SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Vincenzo Mirabella
Location of Photo:
Ardea (RM) - Italy
Date/Time of photo:
2025/04/05 - 20:11 UT
Equipment:
Newton 406 mm
Description:
The image shows the binary star system Procyon, photographed from Ardea (RM) - Italy on April 5, 2025 with a 406 mm aperture Newtonian telescope, modified with a 3-spoke secondary mirror spider. Procyon is the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Minor and one of the brightest in the sky. It is located 11.4 light years from our Solar System and is a binary star, composed of a bright primary component, called Procyon A, of visual magnitude +0.34 and a faint white dwarf, Procyon B, of magnitude +10.82. The orbital period of the Procyon A-B system is 40.84 years. Observing and photographing the faint white dwarf Procyon B is very difficult due to the large difference in brightness between the two components A-B and the small separation between the two stars (5"arc of ang. dist. 2025)
