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HIP 51986 — Double Star in Vela

Magnitude 3.8m DoubleStar Vela (Vel) Visible
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1Physical Properties

Magnitude 3.84
Spectral Type A0. :V COMP,SB
Star Color Blue-white (B-V 0.30) (reddened by dust)
Distance 88 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 10h 37m 18.1s
Dec -48° 13' 33.0"
Constellation Vela (Vel)
HR 4167
HIP 51986
HD 92139
SAO 222199
SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 3.8 mag Companion 5.8 mag Separation 0.4″
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Telescope Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
80mm refr. V. hard V. hard V. hard
150mm Newt. V. hard V. hard V. hard
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 570 mm reflector.

4Visibility

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Best season Jan – Mar (peak: Feb)

5Multiple Star System

Separation 0.4″
Companion Mag 5.8
Companion Sp F3
Position Angle 322°
Star Colors A: Blue-white (reddened by dust) B: Yellow-white
Discoverer SEE 119
4.2 F3IV+F0V, 5.1 A6V, 16.30y, a = 0.340".

Separation over time

Period: 16.7 y Eccentricity: 0.771 Now: 0.39", PA 289° + 0.06" in 5 years
0.00" 0.13" 0.26" 0.39" 0.52" 2019 2022 2025 2028 2031 2034 0.39"

Apparent separation over time, computed from ORB6 orbital elements. Steep curves indicate fast-changing pairs — catch them while they're splittable.

Eyepiece View

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80x Dawes: 1.9″ TFOV: 0.6°
Realistic = true angular size
N E 322°

A: 3.8 · B: 5.8 · Sep: 0.4″ · PA: 322° · N up, E right

Unresolved · Rayleigh: 2.3″ · Dawes: 1.9″ · Eff: 2.3″

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7

Size Comparison

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8

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9

Spectral Classification

10

Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

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Read: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram — Reading Stars Like a Map
11

Stellar Lifecycle

12

Blackbody Spectrum

13

Stellar Absorption Spectrum

Simulated absorption spectrum based on spectral type. Hover over lines to identify elements.

14

Stellar Fusion

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15Stellar Notes

Primary of visual double, 10.2104d, K 42.3k/s, V0 +21.2k/s, msin3i 0.333, asini 5.11.
Also classified A3m F0-F2.
0.022".
16

Light Travel Time Machine

17

Relativistic Travel

Nearby in the Sky

Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.

Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.

Mu Vel
Medium
Tight double — a rewarding split at 2.3″
Double Star mag 2.69 2.0° Vela
NGC 3283
Medium
Bright spiral galaxy
Galaxy mag 11.74 2.3° Vela
NGC 3201
Easy
Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars
Globular Cluster mag 6.8 3.8° Vela
NGC 3228
Easy
Rich open cluster
Open Cluster mag 6.0 4.3° Vela
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