Just the normal stars.

[Size9Hex]

The only prospect of a clear night for some time, but blighted with a near full moon which wobbled horribly, even at low magnification. Anything faint was invisible, and what was left refused to stop dancing and come into focus. The dew was dripping off to form puddles. Not exactly spoiled for choice with worthy targets, I spent a peaceful and surprisingly enjoyable hour looking at bright stars, and reading a little about each one.

I slowly got my eye in, noticing subtle colours that I'd never spotted before. Pale blues and subtle yellows, alongside more intense golds and orange and sapphire.

Such exotic variety and interesting stories. Distant giants and nearby neighbours. Double, quadruple, even a sextuple star system. Stars with dusty planet forming disks. Stars dopplering back and forth with an eclipsing planet. A star with an eccentric orbiting companion that made planets an impossibility. Systems that defy our understanding. Binaries that swap an atmosphere back and forth, occasionally flaring up. Pulsing stars, inhaling and exhaling with their dying breaths. A star that may have already gone supernova, to be brighter than the moon when news reaches us. A star near and large enough for Hubble to see detail on the surface. A star with no traditional name, that may have since become much brighter. A star spinning so fast that it sheds its own atmosphere and then lights it up. A star that passed close to us historically, scattering comets towards the planets. Stars creating shockwaves as they hurtle through space. 

I guess there's nothing ground breaking here, but it was a nice way to make something from the bad conditions. The thing that really got me is that these were all the normal bright constellation stars that I use for star hopping to more interesting targets, but also that it was every single one of them. It definitely gave me a new appreciation of the night sky. I had no idea there was so much going on.

Thanks for reading :-)

[swamp thing]

Nice report

I for one have never really given the stars themselves much thought as I observe the night sky, You've given me something to think about next time I venture out, Cheers  

[StarSapling]

Excellent and inspiring report.  Thank you.

 

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

I'd recommend the books written by James B. Kaler for anyone interested in learning more about individual stars.

Available from the usual suspect............

[John]

That made nice reading on a rainy afternoon - thanks for a slightly different angle on our Universe

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Just remembered-James B. Kaler has a website 'STARS'  at

https://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/sowlist.html

Hope that link works.

[jkwhinfrey]

I loved your post. 

Stars really don't get the attention their variety deserves. Stars is a great website, but I couldn't get the link to work (might just be me). The non-secure http link might?

http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/sowlist.html

James

[laudropb]

Very interesting and very different type of report. It certainly has got me thinking.

[Piero]

This is a fantastic post, a pleasure to read  I haven't every done what you did, but it is definitely inspiring.

Thanks very much for sharing this here. I look forward to reading your next session out!

Piero

[Paul M]

It's nice to appreciate the simple pleasures of looking and wondering.

It's something I used to do with my old 60mm refractor as a boy, mostly because it wasn't great for much else! The books I had then didn't give an awful lot of detail but it was still a good way to get to know them.

They all have a story to tell!

 

[Dave In Vermont]

A beautiful report - summation! I hope everyone takes the time to do such voyaging in the cosmos. And/or gets a chance to do so more often. This opens vistas of understanding the true nature of what and where we are as sentient creatures.

Please do continue!

Dave

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

11 hours ago, jkwhinfrey said:

I loved your post. 

Stars really don't get the attention their variety deserves. Stars is a great website, but I couldn't get the link to work (might just be me). The non-secure http link might?

http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/sowlist.html

James

Thanks for supplying a proper link,James.

It may seem a bit 'basic',but an enjoyable session can be spent working your way through the different Star spectral (colour) groups ,an annotated version of the Hertsprung-Russell diagram is a good guide.

I find the cool,intensely red 'Carbon' stars to be very interesting to contemplate.

[Size9Hex]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I never know whether my ramblings will just come across as naive nonsense to those with more experience! Glad it was of interest. 

[cotterless45]

More than interesting , especially for newbies or those struggling with light pollution. 
I've had folks spending far too much time and aperture searching for elusive fuzzy dso's. Simple stars, many of them named , like "La Superba" , "The Garnet Star" and "Hind's Crimson Star" are lovely targets. 

Many of the main constellation stars are either double or multiples. Then there's the mass of double stars in such sources as Sissy Haas and Eagle Creek. 

Then move on to the open clusters, with colours and asterisms. These include some stunning star clouds , that's before exploring globular clusters which orbit in the galaxy halo.
There's a great deal to find out and observe, before delving deeper for the fainter stuff !

you don't need huge aperture, just an achro, which even looks like a proper scope !?

clear skies!

Nick.

 

[Paul M]

2 hours ago, cotterless45 said:

 

you don't need huge aperture, just an achro, which even looks like a proper scope !?

clear skies!

Nick.

 

    Yes, you're right Nick, they do kinda look like telescopes, but I think this is the wrong achro?