Why can I only see my eye through my telescope?
You say you put it together. Maybe you should review the assembly instructions again. I think maybe the secondary mirror is aimed at your eye. It shoud be 45 degrees to your eye so that the image you are trying to view is reflected to your eye.
Looking through the wrong end of the telescope?
It is a metaphor for doing something to solve a problem but doing it incorrectly so that makes a problem worse. This saying emerges out of the properties of a telescope or a pair of binoculars. When one wants to see something far away they may peer through a telescope, which when used correctly magnifies the distant object and makes it bigger and clearer. But if one peers into the wrong end of the telescope it actually makes the object appear even farther away and too tiny to see.
I was looking through my telescope at the moon...?
In decades of observing the Moon, the only things I've ever seen pass in front of it are birds and airplanes. Airplanes are usually high enough that they're in focus and readily identifiable. Birds are usually at a lower altitude and out-of-focus, so may look circular.
Why am i scared to look through a telescope? - more details?
when i look through one, i get scared because i'm thinking of those planets, and how they're so far away just makes me think beyond the universe and to me i find it frightening. especially if i see planets close up in a book ex. i have an astronomy book, i get scared when i see this blow up very detailed picture of a planet, i can't explain whyy! what's wrong with me is it some kind of phobia I find the space so amazingly interesting, i someday want to be come a cosmologist or cosmotologist whichever it is. * also when i look through a telescope i try to think beyond the universe, and because of the inifinite aspect, how the universe never stops, leads to me to think their IS a god. Why are we here?? why did god decide for us to be here, is their even a god? if their is one, how did he even form? why is their even life, is this a dream/ how do dreams even exist? and why did god decide for their to be life.. and not for their to just be a just nothing place, no one thinking, BLANK.
Do you go blind if you look at the sun through a telescope?
(Going anonymous because my mom does not know about this incidence, it’s still a secret between me and my dad)So my dad bought me this Telescope when I was young. First thing we were going to look though this fancy thing was a complete solar eclipse early in the morning (Sun was just above horizon). We set the telescope up on our roof and and then he went downstairs to get filters. Before going, he warned me “Do NOT look through the telescope be patient, I am going to get some filters”.I was 13 years old, a teenager who thought nothing was going to happen to him. The telescope was up, sun was almost fully eclipsed and no sign of dad yet. My impatience and curiosity took over, I thought I will use my left eye so if something happens my right eye will be fine. I looked through the eyepiece and there was this amazing view of fully eclipsed sun. Few seconds later when sun was slightly exposed there was this bright flash of light, it was so bright that within a fraction of a second I bolted back, fell on my butt. My left eyesight was dark for sometime after that.A week after this incidence I was wearing prescription glasses. 14 years later today, my prescription still hasn’t changed. My doctor said I was lucky that I did not damage my Retina. So basically exposure to a fraction of the part of the early morning sun for a fraction of a second through the telescope was enough to damage my eye and I am still paying price for my own stupidityWhat do we learn from this story?NEVER EVER look at Sun through a telescope.Learn to be patientBe curious but use cautionSo yes, most probably you will go blind if you look at the sun through telescope, at the very least you will do permanent damage to your eyeEdit 1: Fortunately my eyesight was not that badly damaged, I can see everything without glasses. I just need them to read signs that are at a decent distance.
How come when I look into my extremely high powered telescope I can't see any detail on any planet?
How come when I look into my extremely high powered telescope I can't see any detail on any planet?Without knowing details, I can only guess. Your question’s wording makes me wonder what you mean by “extremely high powered.” If you’re talking about numerical magnification, that might explain a lot.Most astronomers I know use the lowest possible magnification that gives them an acceptable view. There are several limits to usable magnification. In no particular order, here are a few possibilities.Atmospheric conditions: We rate these by describing the Astronomical seeing. Very roughly, the more the stars are twinkling, the worse the conditions are. Bad conditions limit the amount of magnification you can actually use. Beyond a certain point, I describe it as “magnifying mush.” If you’ve got a mushy image, try reducing your magnification.Limitations of the telescope: You can get almost any numerical magnification you like. Having said that, there’s a practical limit to how much your telescope can realistically provide. As a general rule of thumb, figure your absolute maximum useful magnification to be about 2x per millimeter of aperture, or about 50x per inch.So, for my 102mm (4″) telescope, my maximum usable magnification is about 200x. For my 203mm (8″) telescope, my maximum usable magnification is about 400x. When I observe from my back yard, I’m lucky to get half that.Excessive brightness: Some planets are so incredibly bright in a telescope that all detail is washed out. Jupiter can be a major offender here. The solution is to use a neutral density (ND) filter to dim the light to a comfortable level. My favorite filter for this is a crossed polarizer, sometimes called a “variable transmission” filter. This lets you adjust the amount of light passing through from as little as 2% to as much as 40%. That can make a tremendous difference.Those are a few things that come to mind. Good luck!
What is it like to see nebula through a telescope?
As others have already posted, if your expecting what you see in professional astrophotos, you're bound to be disappointed.That being said, there is a lot to be gained by using a backyard telescope in terms of connecting to the cosmos.I'll never forget the wonder of seeing Jupiter's moons shift position over the course of an evening. For some reason it was just more "real" than seeing all the glorious colors in a photo.The sense of accomplishment one gains from learning the sky and locating one of the "faint fuzzies" (messier objects etc.) or a visiting comet is fantastic.I would recommend that before investing any money that you invest in a few issues of Sky and Telescope magazine and at least one or two books on amateur astronomy equipment.Many first timers suffer from buyers remorse. A little research goes a long way, it's easy to spend a LOT of money and not really get what's best for you.In astro gear you generally get what you pay for, but what you pay for may not do what you need.Another tip, buy from a reputable dealer, not department store, the dealer is generally much more knowledgeable and can assist in you decision making process. Also, don't rule out used gear from a specialist. properly cared for optics can last a lifetime and sell for far less than new.Recommended ReadsThe Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Terence Dickinson and Alan DyerNightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe by Terence Dickinson, Adolf Schaller and Timothy FerrisAstronomy Hacks: Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky by Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson
I was looking through my telescope and saw what appeared to see a shooting star, but it was travelling slower than usual. What could this have been?
That could have been a satellite. Shooting stars generally barely last for a 1-2 secs as they are basically dust particles entering our atmosphere and burning up, and any average size particle burns up on about 2secs.