0".08
   [Gaia DR2 +0".377514   -0".068631]

B. must also be physically connected, and partake of this occult movement, for a reduction of Piazzi's mean apparent places gives an ∠=231°5 and distance= 19".3 for 1800, which, as he says both these stars are in motion, would by this time have altered the angle to 233°, and the distance to 18".2.

― A Cycle of Celestial Objects Vol II, The Bedford Catalogue, William Henry Smyth, 1844

Drawings, descriptions, and CCD photos are copyright Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.

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