The Section exists to help and encourage observers interested in the observation of visual double stars. The specific objective is to make measurements of binaries with micrometers and to publish the results.
To this end the Section has just published its 15th Circular which contains 1734 measures of 1438 visual double stars using micrometers, CCD cameras and graticule eyepieces observed mostly between 2006.0 and 2007.0 and measures of archived Schmidt survey and 2MASS data using on-line software tools, plus an in-depth analysis of the use of the Celestron Micro-Guide eyepiece with an altazimuth mount. This brings the total number of double star observations published in this series (including CCD and photographic measures) to about 26,901. Electronic versions of the Circulars in .pdf format are being put on line and are available at http://www.webbdeepsky.com/. To date numbers 4 to 15 inclusive have been done and others will follow over the next few months.
Copies of the Circulars are sent to main centres of interest in professional double star astronomy i.e. the United States Naval Observatory and the Ramon Aller Observatory in Santiago de Compostela.
| Issue | List of Contents |
| DSSC 2 | Measures of the 7th hour of RA of Pourteau's Carte du Ciel double stars from POSS - D. Gellera, pp26, 1982 |
| DSSC 3 | Measures of the 18th hour of RA of Pourteau's Carte du Ciel double stars from POSS - D. Gellera. |
| Micrometric measurements of double stars 1975.0 - 1983.0 (Double Star Section). | |
| A colour catalogue of double and multiple stars based on human colour perception (J.J.Kaznica et al), pp55, 1984 | |
| DSSC 4 | Photographic measures of 50 white dwarf pairs discovered by Luyten from POSS plates - D. Gellera |
| Micrometric measurements of double stars 1983.0 -1988.0 (Double Star Section), pp35, 1989 | |
| DSSC 5 | Micrometric measurements of double stars 1988.0 - 1992.0 (Double Star Section), pp47, 1992 |
| DSSC 6 | Micrometric measurements of double stars 1992.0 - 1995.0 (Double Star Section). |
| Photographic measurements of 383 double stars of Pourteau's Catalogue (D. Gellera), pp94, 1996 | |
| DSSC 7 | Micrometric measurements of double stars 1995.0 - 1998.0 (Double Star Section). |
| Catalogue of measurements of 182 double stars made with a CCD camera and 40-cm SCT (G. A. Elliott), pp43, 1998 | |
| DSSC 8 | Micrometric measurements of double stars 1998.0 - 2000.0 (Double Star Section), pp23, 2000 |
| DSSC 9 | Micrometric measures of double stars from 2000.0 - 2001.0 (Double Star Section) |
| Measures of 10 double stars made with a CCD camera and 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (Doug West) | |
| STF889 : an optical double star (Francisco Rica Romero) | |
| The PPM and HIPPARCOS Catalogues from a double star observer's point of view, (Jean-Francois Courtot), pp37, 2001 | |
| DSSC 10 | Micrometric measures of double stars from 2001.0 - 2002.0 (Double Star Section) |
| The nature of the double star STF2259 (Francisco Rica Romero) | |
| CCD measures of double stars (Tamas Ladanyi and Erno Berko) | |
| Recent measures of double stars with CCD cameras (Doug West and Mauro Gallo) | |
| Measures of double stars using eyepiece micrometers (Tom Teague and Magne Tollefsen), pp47, 2002 | |
| DSSC 11 | Micrometric measures of double stars from 2002.0 - 2003.0 (R W Argyle & J.-F. Courtot) |
| Micrometric measures of double stars from 1998.02 to 2002.92 (Andreas Alzner) | |
| An astrometric survey of 250 double stars - paper I (Martin Nicholson) | |
| An astrometric survey of 250 double stars - paper II (Martin Nicholson) | |
| An astrometric survey of 142 double stars - paper III (Martin Nicholson) | |
| An astrometric survey of 187 double stars - paper IV (Martin Nicholson) | |
| New double stars from the Daventry Double Star survey (Martin Nicholson) | |
| Possible quadrant reversals in the WDS Catalogue (Richard Harshaw) | |
| CCD measures of double stars in 2002 (Doug West) | |
| Measures of double stars made with an eyepiece micrometer (Magne Tollefsen) | |
| A new component in the pair CHE 138 (T Ladanyi) | |
| Measures of double stars with a CCD camera and 35.5-cm reflector in 2002 (T Ladanyi, E Berko and G Vaskuti), pp94, 2003 | |
| DSSC 12 | Micrometric measures of double stars from 2003.0 - 2004.0 (Jean-Francois Courtot and Bob Argyle) |
| Measures of double stars made with an eyepiece micrometer (Magne Tollefsen) | |
| Measures of double stars made with an eyepiece micrometer (Tim Leese) | |
| CCD measures of double stars in 2003 (Doug West) | |
| Measures of double stars with a CCD camera and 35.5-cm reflector from 2002.953 to 2003.394 (T Ladanyi, E Berko and G Vaskuti), pp94, 2003 | |
| Data mining the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) for double stars (Martin Nicholson) | |
| 777 double stars in the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) (Martin Nicholson) | |
| On double identities, recovered pairs, and optical imposters - investigations into some neglected double stars of the Washington Double Star Catalogue Richard Harshaw) | |
| Measures of some neglecetd southern double stars using the SuperCosmos Database (R Jaworski) pp96, 2004 | |
| DSSC 13 | Micrometric measures of double stars from 2004.0 to 2005.0 (Bob Argyle) |
| Micrometer measurements from 2002.97 to 2004.94 (Andreas Alzner) | |
| Measures of double stars with a CCD camera and 35.5-cm reflector from 2003.934 to 2003.942 (Erno Berko, Tamas Ladanyi, and Gyorgy Vaskuti) | |
| Measures of neglected John Herschel southern double stars using on-line databases (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Measures of selected John Herschel pairs between RA 0 h and 6 h using the SuperCOSMOS database (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Suggested additional double stars to the WDS Catalog (Richard Jaworski) | |
| The John Herschel multiple stars HJ 2116, HJ201 and HJ202 (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Measures of neglected John Herschel southern double stars using the SuperCOSMOS database (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Measures of 396 neglected southern double stars (Tofol Tobal) | |
| Possible anonymous southern visual double stars (Tofol Tobal) | |
| Measures of 622 neglected northern double stars RA 00h - 12h 55m (Tofol Tobal) | |
| Measures of double stars made with an eyepiece micrometer (Magne Tollefsen) | |
| Common proper motion pairs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (John Greaves) | |
| HJ 327AC, HJ 2002 \& HJ 9001 (Richard Jaworski and Bob Argyle) | |
| Possible additional components to WDS double stars (Richard Jaworski) | |
| A search for `missing' Luyten double stars (Richard Jaworski) pp88, 2005 | |
| DSSC 14 | Micrometric measures of double stars from 2005.0 to 2006.0 (Bob Argyle) |
| Micrometer measures from 2004.94 to 2005.96 (Andreas Alzner) | |
| Measures of double stars made with an eyepiece micrometer (Tim Leese) | |
| 2520 previously unreported double stars (Martin Nicholson & Hannah Varley) | |
| Updated measures of neglected pairs in the Washington Double Star Catalog} Richard Harshaw} | |
| BKO161 in place of STI 1445 (Gyorgy Vaskuti & Tamas Ladanyi) | |
| CCD measures of double stars at Palmer Divide Observatory - 2006.112 to 2006.238 (Brian D. Warner) | |
| A modified industrial micrometer project - preliminary report (Morgan Spangle) | |
| Some recent measures using a CCD camera} (Morgan Spangle) | |
| A search for `missing' Luyten double stars - II (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Measures of Luyten double stars using data from the 2MASS survey and SUPERCOSMOS image database} (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Measurement of the positions of Milburn (MLB) pairs from Sky Surveys (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Measures of the neglected double star HJ2302 AB using the chronometric method (Ian Coster) pp75, 2006 | |
| DSSC 15 | Micrometric measures of double stars from 2006.0 to 2007.0 (Bob Argyle) |
| Measures of double stars with a CCD camera and 25-cm Cassegrain reflector in 2006 (Tamas Ladanyi) | |
| CCD observations of double stars at Waverley Observatory (Andrew Soon) | |
| An analysis of errors in the measurement of visual double stars using the Celestron | |
| Micro-Guide with an SCT and Alt-Azimuth mount (Tim Napier-Munn) | |
| Measures of 1027 neglected northern double stars RA 13h - 24h (Tofol Tobal) | |
| Measurement of the positions of 95 Milburn (MLB) pairs from Sky Surveys - II (Richard Jaworski) | |
| Some measures of double stars using the chronometric method, an eyepiece micrometer and the Aladin database (Ian Coster) | |
| Candidate binary star systems in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Five (Martin Nicholson) pp71, 2007 |
Also available is `A Visual Atlas of Double Stars'. 124 pages of interesting charts and data by Mike Ropolewski. Price £9.00 or $16.00.
And now also available Volume 2 of Mike Ropolewski's Double Star Atlas - mostly covering the southern sky. Price £6.00 or $11.00.
These publications are available from Don Miles in the UK at the following address (in pounds sterling payable to `The Webb Society')
D J Miles,
96 Marmion Road,
Southsea,
Hants, PO5 2BB
or for those in the USA and Canada, (in US dollars payable to `John E Isles'):
John E Isles,
Webb Society North America Secretary
10575 Darrel Drive,
Hanover
Michigan 49241
USA
For orders under £20.00 add £2.00 for postage. For orders under $40.00 add $4.00 for surface post.
A group has been set up by Richard Harshaw dwharshaw@kc.rr.com to evaluate the Celestron Microguide eyepiece for double star astrometry. Please contact Richard for more details and see DSO128 for a report on this work. There are two types of filar micrometers being manufactured at present. A comparison between the two instruments by Andreas Alzner is given later in this section and details of addresses and prices are available from the Director of the Section, R.W.Argyle at the address below:
R.W.Argyle, "Lyndhurst", Ely Road, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9NW, UK
or by e-mail to rwa@ast.cam.ac.uk