[vsnet-chat 4993] Re: Eta Car no brightening?

["David and Sofia Frew" <denebola@bigpond.com>]

Dear all,

Last night I had my first chance to view Eta in over a fortnight after
inclement observing conditions. Since this is my first post to the list, I
will give some additional details.

Using Vixen Ultima 8x42s, my first impression was that Eta Car was very
slightly fainter than HD 92063 (V=5.08) and markedly fainter than HD 92397
(V=4.69).  These stars are orange in tint, and make good comparisons for
Eta.

I agree that Eta is a difficult object to observe due to its position in the
Carina nebula and a multitude of faint nearby stars.  From my light
polluted site, the surrounding nebulosity is somewhat suppressed which makes
the job a little easier.  Even at 8-power however, Eta shows a softer image
than its neighbouring stars -- i.e.:  I am starting to resolve the
Homunculus.

My step-method estimates are :
HD 92397 (4) Eta Car (6) HD 92436
HD 92397 (4) Eta Car (2) HD 92964
HD 92063 (1) Eta Car (3) HD 92964

Note that HD 92964 (V519 Car) is a microvariable with an amplitude of about
0.05 mag; small enough to be ignored here.

I therefore agree with Peter Williams' estimate, also made last night:

STAR YYMMDD(UT) MAG
CAReta  20020107.508  52


Regards,
David Frew

____________________________
David Frew
Lane Cove, NSW, Australia
denebola@bigpond.com




----- Original Message -----
From: Peter F Williams <pfwilliams@onaustralia.com.au>
To: vsnet-chat <vsnet-chat@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp>
Cc: vsnet-obs <vsnet-obs@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp>
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 5:51 AM
Subject: [vsnet-chat 4992] Eta Car no brightening?


> Dear All,
>
> Further to vsnet-chat 4998 and vsnet-sdor 36, I observed Eta Car again
> last night and see no apparent brightening in this star :
>
> STAR YYMMDD(UT) MAG OBSERVER
>
> CAReta 20020107.472 52 WPX
>
>
> I also found this star not visible to the unaided eye (yet) to the limit
> 4.5 last night.
>
> Regards
>
> Peter Williams
> Heathcote NSW

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