When is the best time to observe 48 Cassiopeiae?

48 Cassiopeiae is best observed from September through November, with peak visibility during October when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is 48 Cassiopeiae located in the sky?

48 Cassiopeiae lies in the constellation Cassiopeia at right ascension 02h 02m and declination +70° 54′.

What telescope do I need to split 48 Cassiopeiae?

Splitting 48 Cassiopeiae requires an aperture of roughly 590 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 0.4″ at magnitudes near 4.5. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

48 Cassiopeiae — Double Star in Cassiopeia

Magnitude 1.5–3.0^m DoubleStar Cassiopeia (Cas) Visible

Star Map + List + Plan

Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 4.54

Spectral Type A3IV subgiant

Star Color Yellow-white (B-V 0.16)

Distance 93 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 02h 01m 57.4s

Dec +70° 54' 25.0"

Constellation Cassiopeia (Cas)

HR 575

HIP 9480

HD 12111

SAO 4554

Flamsteed 48 Cas

Double Cat 1598

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 4.5 mag Companion 6.7 mag Separation 0.4″

Sign in and configure your equipment and default location to see a personalized row.

Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	V. hard	V. hard	V. hard
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	V. hard	V. hard	V. hard
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	V. hard+	V. hard+	V. hard+

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

To reach "Medium" at Bortle 3, you'd need at least a 590 mm reflector.

4Visibility

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Sep – Nov (peak: Oct)

5Multiple Star System Quadruple

Components 4 (quadruple)

Component IDs AB

Separation 0.4″

Companion Mag 6.7

Position Angle 320°

Star Colors A: Yellow-white B: Yellow

Discoverer BU 513

Notes

AB 4.71 A4V, 6.41 F2V, 60.44y, a = 0.653". Perturbation periods of 26 or 39y suspected. C, 13.6v, 24" CPM; D, 13.0v 48" | optical. Additional unseen companion suspected.