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theelljar t1_iy8jpx4 wrote

can you see the different colors of the stars with your naked eye or do you need a special lens or telescope or something?

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Star-Fever OP t1_iy8rkx1 wrote

Yes, you definitely can see star colors if you have a nice dark-sky area. In this pic, Betelgeuse is noticeably orange-red. And Sirius is a bright blue-white. The naked eye can also notice the magenta color of the Great Orion Nebula. Of course, long exposure photos (and vibrance/saturation adjustments) make it all more noticeable, but it's very cool to even get a glimpse of it in real life, out in the dark looking up at the sky.

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LeektheGeek t1_iy8mzkc wrote

Most stars always look white or off white to the naked eye

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theelljar t1_iy8n2pd wrote

yes that's what i was wondering! so if i wanted to see them like this, I'd need a telescope?

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Star-Fever OP t1_iy8suce wrote

Certain stars are very distinctive. (All of this star-gazing works much better if you go out to a dark-sky area, and sit in the dark — no phone, no flashlight, nothing — and let your eyes adjust for at least a half hour.)
Betelgeuse in this photo is definitely red-orange to the naked eye. Just like seeing Mars and its reddish hue. Antares near the Milky Way core (not visible in winter) is bright red. The Orion Nebula is magenta that can be seen by the naked eye. Sirius in this photo is blue-white, but if you look around online you might find compilations of how different it can look depending on "seeing" conditions — how light is distorted and refracted in the atmosphere. Sirius, because it is the brightest star in the night sky, gets noticeably color-shifted by this effect sometimes.

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