by Anthony Ayiomamitis
Perhaps the most impressive and well-known binary system involves Albireo (beta Cyg) in Cygnus which shines at mag 3.4 and whose close binary member with contrasting colour shines at mag 5.12. The former has a luminosity 670 times that of the Sun and is approximately 386 light-years away.
Technical Details:
Date: Nov 21, 2009 @ 18:45 - 18:55 UT+2
Location: Athens, Greece (38.2997° N, 23.7430° E)
Equipment: AP 160/f7.5 Starfire EDF, AP 1200GTO GEM, SBIG ST-2000XM, SBIG CFW-8A, SBIG LRGB + IR-block
Integrations: LRGB @ 10:10:10:10 using 1-/2-min subs, Binning: 1x1, Image Scale: 1.27" per pixel, +0.0° C
Further Details: http://www.perseus.gr/Astro-Star-Brightest-Cyg-Beta.htm