When is the best time to observe HIP 86815?

HIP 86815 is best observed from May through July, with peak visibility during June when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is HIP 86815 located in the sky?

HIP 86815 lies in the constellation Apus at right ascension 17h 44m and declination -72° 13′.

What telescope do I need to split HIP 86815?

Splitting HIP 86815 requires an aperture of roughly 290 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 0.8″ at magnitudes near 6.5. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

HIP 86815 — Double Star in Apus

Magnitude 6.5^m DoubleStar Apus (Aps) Visible

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1Physical Properties

Magnitude 6.49

Spectral Type F7IV+F5V subgiant

Star Color Yellow (B-V 0.48)

Distance 102 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 17h 44m 19.7s

Dec -72° 13' 15.0"

Constellation Apus (Aps)

HR 6565

HIP 86815

HD 159964

SAO 257525

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 6.5 mag Companion 8.1 mag Separation 0.8″

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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	Hard	Hard	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 290 mm reflector.

4Visibility

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Best season May – Jul (peak: Jun)

5Multiple Star System

Separation 0.8″

Companion Mag 8.1

Companion Sp F5V

Position Angle 54°

Star Colors A: Yellow B: Yellow-white

Discoverer HDO 275

Notes

7.3 F5, 7.6, 101.3y, a = 0.653". Combined mag., colors.

Separation over time

Period: 98.6 y Eccentricity: 0.319 Now: 0.77", PA 51° -0.00" in 5 years

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

Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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80x Dawes: 1.9″ TFOV: 0.6°

Seeing

Scale Realistic = true angular size

A: 6.5 · B: 8.1 · Sep: 0.8″ · PA: 54° · N up, E right

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

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Size Comparison

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Spectral Classification

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Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

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

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Stellar Lifecycle

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Blackbody Spectrum

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Stellar Absorption Spectrum

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

13

Stellar Fusion

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14

Light Travel Time Machine

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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.

IC 4654

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.30 2.2° Apus

NGC 6362

Easy

Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars

Globular Cluster mag 8.3 5.3° Ara

Kappa Pav

Medium+

Variable star, range 3.9–4.8

Variable Star mag 4.44 8.0° Pavo

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