Andrew Cooper
Sep 21, 2023    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 136x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

Pale yellow, an 8th magnitude 1.5" companion is not visible, 81 Tau is visible 8' east-northeast in the heart of the Hyades star cluster

Gaia EDR3 suggests that this companion is gravitationally associated, with the caution that this is in the middle of a star cluster

Captain William Henry Smyth
Mar 22, 1837    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

A close double star, on the Bull's face, and about 1½° south-west of Aldebaran. A 6, yellow; and B 8½, dusky. This beautiful object is Σ.'s No. 554, and, as one of his vicmæ, is of no very easy measurement. The mean of his observations affords this result:

    Pos. 12°55'  Dist. 1".74  Ep. 1831.18
   [WDS  15°           1".40      2018   ]

Although I had strong doubts of my own angle of position for 1837, which is a mean of some very varying ones, still on viewing the results of Σ. with my weights for those of 1839, I could not but infer a small orbital movement; and this suspicion is greatly strengthened by my last measures at Hartwell.

― 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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