When is the best time to observe HIP 85389?

HIP 85389 is best observed from May through July, with peak visibility during June when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is HIP 85389 located in the sky?

HIP 85389 lies in the constellation Ara at right ascension 17h 27m and declination -45° 51′.

What telescope do I need to split HIP 85389?

Splitting HIP 85389 requires an aperture of roughly 100 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 2.1″ at magnitudes near 5.3. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

HIP 85389 — Double Star in Ara

Observable Double Star Good (57/100)

Sep: 2.1", Companion: mag 6.5

Magnitude 5.3^m DoubleStar Ara Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 5.29

Spectral Type B7V+B9.5V

Star Color Blue-white (B-V -0.07)

Distance 362 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 17h 26m 51.5s

Dec -45° 50' 37.0"

Constellation Ara

HR 6477

HIP 85389

HD 157661

SAO 227971

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 5.3 mag Companion 6.5 mag Separation 2.1″

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Hard+	Hard+	Hard+
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Medium+	Medium+	Medium+
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 May – Jul (peak: Jun)

5Multiple Star System Triple

Components 3 (triple)

Component IDs AB

Separation 2.1″

Companion Mag 6.5

Companion Sp B9.5V

Position Angle 251°

Star Colors A: Blue-white B: Blue-white

Discoverer HJ 4949

Notes

AB binary. Combined mag., colors. Component C, 7.6v at 103".

Separation over time

Measured 1834 → 2016 (182 y)

Separation drift 2.0" → 2.1" (+0.10")

Rate +0.0005" / y

PA drift 268° → 251° (-17°, -0.093°/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.