A colorful variety: white dwarfs, yellow dwarfs, orange dwarfs, red dwarfs, brown dwarfs, black dwarfs, red giants, blue supergiants - What is your favorite object in the night sky?
Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth’s atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation). It is concerned with the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects, as well as the formation and development of the universe.
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties (luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition) of celestial objects such as galaxies, stars, planets, exoplanets, and the interstellar medium, as well as their interactions. The study of cosmology is theoretical astrophysics at scales much larger than the size of particular gravitationally-bound objects in the universe. Because astrophysics is a very broad subject, astrophysicists typically apply many disciplines of physics, including mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, relativity, nuclear and particle physics, and atomic and molecular physics.
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I consider Black Holes to be very impressive celestial objects in the universe.
The trifid nebula – a nursery of emerging stars. And it just blows me away to conceive that this cloud of dust and gas is 8 lights years from the nebulas central star!
If we’re speaking just of what we can see (because you stipulated “night”), a full moon is an object of mystical beauty, hard to resist. But I think I like it best as the most delicate calligraphic crescent, in waning position, preferably in close visual proximity to one or two bright planets.
I also do love to spot the Pleiades and Cassiopeia and my old pal Orion.
the planet Earth, just joking, lol
I like the moon as well, no matter the form, not only is it beautiful but it holds spiritual and cultural significance for me. I’d also have to vote for black hole with the possibility of something behind it. And my always favorite planet Pluto that is sadly no longer a Planet.
@RedPowerLady – Well, Pluto is still a planet in the broader sense, because a dwarf planet is considered to be a special planet too, otherwise the word “planet” would not be part of the word “dwarf planet”. Eris and Pluto are not called “dwarf rocks” or something like that.
@mattbrowne I stand corrected! LOL. I will admit to my lack of knowledge concerning planetary bodies. And I am happy to be provided with any information regarding them.
With all those Dwarves, I guess I’d have to say Snow White.
I know you asked for night sky, but I’m really quite fond of the sun. Particularly solar flares.
M31 Andromeda. We’ve had the cub scouts come to our place for Astronomy night in November. I tell them how all the stars they have ever seen are in our own galaxy. All the stars in the Milky Way are our neighbors. Then I swing my 6” Newtonian up to near vertical and there’s a piece of Andromeda. Another galaxy. Awesome. Even better through a Nikon 8×40.
Thank goodness for dark skies.
@RedPowerLady – Pluto is a very lovely dwarf planet. It even got a relatively large moon. What’s also unique is the fact that a year on Pluto is sometimes shorter than one on Neptune.
I go for the showy, transient stuff: comets, meteors, aurora borealis. I used to have recurring dreams when I was a kid of lying under a summer night sky and watching a dazzling display of celestial objects drifting by in regal procession. Catching a glimpse of these exceptional, transient phenomena rekindles in me the feeling of wonder that those dreams evoked.
I also love being able to see the Andromeda Galaxy (M 31) with the naked eye. Ditto the visual double in the handle of the Big Dipper. It is an good check on your eyesight.
The Pleiaides, the old moon in the new moon’s arms, the two globular clusters (with binocs) in Hercules, the ∂ Cepheid variable star, the neo-natal section in the sword of Orion.
I have seen the four stations of Astronomy and can now die happily.
A total eclipse of the sun
the Northern Lights (Aurora borealis)
The 2002 Leonid Meteor Shower (60–100 meteors per minute)
Several spectactular comets (Hale-Bopp and Hyakutakr
And for second place;
Total lunar eclipses
The night sky every clear night from my deck. No house, street or city lights and really good visibility.
@Lupin: Do you need a tripod for the 8×40 in order to avoid hand tremors? They must be pretty heavy. I have 7×35 and rest my elbows on arms of a deck chair.
@gailcalled Yes the 8×40s do get a little heavy. I have to prop my arms on the apple tree branches in our orchard or rest on the roof of my car.
Those photons traveled 2.5 million years to reach your retina. Fantastic.
@DrBill: You must have one mighty telescope in your backyard to see the Horsehead.
Probably my favorite objects for viewing are double stars and globular star clusters. I like the Orion Nebula, but my scope is only 140 mm so it doesn’t get the really dim stuff—and my skies are very bright from skyglow. If I have to pick one object it would be the binary (may be an optical double) Alberio.
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