When is the best time to observe 56 Persei?

56 Persei is best observed from October through December, with peak visibility during November when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is 56 Persei located in the sky?

56 Persei lies in the constellation Perseus at right ascension 04h 25m and declination +33° 58′.

What telescope do I need to split 56 Persei?

Splitting 56 Persei requires an aperture of roughly 100 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 4.2″ at magnitudes near 5.8. The companion is about 3.5 magnitudes fainter, so glare from the primary — not separation — sets the minimum aperture. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

56 Persei — Double Star in Perseus

Magnitude 5.8^m DoubleStar Perseus (Per) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 5.76

Spectral Type F4V

Star Color Yellow-white (B-V 0.40)

Distance 652 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 04h 24m 37.4s

Dec +33° 57' 35.0"

Constellation Perseus (Per)

HR 1379

HIP 20591

HD 27786

SAO 57216

Flamsteed 56 Per

Double Cat 3188

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 5.8 mag Companion 9.3 mag Separation 4.2″

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

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

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

4Visibility

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Best season Oct – Dec (peak: Nov)

5Multiple Star System

Separation 4.2″

Companion Mag 9.2

Companion Sp DA3.1

Position Angle 13°

Star Colors A: Yellow-white

Discoverer STT 81

Separation over time

Measured 1847 → 2017 (170 y)

Separation drift 4.3" → 4.2" (-0.10")

Rate -0.0006" / y

PA drift 48° → 13° (-35°, -0.206°/y)

Essentially fixed on human timescales — the same view your grandchildren will see.

Measured from the WDS observational archive. No orbital solution has been derived — most likely the period is too long to fit an orbit to the available measurement arc.