Top expolorer tourist destinations?

Porina · May 20, 2015

I know exploring is in large part about going where no one has gone before, but you have to admit one driver is the Sagittarius A* run. I've done that previously. Apart from possibly attempting the Buckyball Run A* in the future, I don't have any specific plan to go back.

What I did miss on my last trip was the Great Annihilator, so I'm using that as the focus for my current trip. Same sort of thing I guess. But are there any other notable systems I should check out while passing around the core region?

I'll probably hang around the area farming neutron stars until I head back for powerplay, so I'm in no hurry.

Agony_Aunt · May 20, 2015

Why be a tourist? Chart your own course, try and go somewhere where nobody has been before... although the options there are thinning out if talking about nebula and stuff, far side of the galaxy.

I'm perfectly happy though scanning systems 6-7 thousand LY from Sol, nobody been around here, but i am avoiding the tourist destinations such as nebulae.

xeeleeqax · May 20, 2015

horsehead nebulas nice

Whiterose · May 20, 2015

Any notable nebula, O type stars are also popular, and some people head to constellation stars.

Porina · May 20, 2015

While there is all the small stuff, I don't want to miss the big stuff either. Just because lots have done it already, doesn't mean you shouldn't still do it for yourself. I'm still doing plenty of small stuff on the way.

I'm currently about 18kly out taking the low road, and have found the odd black hole and even a blue smudge along the way. Pre-scanned systems are few and far between.

Zenith · May 20, 2015

NGC 7822 / S171 calls out like a siren across the void. The bright O stars can be seen in a close line from thousands of ly away.

Kancro Vantas · May 20, 2015

Porina said:
While there is all the small stuff, I don't want to miss the big stuff either. Just because lots have done it already, doesn't mean you shouldn't still do it for yourself. I'm still doing plenty of small stuff on the way.

I'm currently about 18kly out taking the low road, and have found the odd black hole and even a blue smudge along the way. Pre-scanned systems are few and far between.

Hmm..hard to advise when not sure where and where not you have been before...nothing beats the popularity of Sag A, although Pleiades and Orion are right up there when it comes to most visit destinations.

An interesting spot I want to check is the Eagle Nebula, just because of the Pillars of Creation and their stellar forge...and also some other spots I could come up with but that I haven't visited them myself.

I think you might want to check Erimus Galactic Map Project. Not only you will find interesting spots people are posting there, but also you could put yourself to service for it, requesting Erimus to assign you an area he would like to have completed for the map, because no one else has recorded it before.

Porina · May 20, 2015

I suppose it doesn't matter where I've been before, as this could be of interest for others also.

This has given me an idea though. Some of the bigger or brighter objects I have imaged from Sol, so it would be interesting to see how they compare close up. Part of my concern here is that I suspect the Hubble images might look better than what I'll see when I'm there!

xeeleeqax · May 20, 2015

seems like the hubble picks are "false" as they take pictures of lots of different wavelengths of light not visible with the human eye. So Elite nebulas seem a bit devoid of detail in comparison, but all that being said there still very interesting places to go and the different colours of the gas clouds are pleasing to my eyes.

Porina · May 20, 2015

I don't know how many total instruments are available on Hubble, but the most famous Hubble palette is a false colour image based on imaging at SII, Ha, OIII wavelengths. The first two are in the deep red region, and the latter is a blue-green. The false colour images helps enhances the differences making them more visible. You've given me an idea... It would be possible to use that to create a simulated "natural colour" image although I'm not sure if anyone has. It wont be strictly correct, but close enough for cosmetic purposes. The data I believe is open for all to access, so if I can find it I might have a go at making these simulated natural colour images later. Of course, if the imaging was done in X-ray or deep IR, that would be invisible to the naked eye but that's not what I'm considering here.

That aside, what gives the Hubble images a lot of "wow" is the detail it manages to pull out, particularly for visually smaller objects as viewed from Sol.

Katejina · May 20, 2015

Since we can't land on planets to explore their individual peculiarities yet, my answer is pretty limited - I've only been to two nebulae, Witch's Head and Skull and Crossbones. Neither were particularly spectacular, but they are fun places to take screenshots in with the different colors of the gasses effecting the region.