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| Alpha Caeli is the brightest star in this forlorn constellation. The star is a double, with a very faint (13 magnitude) companion.
Presumably you've found alpha going from Achernar to theta Eri then east: binoculars. Beta Caeli is due north of alpha; with alpha centred, move one field north. Now, with beta centred in your view, move northeast one field and you are looking at gamma Caeli. Gamma is a telescopic binary: 4.7, 8.2; 305º, 3.2". Just below gamma is X Caeli, a Delta Scuti variable with a very small magnitude shift, from 6.28 to 6.39 every 3h 15m. The star is also a close binary: 6.4, 9.7; PA 192º and separation 0.9". |