α Delphini

Alpha Delphini is Sualocin, which is ‘Nicolaus’ backwards, the Latinized name of Niccolo Cacciatore, assistant to the noted Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi.

Also, beta Delphini is Rotanev, backwards for ‘Venator’, apparently the same gentleman's last name Latinised.

At a visual magnitude of 3.86, alpha is the brightest star of the constellation. However many others are very nearly the same brightness.

To find alpha (and the whole constellation for that matter) from Altair (alpha Aquilae) move two binocular fields to the northeast: binoculars.

The constellation has two superb binaries, but only suitable for telescopes.
      Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is a lovely pair with a subtle colour change, dusty-yellow and blue-green: 4.4, 5.3, 268º, 10".
      Struve 2725 is even more pleasing, yellow and blue, a delicate system of two eighth-magnitudes stars: 7.5, 8.2; 11º, 6.2".

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