Sirius A & B

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Photographer:

Michael Teoh

Location of Photo:

Heng Ee Observatory, Penang, Malaysia

Date/Time of photo:

Jan 20, 2021, 23:03 MYT / 15:03 UT

Equipment:

APM-TMB 228/2050 Telescope, Televue 3x Barlow, Canon 60D Camera

Description:

First attempt at imaging Sirius B. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky (mag -1.46) is actually a binary star, consisting of the prominent Sirius A (mag -1.47) and a faint companion white dwarf (mag 8.44). The two orbit each other with a period of 50 years. Due to the eccentric orbit, the distance between the two varies between 8.2 and 31.5 AU, resulting in an apparent angular separation between 3 and 11 arcseconds. The previous periastron occurred in 1994, while the apoastron occurred in 2019. From the Earth's vantage point, the greatest observational separation will occur in 2023, with an angular separation of 11.333 arcseconds. Stack of 30 x 1 sec exposure.

Website:

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelTadashi