Andrew Cooper
Nov 23, 2023    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 76x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

Rich orange, quite faint this morning down around the low end of its 2.6 to 6.2 magnitude range making the chart and finder view confusingly different, L1 Pup visible 33' south

Current AAVSO data from early November places the star at about magnitude 7.6

L2 Pup was a much brighter star in centuries past, bright enough to be charted by early astronomers such as Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille is his work from Cape of Good Hope in the 1750's, bestowing the designation L Pup. More recently it has faded significantly, with a variability range from 6th to 8th magnitude since the 1990's. The star is believed to be evolving into a white dwarf and has shrouded itself in a planetary nebula.

Steve Coe

SiO maser; 11mag companion 62 sec

― SAC Red Star Database

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

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