I’ve been asked “Is that REAL?” several times when showing Jupiter or Saturn through my telescope. Sometimes the viewer adds “Is there a screen in that thing?” I joke about how a light touch on the telescope shakes the image around a bit – sometimes I get gasps from the viewer when I do that, when they realize that YUP! It’s REAL! This morning, in the glum moments before my first cup of coffee, I wondered: did those viewers think I had them look through my telescope so I could FOOL them, or LIE to them somehow? That’s a lot of effort for me to go through just to be a jerk… For a vast majority of the public who look through my telescope, it’s their first time doing so. “Oh Wow!” is always satisfying to hear, and common with first-timers. But let’s have a look at that a bit closer – that person is saying “Oh WOW!” because they’re having “a … Continue reading →