When we look up at the night sky with the naked eye, the stars appear as solitary, lonely beacons of light. For centuries, humanity assumed that our Sun’s solitary existence was the cosmic norm. But when telescopemakers began turning their new lenses toward the heavens in the 17th and 18th centuries, they discovered a dazzling secret: many of those single points of light are actually pairs, trios, or even complex families of stars bound together in a celestial dance.
For amateur astronomers and stargazers, double stars offer some of the most rewarding, colorful, and reliable targets in the night sky. They are terrific under a dark sky with the moon out of the way. They are FANTASTIC targets during the waxing phases of the moon! That is when I personally observe them. You can do a couple with your naked eye. Binoculars open up a lot more and a small to medium size telescope bring many, many more to your view. Here is everything you need to know about what they are and how you can observe them tonight.
I have a full article over at Eadsy Astronomy as well as some of my sketches I've made of the doubles I've observed. Please head on over for more info on these wonderful objects at this LINK.
