And there’s more. Applying 72×on the
cluster’s easternmost bright star, HD 16782,
yields a close attendant (set 9). At 97×, the
secondary component in set 6 produces a
tiny mate. I’m calling that one set 10. The
secondary sun in set 7 is also a faint binary,
creating set 11. Finally, a whopping 180×on the westernmost bright star, HD 16627,
picks up a feeble companion (set 12).
Telescopes smaller than my 4¼-incher
might not resolve some of the tighter
pairs, but in larger optics, each is a slam-
dunk double. My 7.1-inch f/15 Maksutov-
Cassegrain slays the lot at 90×; my 10-inchf/6 Dobsonian does the same at 50×. Be t -
ter yet, these bigger scopes can detect up to
five dozen cluster members—even in my
washed-out suburban sky.
But it’s the pairs that make this modest
Messier worth studying. Don’t just peek at
M34—examineit and see for yourself. ✦NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 •SKYNEWS 19SEPARATION
SET MAGNITUDE (arc seconds)
1 8.5 8.3 87
2 8.8 9.3 56
3 8.7 10.0 53
4 8.4 8.5 20
5 9.0 10.2 77
6 9.3 11.5 51
7 10.0 10.1 94
8 9.5 9.6 128
9 8.3 10.1 13
10 11.5 12.6 20
11 10.1 12.4 36
12 9.5 10.9 8.THE DOUBLES OF M
6
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