These famous lists are excellent for visual astronomy but can be disappointing
for the astrophotographer. For example, a sparse open
star cluster sparkles at the eyepiece but can be uninspiring as an
image. A small planetary nebula may be striking visually but may be
too small to show interesting detail in a photograph. On the other hand,
many nebulae that are faint to the eye can have striking texture and
hue on long exposures. Spiral galaxies blossom into a rich diversity of
shapes and colors.