Albireo - A Double Star in Cygnus

I was feeling tired from work today but it was a clear evening, and seemed darker than last night, so I decided to spend a short while stargazing. My aim for this evening was to view Albireo; the southernmost star of the constellation Cynus (The Swan). Albireo is relatively easy to find due to its position in Cygnus, although I found it easier by using the bottom two stars of Lyra to point to what is the next bright object along that line.

Image courtesy of Stellarium

Just from using the lowest magnification lens I have I could immediately see that Albireo is actually made up of two stars. Now I have always just looked at the night sky and assumed all stars are white. Well this certainly disproves that theory - the contrast in colours between the two stars was stark. The slightly larger one looked a light orange to me whereas its smaller companion had a distinct blue hue. Seeing the two together was a beautiful sight. I find the idea of two stars entwined in orbit somewhat romantic so I might try and find other double stars over the coming weekend.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Albireo is approximately 380 light years away. The larger orange star (Albireo A) is itself a binary star, although splitting this is way beyond my telescope's abilities.