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Sciencing

Sciencing

Science

Science

These are the brightest objects in the night sky that aren't actually stars

Sciencing
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Many of the thousands of stars visible in the night sky are actually made up of a diversity of cosmic bodies ranging from planets to galaxies and even far-off nebulae.

In January 2025 , Venus went on an absolute tear in January 2025 when it shone incredibly bright at an apparent magnitude of -4.4.

Jupiter is the brightest star in the east that isn't a star at all.

The last time Mars was as bright as it was in January 2025 was in December 2022 , and that won't occur again until February 2027 .

The only other galaxy besides our own that can be seen with the naked eye is our galactic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy .

Orion Nebula , also known as M42 , is one of the closest nebulbulae to Earth , and it's a relatively easy find.

Orion nebula's stars are so hot that they produce deadly levels of ultraviolet radiation, ionizing atoms that glow as their electrons are shredded off in the process.

The Carina Nebula is the more common name for Caldwell 92 , a nebula that lies within our own galaxy at 7,500 light-years away from Earth .