Still enjoyed observing at home with my semi-classical 102mm Vixen
After having "found out" at a previous session that the chromatic aberration with a BBHS diagonal (silver and dielectric surface, very smooth) in this instrument was a lot smaller than I had assumed until then, I of course enjoyed star testing at Vega. The telescope performed the same as last time; not surprisingly, of course.
From previous sessions I knew that the magnitude 8.0 and 9.6 stars should be visible. The 9.6 one is a lot trickier because it is already in the glow of Vega itself. Satisfied, I noted that I had no trouble seeing it. I knew there are other such faint brethren around Vega, but had never bothered to look for them.
In the corner of my eye, I saw a faint reflection of Vega from my eye on the field of view. Circling with my eye around the supposed reflection, I determined that it was indeed a reflection. Until I saw that there was another point of light in the vicinity. "Hmm...another reflection", I hummed. It soon became apparent that this one was much less bright than the first. So I sat down and chose a different angle. Hela, there appeared to be another tiny star hidden deep in the glow and scattering of Vega itself. Checking in Skysafari confirmed its location and brightness. Magnitude 11.1
A tiny star that I had actually overlooked for years, because I wasn't looking for it. With larger instruments ( or higher in the zenith) this little star will be a breeze, but with the modest 4 incher I found this to be a very nice find.
Attached is a sketch in a field at plusminus 240 X.
