- Marfik (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MARFIK (Lambda Ophiuchi). Double stars are among the prettiest sights the sky has to offer. The best ones, like Albireo and many others, display striking color contrasts that are enhanced by visual proximity effects. But even the white “colorless” ones are attractive, especially if the two members are close together. Those of Marfik (the “elbow” of Ophiuchus), or Lambda Ophiuchi, are so close that they are, however, difficult to separate at the telescope, averaging just a second of arc – a 3600th of a degree – apart.
