Mar 12, 2013 - Pro-Am Double Star discoveries by Michel Michaud

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We would like to highlight the exceptional work accomplished by one of our members. As you may know Michel Michaud has been busy photographing stars in the Pleiades. Last year Michel submitted a paper titled "Double Star Measurements in the Pleiades Cluster Using a DSLR Camera" to the University of South Alabama. This paper was subsequently published in the October 2012 edition of the Journal of Double Star Observations. In his conclusion Michel states that:

�Five currently unlisted components which are excellent candidates to be double stars were found, and two unlisted new pairs.�

Following the publication of this paper the United States Naval Observatory, which maintains the Washington Double Star Catalog, assigned these five stars with the discoverer code �MCD�, Michel�s own.

   WDS  Discovr Comp  EPOCH     #   THETA      RHO      Magnitudes Spectral Prop Mot  2nd PM  DM Desig Note  Precise 
Identifier          Frst  Last     Fst  Lst First Last   Pri   Sec Type     RA" DEC" RA" DEC"               Coordinate 

03457+2427MCD   1   2011  2011  1  131  131   2.5  2.5  13.8  14.2          -006+017                        034540.87+242731.5
03473+2344MCD 2AE   2012  2012  1   41   41   8.9  8.9   7.03 12.7          -037-026                        034717.16+234336.5
03499+2357MCD   3   2012  2012  1  182  182   9.1  9.1   9.9  12.7  G1      -002-015                        034957.07+235711.4
03500+2351MCD 4AD   2012  2012  1  270  270  24.6 24.6   6.81 13.6          +020-046 +064-051               034958.04+235055.7
03502+2353MCD   5   2012  2012  1  108  108   9.6  9.6  13.2  13.2                                          035013.81+235307.9

You can access the full Washington Double Star Catalog

Michel�s paper is published in the Journal of Double Star Observations by the University of South Alabama.

It is remarkable that in this day and age amateurs can make this sort of contribution using commercial off-the-shelf equipment. We encourage you to download and read Michel�s paper.

Congratulations on your findings Michel.

 
 

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Last updated: January 29, 2014

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