Deep sky object

From ArticleWorld

Deep sky objects are objects in the night sky with the exception of Solar System objects. This term is coined mainly by amateur astronomers and the objects referred to are normally not visible by the naked eye. There are however some exceptions such as the Andromeda galaxy that can be viewed by the naked eye. The brighter deep sky objects can be seen with small telescopes or good binoculars. There have also been photographs of these objects through small telescopes. In order to get better clarity however these objects would require viewing using a larger telescope.

Types of DSO's

There are many astronomical objects that are beyond our Solar System and classified as deep sky objects. These are classified by the Messier catalog that is composed of about 110 objects. There are other more comprehensive catalogs such as the New General Catalog which has close to 8000 objects. The objects identified in these catalogs are used by many amateur astronomers to test their equipment and skill.

Some types of deep sky objects include star clusters, nebulae, galaxies and quasars. There are two types of star clusters and these are open and globular. The nebulae are divided into three major kinds which are bright, dark and planetary nebulae. The bright nebulae are further sub-divided into the emission and the reflection nebulae.

Viewing deep sky objects

Little was known about deep sky objects and the use of imaging tools and photography has assisted in the gain of valuable information about these objects. The use of tools such as the binoculars and even the naked eye has been used in the location of these objects. There has also been the use of the telescope to view these objects. Deep sky objects are often listed in good star maps which can assist the amateur astronomer in locating objects.