When is the best time to observe HIP 16303?

HIP 16303 is best observed from October through December, with peak visibility during November when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is HIP 16303 located in the sky?

HIP 16303 lies in the constellation Camelopardalis at right ascension 03h 30m and declination +59° 22′.

What telescope do I need to split HIP 16303?

Splitting HIP 16303 requires an aperture of roughly 100 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 2.6″ at magnitudes near 6.1. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

HIP 16303 — Double Star in Camelopardalis

Magnitude 6.1^m DoubleStar Camelopardalis (Cam) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 6.13

Spectral Type A2V

Star Color White (B-V 0.08)

Distance 815 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 03h 30m 11.3s

Dec +59° 21' 58.0"

Constellation Camelopardalis (Cam)

HR 1043

HIP 16303

HD 21427

SAO 24062

Double Cat 2563

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 6.1 mag Companion 7.9 mag Separation 2.6″

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Hard+	Hard+	Hard+
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 Oct – Dec (peak: Nov)

5Multiple Star System C: optical

Separation 2.6″

Companion Mag 7.9

Position Angle 72°

Star Colors A: White B: Yellow-white

Discoverer STF 389

Separation over time

Measured 1828 → 2018 (190 y)

Separation drift 2.7" → 2.6" (-0.10")

Rate -0.0005" / y

PA drift 65° → 72° (+7°, +0.037°/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.