Struve 742 -- Double Star in Taurus
Double Stars on the Way to the Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is the first Messier Object (M1) and thus is a common target for amateur
astronomers. It is an easy find only one-degree from the bright star Zeta Tauri -- which
marks the southern horn tip of the bull. The “Suburban Stargazer” by Hewitt-White in Sky
& Telescope Magazine (January 2021 issue), pointed out that two fine double stars lay
along the path from Zeta Tauri to the Crab Nebula. Struve 740 and Struve 742 were thus
targeted from my suburban backyard after the Super Bowl Game. Both were easy finds.
The pair of stars making up Struve 742 (shown above) were separated by only 4.2
arcseconds and appeared as one under the low power I use for star hoping -- but were
easily split with additional power. I will visit both Struve 740 and Struve 742 from now on,
as nice intermittent signposts, when I star hop from Zeta Tauri to the Crab Nebula.
astronomers. It is an easy find only one-degree from the bright star Zeta Tauri -- which
marks the southern horn tip of the bull. The “Suburban Stargazer” by Hewitt-White in Sky
& Telescope Magazine (January 2021 issue), pointed out that two fine double stars lay
along the path from Zeta Tauri to the Crab Nebula. Struve 740 and Struve 742 were thus
targeted from my suburban backyard after the Super Bowl Game. Both were easy finds.
The pair of stars making up Struve 742 (shown above) were separated by only 4.2
arcseconds and appeared as one under the low power I use for star hoping -- but were
easily split with additional power. I will visit both Struve 740 and Struve 742 from now on,
as nice intermittent signposts, when I star hop from Zeta Tauri to the Crab Nebula.