Andrew Cooper
Sep 27, 2020    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 76x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

A striking trio of stars found a degree northeast of ο2 Ori, a white 6.1 magnitude promary flanked by fainter companions, a 7.6 magnitude HD 31764 40" northwest and a 9.8 magnitude BD+14 797 54" east

This appears to be a physically bound trio with parallax of 2.85/2.35/2.44mas for the A/B/C components in the Gaia DR2 data, proper motions are also consistent. WDS also lists a 13th magnitude 90" companion D to the trio, this star does not appear to be associated with a parallax of 1.31mas

Captain William Henry Smyth
Dec 13, 1831    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

A wide triple star, between the Bull's ear and Orion's arm; and nearly one-third of the distance from Aldebaran towards Betelgeuze, where it is also shewn by a line carried from Sirius through Bellatrix, and extended about 10° beyond.

A 7, white; B, which is No. 255 of Piazzi, 8, cerulean blue; and C 10, purple, with a minute star following it. This is a pretty though coarse object, forming a neat arc; and A and B were measured by H. and S. as 26 Bode Orionis, with results which may he thus placed with the conclusions obtained from the RAs and Decs. of the Palermitan Catalogue :

    P.        Pos. 301°00'  Dist. 44".30  Ep. 1800.00
    H. and S.      304°25'        38".48      1822.09
   [WDS            306°           39".30      2020   ]

A slight movement in space is attributed to A of the following value:

    P....  RA +0".05  Dec. -0".01
    B....     -0".09       -0".03
   [Gaia DR2  +0".005765   -0".007816]

― 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.

A complete list of credits and sources can be found on the about page