BETA CRUCIS aka MIMOSA

STAR IN CRUX

 (ra: 12.47,43/ dec -59:41)

March 2010, Home Backyard in Martinez - Buenos Aires - Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Star

Apparent Magnitude: 1.30

Apparent Diameter: 6.6 Solar radius

DISTANCE: 460 light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

SCOPE: Celestron C8 SCT working at f6 (roughly)

CAMERA: SXVF H9

GUIDING: SX Guide Camera - William Optics Zenithstar 66 with WO 0.8 x fr/ff

IMAGE ACQUISITION: AstroArt 3.0 - Control Interface 3.72 plug in

FILTERS: Astronomik Type II  - Atik Filter Wheel

SKY CONDITIONS: urban skies - full Moon

EXPOSURES: LRGB (5,5,5,5)

PROCESSING: Median Combine in Images Plus, CCD Sharp, Photoshop CS2

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

Beta Crux is one of the brightest stars of the night sky and the second of the constellation of Crux. It is a binary star, however the companion is not possible to resolve with conventional telescopes. This star is circumpolar and never rises and sets. Its a blue-white very hot giant and I always use it as a reference to reach The Jewel Box which lies one degree away. With Beta Crux at the top of your binoculars you can see the Coal Sack. The reddish star is an 8.8 magnitude star at only two seconds of Beta Crux. Both stars are not related but companions just in the visual perspective.