Star: Gamma Delphinus
Location of site: Mackay Lat 21.08
Date & Time: 09/07/05 21:07
Sky conditions: 6/10
Telescope: Meade Lx90
Eyepiece: Meade Sp 26mm (77x)
Gamma Delphinus is a beautiful double star with a golden yellow primary and a white/grey secondary very easy to split using lower power. It is one of those doubles that sucks you in, so striking in colour and appearance. The secondary was most interesting; I have read that observers have seen a range of colours in the secondary green, blue and pale yellow. I found the following story about Gamma Delphinus and Aboriginal Astronomy whilst surfing the net at this link
The Sun and Moon– some Aboriginal perspectives and activities
"The Murray Cod is known as Otchocut by the Boorong people and is represented in the sky by the Delphinus (the dolphin) constellation. Gamma Delphinus is golden and yellow-white, the same colours as the flanks of the Murray cod. The disappearance of the Otchocut constellation from the sky after September to October coincides with the end of the spawning season for the Murray cod. When Otchocut is in the sky, you should not fish for Murray Cod because they are breeding"