When is the best time to observe 8 Lacertae?

8 Lacertae is best observed from July through September, with peak visibility during August when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is 8 Lacertae located in the sky?

8 Lacertae lies in the constellation Lacerta at right ascension 22h 36m and declination +39° 38′.

What telescope do I need to split 8 Lacertae?

Splitting 8 Lacertae requires an aperture of roughly 60 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 22.5″ at magnitudes near 5.7. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

8 Lacertae — Double Star in Lacerta

Observable Double Star Excellent (67/100)

Sep: 22.5", Companion: mag 6.3

Magnitude 5.7^m DoubleStar Lacerta (Lac) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 5.73

Spectral Type B2Ve

Star Color Blue (B-V -0.15)

2Position & Identifiers

RA 22h 35m 52.3s

Dec +39° 38' 03.0"

Constellation Lacerta (Lac)

HR 8603

HIP 111546

HD 214167

SAO 72508

Flamsteed 8 Lac

Double Cat 16095

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 5.7 mag Companion 6.3 mag Separation 22.5″

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Easy	Easy	Easy
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Easy	Easy	Easy
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 Jul – Sep (peak: Aug)

5Multiple Star System 8 components E,G: optical

Components 8

Component IDs AB

Separation 22.5″

Companion Mag 6.3

Companion Sp B5

Position Angle 186°

Star Colors A: Blue B: Blue

Discoverer STF2922

Notes

AB CPM. B is 6.46V, -0.14(B-V), -0.82(U-B), B2V, vsini 40k/s. All companions listed by Worley are more than 22" from | A. A new companion at 0.042" discovered by speckle interferometry.

Separation over time

Measured 1782 → 2023 (241 y)

Separation drift 17.2" → 22.5" (+5.30")

Rate +0.0220" / y

PA drift 186° → 186° (+0°, +0.000°/y)

Apparent motion is significant on a human timescale — worth revisiting in a decade.

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.