Andrew Cooper
Aug 26, 2023    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 136x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

White, a 10th magnitude companion visible 3" north-northwest, center star of an evenly spaced line of four eighth magnitude stars spanning 25' west-northwest to east-southeast part of a rich starfield on the southern margin of the Pleiades

Gaia EDR3 data reveals very closely matched parallax and proper motions for this pair, these values are reasonably close to the outer two stars in the line mentioned above as well as the Pleiades in general, likely all cluster members

Captain William Henry Smyth
Jan 11, 1835    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

A double star, in the cluster on the Bull's shoulder. A 8, bright white; B 14, fine blue. This most delicate object was discovered by Σ., and entered as No. 444 of the great Dorpat Catalogue, with these measures:

    Pos. 338°.97  Dist. 3".277  Ep. 1832.34
   [WDS  338°           3".40       2018   ]

As the same astronomer got an angle of 334°.4 in 1831, it may be well for those who have means equal to the task, to watch this pair closely. But any discrepancies at present must be referred to the extreme difficulty of the stars.

― 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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