When is the best time to observe HIP 56078?

HIP 56078 is best observed from February through April, with peak visibility during March when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is HIP 56078 located in the sky?

HIP 56078 lies in the constellation Crater at right ascension 11h 30m and declination -24° 28′.

What telescope do I need to split HIP 56078?

Splitting HIP 56078 requires an aperture of roughly 80 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 8.2″ at magnitudes near 5.8. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

HIP 56078 — Double Star in Crater

Observable Double Star Excellent (61/100)

Sep: 8.2", Companion: mag 8.6

Magnitude 5.8^m DoubleStar Crater (Crt) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 5.76

Spectral Type A0V

Star Color Blue-white (B-V 0.07)

Distance 155 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 11h 29m 38.6s

Dec -24° 27' 48.0"

Constellation Crater (Crt)

HR 4428

HIP 56078

HD 99922

SAO 179935

Double Cat 8183

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 5.8 mag Companion 8.6 mag Separation 8.2″

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Easy	Easy	Medium+
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 Feb – Apr (peak: Mar)

5Multiple Star System Triple C: optical

Components 3 (triple)

Component IDs AB

Separation 8.2″

Companion Mag 8.6

Position Angle 82°

Star Colors A: Blue-white B: Yellow

Discoverer JC 16

Separation over time

Measured 1847 → 2018 (171 y)

Separation drift 8.1" → 8.2" (+0.10")

Rate +0.0006" / y

PA drift 77° → 82° (+5°, +0.029°/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.