When is the best time to observe HIP 26602?

HIP 26602 is best observed from November through January, with peak visibility during December when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is HIP 26602 located in the sky?

HIP 26602 lies in the constellation Lepus at right ascension 05h 39m and declination -17° 51′.

What telescope do I need to split HIP 26602?

Splitting HIP 26602 requires an aperture of roughly 370 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 0.6″ at magnitudes near 6.4. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

HIP 26602 — Double Star in Lepus

Magnitude 6.4^m DoubleStar Lepus (Lep) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 6.38

Spectral Type B7V

Star Color Blue-white (B-V -0.12)

2Position & Identifiers

RA 05h 39m 16.3s

Dec -17° 50' 58.0"

Constellation Lepus (Lep)

HR 1944

HIP 26602

HD 37643

SAO 150652

Double Cat 4254

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 6.4 mag Companion 7.8 mag Separation 0.6″

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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 370 mm reflector.

4Visibility

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Best season Nov – Jan (peak: Dec)

5Multiple Star System 9 components E,F,G: optical

Components 9

Component IDs AB

Separation 0.6″

Companion Mag 7.8

Position Angle 159°

Star Colors A: Blue-white B: White

Discoverer BU 321

Notes

Except B all companions at distances 41" to 129" from A, and 5 of them mag. 8 to 10v.

Separation over time

Measured 1874 → 2021 (147 y)

Separation drift 0.50" → 0.60" (+0.10")

Rate +0.0007" / y

PA drift 135° → 159° (+24°, +0.163°/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.