Lets hear about your single favourite object and why

[Gem]

Ok, I would love to hear what is everyone's favourite object to observe. Maybe in hearing what others like, we will be inspired to have a peak and see what they love!

For me, its NCG 6397 (Glob cluster in Ara). It never gets the credit it deserves, but WOW - what a sight!!! Delicate edges, condensed centre, this baby is everything that I love about glob clusters! Best of all, it doesn't matter how big or small your scope is.

[Lismore Bloke]

It's hard to pick out one object when there are so many wonderful things to see. Omega Cen., Orion Nebula, etc. If I had to pick the most rewarding single object rather than region, it would be the beautiful PN NGC 5189 in Musca. Very complex object that is just stunning with an O-III. It deserves to be observed for quite some time, as it really is a case of the more you look the more you see.

Good thread, it will be interesting to see the results.
Cheers, Paul.

[kitsuna]

Saturn. The first time I found it for myself in my own brand new first ever scope, I damn near burst into tears (but didn't, because I'm not a wuss :ashamed:). So Saturn is very special to me.

The story goes that I set up my scope in my usual viewing spot on or around the night of Saturn's most recent opposition. I get a good West and north West view, everything else is hopeless because I live on the side of a hill (more like the bottom of a cliff). I knew Saturn was going to be close, and the sky was crisp, clear and wonderful. I fettled around a bit looking at the other things. I pulled out my phone to work out where Saturn was going to rise... disaster! My stupid house is in the way! I don't have a backyard per se, because of the aforementioned cliff, but I do have a side yard... full of wet clay mud (as only Adelaide has) because the house is new and the landscaping hasn't been done yet.

Moving to the side of the house would help, but I'd still have to wait for Saturn to rise above the tree line... at the top of the cliff... :mad2:

It gets worse, because I have to try and get as far back from the cliff so I'll be able to catch Saturn as early as possible (because I had work the next day). that's fine, except for the fact that doing so puts my scope, and me, on the edge of an 8 foot drop... in slippery, awful clay mud. :eek:

So there I am, with my back to an 8 foot drop, trying to find Saturn as it (finally) gets over the tree line...

Totally worth it.

I have to admit that I've not had much chance to do any proper viewing in the last 3 months or so, but if something tops Saturn for emotional impact, I'll report back (I suspect when I get to check out my first ever galaxy under dark sky might do it).

A close second would probably be the full moon from about a month and a half back.

I was actually quite annoyed, because that night was the first night in quite a while that I'd had the means, motive and opportunity to go put the 10in light bucket to use, and the sky was full of Luna. So I initially cursed it for washing out all the things I WANTED to look at, and spent much of the night vainly trying to find other objects, with my back adamantly at the wretched satellite, and muttering eldritch curses under my breath.

eventually I gave up, and was about to pack up. But before I did, I thought I'd finally give a look to the wretched thing that ruined my deep sky ambitions. So I looked... and looked... and looked... and then when my eyeball started to dry out, I stepped back from the scope, and realised that the whole back yard was bathed in a brilliant silver moonglow. Loved Luna ever since.


I also just noticed that my favorites both came about when I started out having a bad time, which was turned into a good time.

Guess the valleys in life make the peaks extra high. :thumbsup:

[ZeroID]

I guess my fave, because it was the first serious object in my dob was 47 Tuc. Just blew me out of the water it was so intense and detailed. It is still always my first check object on a nights viewing depending on season of course.
I guess I'm developing seasonal favourites now as I get more familiar with the sky. We are so lucky down here in the Sthn Hemisphere with such a wealth of amazing objects all year round.

[Suzy]

:lol: That was a good read Adam.
If you do fall off the cliff, make sure the dob doesn't fall on top of you. :question:

My reaction to Saturn was that might heart raced and I got the shakes,:eyepop: I couldn't believe it. Wonderful not having any expections- I only expected to see a pin point of light as my old Tasco had shown me. I wasn't prepared at all for what greeted me. I'm sure most people have the same experience.

My favourite object would have to be The Wishing Well Cluster NGC 3532 in Carina. It's impressive how it fills up the entire fov and really does look like pennies at the bottom of a wishing well.

I'm going to throw another one in :P and say M57 (The Ring) planetary nebula. It's just ridiculous how much shape this pn has got - looks like someone has blown a smoke ring out of their mouth from a cigarette.

Fabulous thread by the way. :thumbsup:
I'm sure many of us will learn from it. :D

[Ric]

The Centaurus A galaxy is a special for me.

From the first time I viewed it through the 12" and was able to pick out the dust lane it has become a real favourite that I enjoy going back to time and time again.

I have seasonal favourites as well, mainly galaxies. Their delicate structures are always enticing and of course there's always that chance I'll be treated to a supernova as well.

[Robh]

For me, perhaps the Sculptor Galaxy NGC 253.
On of the visually brightest galaxies in the sky, it can be seen with binoculars.
Appearing more or less side on, it looks expansive and stretched out to the width of a Full Moon.
As a telescope object, it appears impressively large and is a great "wow" target for visitors who have never looked through telescopes. Of course, even better under darker skies.

Regards, Rob

[astroron]

I am with Rob ,I have always loved NGC 253 as it was the first galaxy that looked like one:eyepop: in a large scope 19.5" at the Allaway Observatory Bundabirg Qld
Eta Carinea Would have to run a close second:)
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Stu Ward]

I guess my first wow moment was seeing the Orion Nebula through my 8" Dob.
That has stuck with me.
My last wow was how easy it was to find galaxies in a 12" Dob.
Visually i dont think i get such a kick out of them just yet, i need to train my eyes better and also get to a nice dark site. But its what they are and the possibilities that reside in them that make me go back for more

Stu

[Paddy]

I've been pondering this for a few days now and I just can't do it. Each time I think "... might be my single favourite object" others crowd my mind. I could perhaps go for a top ten in no particular order.

Eta Carinae nebula
47 Tuc
NGC 2070
the whole LMC
M104
M83
NGC 6231
NGC 3293
Omega Centauri
Jupiter
The Sun

Sorry, that's 11. Can't get it any smaller

[Saturnine]

Love these types of threads, has taken some thought to figure out that my favourite object is also the first object, other than the moon , that I saw through my 50mm refractor back in the mid sixties. In a scenario that harkens back to Galileo, Jupiter is the one, being able to see the 4 Galilean moons and the Temperate Zone cloud bands and being able to see change in real time while observing for a few hours has always stuck with me through the years.

Jeff

[Satchmo]

The Milky Way Galaxy

[stephenb]

Regular objects: NGC4755 - Jewel box, Sombrero, M31. Too hard to choose.

- also agree

Favorite of all time? 50/50 split between Supernova 1987A and Comet Halley! I them both with the naked eye for months until they faded. :eyepop:Every chance I'll never see Halley again in my lifetime, and who knows if we'll see another naked-eye supernova again anytime soon?

[OneOfOne]

As I probably use my scope to show the night skies to other people these days more than for myself, I would have to say the number one object I enjoy showing other people is Alpha Centauri, for a number of reasons:


It is always there
You don't need particularly clear skies
Everyone has heard of it
They are all amazed that it is double
It is perhaps the easiest to find
It's the closest
Almost everyone can understand the explanation of what it is


And, finally, who doesn't mind spying on the neighbour now and then :D

[Blue Skies]

The Veil Nebula in Cygnus, particularly the section known as NGC 6960. A delicate sweep of nebulosity next to 50 Cygni. It never fails to please.

[rmcconachy]

I would also short list many of the objects mentioned above but if I had to pick just one it would be Saturn. It was one of the first things (after the Moon) that I ever viewed through a telescope and those rings are just so darn pretty. :) Throw in the Cassini Division, some moons, some banding and even a storm like we've had recently and I can (and have) stared at it for many hours.

[The_bluester]

I will have to line up with Adam and rmcconachy on Saturn and for similar reasons as Adam at least.

When I was about 14, because I showed an interest, the secondary school I went to allowed me to borrow the schools telescope over some weekends (To my knowledge, no other student before or since (1984!) has been allowed to take it away from the school, poor underutilised thing that it was)

The scope was a 4.5" Meade Newt on a GEM, naturally I had very little idea how to set that up but I managed to get it lined up well enough that it just needed the occasional tweak on the dec axis to keep things in the FOV. I basically spent several weekends pointing the scope more or less at random objects just to see what I could see, stars mostly of course although some doubles would hold my interest.

One night under a beautiful sky (We lived halfway between Echuca and Rochester (Vic) at the time and the place had inky black skies that I still miss) at about 3AM on a Sunday morning, standing in the middle of a cow paddock with a borrowed scope, I pointed at a salmon coloured star in the finder, moved to the EP and to be honest I still get a little bit misty eyed about totally unexpectedly finding Saturn in the eyepiece. The passion has simmered for years due to work commitments and I will never be really serious about it, but that chance view hooked me forever on the spot. About a month ago, actually seeing the Cassini division for myself through my own scope for the first time did it to me all over again. I sat there for ages with my bum freezing to the chair, just hoping for another glimpse as the seeing changed.

Someone on another forum yesterday, on a completely different topic (Climate change) posted a link to a page of quotes in response to me quoting Carl Sagan, talking of the "Pale Blue Dot" and one of those quotes made me remember that night in 1984 all over again..

[M54]

Jupiter was my first love.

I've since fallen in love with Saturn, 47 Tuc, Omega Centauri, M83, NGC 253 and any other deep space object that I can find in my 5 inch.

And for showing other people, a gibbous moon always knocks their socks off. :D

Fantastic thread Gem, thanks for starting it.
There's some great reads here and I think we all share similar experiences the first time we found something.

This thread will be a good list to work from. :)

[stephenb]

Couldn't agree more, Molly. Great thread, and so hard to choose just one object or memory.

Like many others I have to add Saturn onto my list also. Seeing Saturn for the first time in my home-built 6" Newt was a memorable event. I can still to to the exact spot in my parent's backyard where I was standing! Funny how you remember things.

Also Halley allowed me to show my Great Grandmother the famous comet for the second time in her life! Not too many people get to to reach that achievement!

[mental4astro]

For me, it would have to be the big and bright open cluster M7.

It was the first DSO I was able to identify with the naked eye straight after identifying the constellation Scorpio (I didn't have a telescope then either!). The thing with M7 is not just this cluster, but there are 3 other clusters that lie in the same line of view, all within the boundary of M7! Two other open clusters and a challenging, little globular.

It is always a challenge to spot the smaller "Three Amigos" through the glare and rampage of the stars of M7. The challenge also doubles up as a test for seeing conditions - if the GC is invisible, transperancy is poor.

The "Three Amigos" do require a bit of grunt aperture wise, especially with the GC, but the open clusters a keen eye may be enough to overcome the glare.

Tip: Rush it and you'll miss them. The Three Amigos will teach you patience, Grasshopper, :prey2: :evil2: .

[casstony]

Carina nebula - there's so much to see in it and there are other brilliant objects close by. My view to the north is wiped out by street lights so it's nice to have bright nebulae and clusters in the south.

Off the beaten path a little I like the Stargate asterism.

Unfortunately galaxies aren't much good from in town and I often can't get the magnification for planetaries.

[ngcles]

Hi All,

Way, way, way too hard to pick one object. One of the problems is that my answer is going to vary according to what telescope I'm looking through.

Hard to beat Satchmo's answer. The glory of our own barred-spiral galaxy seen during the winter months in the southern hemisphere from a true, pristine site is difficult to top.

If I was using a telescope, even after all these years and having seen thousands of objects of which several hunderd provide enduring memories, I'd probably still pick Saturn.

Like Adam & Suzy I too can remember the first view of it I had from my backyard, aged 12 in a 60mm Tasco 9TE refractor with a crappy H12mm eyepiece at x56 -- it was utterly breathtaking. I was so excited I ran inside the house to exclaim that I'd just discovered Saturn -- as I had! No one showed me/told me where to look for it. I was just poking around the sky looking at random stars hoping to find another one that was double or "interesting" like Alpha Centauri or Acrux. I almost fell off my chair! It was in western Gemini and made a long right-angled triangle with Castor & Pollux.

I think the two best views of it I've ever had were:

The night following the ring plane passage in 1997 in my old 10" when I could see the rings just 40hrs post the ring-plane passage. Flawless seeing. x363.

The other was on a night of equally sublime seeing (again in the backyard) back in 2000 with my 12" that has a functionally flawless mirror made by Satchmo. Couldn't apply too much magnification. Rock steady without a discernable quiver for up to 3 minutes at x420 for maybe 2.5 hrs and probably could have easily applied more than x500 if I had the eyepieces to do it. I gawked at it for maybe 3 hrs all-up. Saw the Encke Minima/Gap for the first time. The Enke Gap is only 325km wide ...

There was also a night out at Bargo in early 2008 (?) with my present 'scope when it was very nearly as good. Using x371 and x464 the image was without a ripple for 10-20 seconds at a time. Titan on this night was quite close to the ball of the planet clearly resolved as a fawn-coloured globe.

I still get a kick out of the reactions of members of the public seeing Saturn for the first time at Sydney Observatory (and elsewhere).


Best,

Les D

[barx1963]

I have decided after careful thought to nominate two objects.
First one is a constellation rather than an object. Scorpius has always been my favorite constellation, it is such a magnificent sight rising in the evening of cold winters, and even before I took the plunge to get a scope, I could always pick up it's shape. First learned to locate it when I was about 9 or 10. Nowadays it signals the time when observing can be at it's best, early on with Virgo and that area providing lots of galaxies and later on with globs, OCs and nebs in the Milky Way.
The next item is Orions Belt for very similar reasons. It was the very first object I learned to identify in the night sky and when it is in the sky it takes me back to going out in the backyard at a very young age and just staring at the stars.

Between the two I know that one of them will always be up whenever I go out for a peek at the sky.

Malcolm

[michaellxv]

A few have mentioned it, but none have picked it.

The moon. :D It's big, it's bright. Looks different from one night to the next. You can see it all year round. Any equipment (or none) will do. Does some clever tricks with the Sun from time to time and with the atmosphere creates interesting effects. What more could you want from one object. :thumbsup:

[Gem]

Wow! Didn't realise that! You sent me straight to the atlas and now I wonder why I have never noticed it on the map! Thanks!!!! :)

[ngcles]

Hi All,



Want to be taught patience? Try tracking down the three PNe within the bounds of M7: He 2-303, He 2-295 and Sa 2-253. Of these three, the last is easily the best and easiest to see -- Mag 13.7 & 9 arc-seconds. The other two are around mag 14 and essentially stellar. Then and only then will you know about glare and rampage grasshopper! THAT will teach you patience! Snaring any of these three PNe will make NGC 6453 (the globular) look like a walk in the park.

I might add that I've only succeeded with two of them -- He 2-303 eludes me. I don't think I will ever see it ... but who knows?


Best,

Les D

[mental4astro]

Yes, Sensei, M7 is looking better all the time!

I see I have much to learn, still, Sensei. I ask you be patient with me, :rolleyes:.

Your wisdom is inspiring, oh noble, Observologist One. I shall seek higher enlightenment with better charts.

[erick]

Here's one from "left field" that always gives me a thrill - seeing the E & F stars of the Trapezium sitting with the four bright A-D stars.

[A23649]

my personal favourite object is m104 which i only found in my 8" newt last night when going on one of the telescope " tours ". i think that it will probably stay with me for the rest of my life.

[The_bluester]

I never knew they were there until a bit earlier this year, after about ten minutes looking at the Trapezium area I realised there were more stars there than I thought!

[shelltree]

Omega Centauri will always be no. 1 for me :D It was the first globular cluster I ever saw through a scope, one of the first views EVER through a scope and it absolutely blew my socks off :eyepop: Then realising it was a naked eye object and could be seen through binos easily was even more exciting. I spent about half an hour when I was just starting out observing with my friend trying to track it down in a 10" Dob for myself and FINALLY got it and then I was even more excited that I was learning and could find such an amazing object!

And then seeing it in a 16"...well...:jawdrop::astron:

I also can't just pick one, so no. 2 for me would definitely have to be the Orion Nebula. Definitely one of those "I could just cry with joy" moment. Absolutely breathtaking and just soooo much to look at! And I even saw blues and greys in the gas with the Trapezium clearly visible. Amazing!

And third on the list is the Tarantula Nebula...after seeing that in a 16", I have NEVER forgot it. Ever. One of the most brilliant sights I have ever seen.

And Eta Carina and the nebula, holy moly, so much going on in Carina and all amazing!!!

[stephenb]

Wow all the number one objects being highlighted on this thread is really bringing back memories: M104, Eta Car, Tarantula nebula, Veil nebula, Jup, Saturn. I can actually recall where I was when I saw most of these objects!

I do agree with Mark, hard to beat the Milky Way, lying on a banana lounge with a pair of binos.

[StarHawk]

My fave object is the Moon.
It's different every night, and there's lots of details. :thumbsup:

[Gem]

I should add another two reasons for NGC 6397 being my favourite...

1. You can begin to resolve it with an 80mm scope. (I can in suburban skies here in Canberra)
2. It is really easy to find once you know how! (Two bright, close together stars nearby make it easy to find.)

:)

[astrospotter]

I will agree that just one is not really a fair question but if the question is posed then my own choice is clear.

For this northerner the #1 object that I had looked forward to for decades and then saw with absolutely no disappointment was the LMC.

Now I know you guys and gals don't consider that an object but having seen well over 2000 galaxies myself just because it is close, it is still to me 'an object'. So the question is were the 95 'objects' I picked out of the LMC last year just 'details' of the larger object? I pick out knots in M33, M31, Barnards Galaxy, M101 and all sorts of other things and those are generally considered as just one object. I have heard it said in this thread that the Milky Way is an 'object'.

So 'IF' the LMC counts as 'an object' then that is my pick. Well and above over M31, M33, M101 in which I have found many globs and clusters but those all show up as tiny dots where as in the LMC it is so darn close that you can get lost in it's details.

I only had one short week every night in mid March 2010 but the LMC to me was far and beyond THE most enticing and amazing 'object' of any I have seen and I await the day I can return to enjoy it once again.

Mark
aka astrospotter

[stephenb]

Yep, I'd put the LMC on the list. We tend to take it for granted. It's up there all the time for most of us. :rolleyes: Excellent call, Mark :thumbsup:

[madbadgalaxyman]

OK, I'll play...

While I am only an occasional visual observer, these days, my favourites from 25 years of regular visual observations included the galaxies NGC 1313 and NGC 6744.

Both of these galaxies are extremely extended in the sky, and both of them need a lot of time and care (and repeated observation) in order to tease out the rich detail that can be seen.

NGC 6744 is probably the harder of the two, as its faint extensions are at very low surface brightness.

The good thing about these two galaxies is that, with great persistence, you can eventually see much of the detail that you see in photographs.

[Satchmo]

Of course the LMC is an object , and probably the second richest view there is. ! Best seen in detail in 80mm or 100mm binoculars .

The Milky Way is the richest object astronomical object visible to the eye and only binoculars needed to study its richest parts. The naked eye has an apparent angle of view of about 140 degrees which will never be approached by Al Nagler's products !. Lying on the ground , under a pitch black sky , with the Scorpio center of the Milky Way overhead , with just my two eyes , and the sky filling all to my peripheral view is by far the most stunning view I can have in my 40 years of astronomical viewing :). Nothing can come close.

[madbadgalaxyman]

The observation that, I think, gave me the most satisfaction was to detect the brightest portion of Barnard's Loop using a pair of very high quality 10x50 binoculars, in a very dark and transparent sky. The slightest problem with the sky makes this giant and ghostly arc disappear.

Another highlight that springs to mind is a particular view of the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud, with a very high quality 10inch Newt. under anomalously good conditions.

The interesting experience of panning over this star cloud, even in a really dark and clear sky, usually resulted in me seeing only closely spaced stars in modest numbers (perhaps a hundred or so stars per every field..... or so it seemed to me) together with a background of grainy-looking nebulosity caused by the multitude (infinity!) of unresolved or semi-resolved very faint stars.

However, on that very special night, the unresolved or partly resolved Milky Background could be seen as great multitudes of tiny points extremely close together......similar to what can be seen in photos of this star cloud.
On that night, I had the feeling of "stars as grains of sand", and a real intuitive sense of the depth and scale of our galaxy.

[pgc hunter]

Can't choose just one, so by category....


Nebula - Eta Carina. Fascinating cruising through its clouds at high power with a filter

Galaxy - LMC. Name one other galaxy in the entire sky that contains over 400 directly observable objects

Open Cluster - NGC 2477. Sweep it up by accident and you WILL gasp. Very, very underrated.

Globular - Probably Omega Centauri, for obvious reasons!

Planetary Nebula - NGC 3242 Ghost of Jupiter.

[The Mekon]

The GC in M7 can be seen in a good 5" scope. I am hoping to catch it in my AT106 this winter, so that will be a test.

My favorite objects always have a second point of interest like M7, which is why I nominate NGC 253 - it has NGC 288 close by