You do not need a telescope to view the moon. In fact many astronomers who own telescopes prefer a good set of binoculars on a simple tripod to a mounted telescope. You also do not need a lot of magnification. The greater the magnification the greater the need for a tripod as the magnification exaggerates the shaking. The moon is quite bright so you do not need the large, light gathering apertures often found in telescopes. In Fact, those who use such telescopes for Lunar viewing often must attenuate the light source with neutral density filters. To try to view the moon without them is frustrating. Any reasonably good binoculars in the 7 x 50 range will give you 7 times magnification, and the 50mm lenses admit enough light to serve the purpose. It they are "wide field" binoculars, that is even better. The duration of the eclipse is several hours and for that reason, even holding a set of binoculars can be tiring. Some sort of device like a tripod will help prevent getting tired arms. You do not need a telescope to view the moon. In fact many astronomers who own telescopes prefer a good set of binoculars on a simple tripod to a mounted telescope. You also do not need a lot of magnification. The greater the magnification the greater the need for a tripod as the magnification exaggerates the shaking. The moon is quite bright so you do not need the large, light gathering apertures often found in telescopes. In Fact, those who use such telescopes for Lunar viewing often must attenuate the light source with neutral density filters. To try to view the moon without them is frustrating. Any reasonably good binoculars in the 7 x 50 range will give you 7 times magnification, and the 50mm lenses admit enough light to serve the purpose. It they are "wide field" binoculars, that is even better. The duration of the eclipse is several hours and for that reason, even holding a set of binoculars can be tiring. Some sort of device like a tripod will help prevent getting tired arms.
Precautions must be taken to avoid damage to the eyes while observing a solar eclipse ... an eclipse of the sun. No such caution is required while viewing a lunar eclipse. You can freely look at the moon as much as you wish, whether or not it's in the process of being eclipsed, provided, of course, that your attention is not required elsewhere ... on the road ahead of your car, for example.
No, it is not safe to look directly at the sun through a telescope as it can cause serious damage to your eyes. Always use appropriate solar filters or projection methods to safely view the sun through a telescope.
January 30th On January 30th there was a FULL LUNAR ECLIPSE
You don't need ANY kind of telescope to see the solar eclipse. If you have a telescope, and _IF_ you have a projection eyepiece that will project the Sun's image onto the screen, then you can use it - but the problem with viewing the Sun is more in decreasing the intensity of the image rather than magnifying it.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth such that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. There's a popular misconception that during an eclipse the sun emits some sort of unusual light that can blind you in as little as a blink. But the sun's light is no different during an eclipse than any other time. It is safe to view a lunar eclipse without any eye protection because you will be looking at the moon gone black.
It is o.k. to view a lunar eclipse, because unlike a solar eclipse you are not viewing direct sunlight which can be harmful and blinding but rather reflected light. When viewing a lunar eclipse you would see even less light than viewing a full moon which we know is safe.
Precautions must be taken to avoid damage to the eyes while observing a solar eclipse ... an eclipse of the sun. No such caution is required while viewing a lunar eclipse. You can freely look at the moon as much as you wish, whether or not it's in the process of being eclipsed, provided, of course, that your attention is not required elsewhere ... on the road ahead of your car, for example.
Lunar eclipses are safe to watch, as moon light is reflected light and a lot weaker than the direct light from the sun.
No, it is not safe to look directly at the sun through a telescope as it can cause serious damage to your eyes. Always use appropriate solar filters or projection methods to safely view the sun through a telescope.
During a solar eclipse, one looks towards the Sun, and without proper protection eye damage can be caused. During a lunar eclipse, one looks at the Moon, which is significantly less bright than the Sun.
January 30th On January 30th there was a FULL LUNAR ECLIPSE
A lunar eclipse is perfectly safe - a solar eclipse, not so. Basically you're looking straight at the sun, which isn't such a hot idea at any time. A few stray rays, and the intense light can damage your eyes.
You don't need ANY kind of telescope to see the solar eclipse. If you have a telescope, and _IF_ you have a projection eyepiece that will project the Sun's image onto the screen, then you can use it - but the problem with viewing the Sun is more in decreasing the intensity of the image rather than magnifying it.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth such that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. There's a popular misconception that during an eclipse the sun emits some sort of unusual light that can blind you in as little as a blink. But the sun's light is no different during an eclipse than any other time. It is safe to view a lunar eclipse without any eye protection because you will be looking at the moon gone black.
A solar eclipse is when the sun is blocked from view due to the moon passing exactly in front of the sun as it circles around the globe. However, since the earth moon and sun do not share the same orbital plane, this happens very rarely. You MUST wear special protective eye covering to directly observe a solar eclipse or you risk causing serious injury including blindness. Sunglasses, however good they are, DO NOT PROTECT YOUR EYES during a solar eclipse. Don't directly observe a solar eclipse unless you have guaranteed that your eye wear is certified to protect you. A lunar eclipse is when the moon and sun are on opposite sides of the globe, and the moon is full. At this time, when the earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon this is called a lunar eclipse. The moon will often appear red during a total lunar eclipse. For the same reason as a solar eclipse, this also happens very rarely, but more frequently at a given location than solar eclipses. It is safe to observe a lunar eclipse without any special protective covering for the eyes. Just remember that if you are looking at an eclipse at night, it is safe to view.
No, looking at Venus through a telescope will not make you go blind. It is safe to observe Venus using proper eye protection and following safe viewing practices similar to observing the sun.
According to NASA's website, total lunar eclipses have limited scientific value. Because they are beautiful events, however, they do help people to become interested in science. They also provide unique learning experiences for children, parents, and teachers to experience together. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are totally safe to view with no protection for the eyes and need no special equipment for viewing, although using a pair of binoculars or telescope will bring out the moon's colors.