Iota Cancri -- Double Star in Cancer
Gold & Blue on Black
The double-star Iota Cancri shows just how colorful stars can be. The color of stars in the
night sky reflects their surface temperature (there are a few exceptions like Carbon Stars,
but these are rare). The colors of visual stars range from blue-white (stars with
high-surface temperatures) to red (stars with low-surface temperatures). Adding to the
mix is that two colors close together often trigger different color images in different
people. This is true for double-stars, especially if the colors (surface temperatures) are
very different between the two close stars. The bottom line is that different people will see
different colors. To me Iota Cancri shows a bright gold-yellow for the primary star and a
muted blue-green for the secondary star.
The secondary star is a dwarf-star that is rotating so fast that it is throwing off material
from around its equator. This expelled material surrounds the star but is not visible in my
telescope.
night sky reflects their surface temperature (there are a few exceptions like Carbon Stars,
but these are rare). The colors of visual stars range from blue-white (stars with
high-surface temperatures) to red (stars with low-surface temperatures). Adding to the
mix is that two colors close together often trigger different color images in different
people. This is true for double-stars, especially if the colors (surface temperatures) are
very different between the two close stars. The bottom line is that different people will see
different colors. To me Iota Cancri shows a bright gold-yellow for the primary star and a
muted blue-green for the secondary star.
The secondary star is a dwarf-star that is rotating so fast that it is throwing off material
from around its equator. This expelled material surrounds the star but is not visible in my
telescope.