Lets hear about your single favourite object and why

[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 (Malcolm)]

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 (Michael)]

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

The moon. 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.

[Gem (Grant)]

Originally Posted by mental4astro

and a challenging, little globular.

.

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,

Originally Posted by mental4astro

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 will teach you patience, Grasshopper, .

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 (Alexander)]

Originally Posted by 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.

Les D

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, .

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

[erick (Eric)]

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 (Nathan)]

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 (Paul)]

Originally Posted by 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.

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 (Shelley)]

Omega Centauri will always be no. 1 for me 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 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...

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 (Stephen)]

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.

[Gem (Grant)]

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 (Mark)]

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 (Stephen)]

Originally Posted by 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

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. Excellent call, Mark

[madbadgalaxyman (Robert)]

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]

Originally Posted by astrospotter

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.

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 (Robert)]

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.