A 4am Star Trek.

Whilst looking for Comet Lovejoy in the contellation of Hercules, I found this stellar gem in the next door constellation of Lyra.

Alongside the bright star Vega, the star system of Epsilon Lyrae lies nearly 162 light-years way. Through my 10x50 binoculars, the two stars are easily split, lying 0.16 light-years apart; in fact with good eyesight, they can be separated with the naked eye, but not so easily as one gets older.

Each star is itself a double star, readily seen in small telescopes. In fact the southernmost star is a ternary system, with a third smaller star orbiting too close to be seen discovered in 1985.

In the end I find the comet despite bright moonlight and Leith's light pollution - just south of Zeta Herculis - but another attempt at comet portraiture will have to wait for another night.