A neighbor told me to look for Jupiter through a broken pair of binoculars

Last summer my next door neighbor Bob insisted I could see Jupiter's moons with these old binoculars he had, the ones with the right lens cracked. I figured he was just being a nice guy, you know, making conversation. But one clear night in August I actually tried it, holding the good side up to my eye and bracing my elbows on the fence. And he was totally right. I could see four little dots lined up next to Jupiter, plain as day, no telescope needed. The trick was keeping my head super still and using a low tree branch as a rest. Now I tell everyone to try binoculars first before buying a big scope. Has anyone else had luck with cheap gear for planet watching?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan.mary3d ago

Did Bob offer to cover the other lens with duct tape too?

robert_smith363d ago

Man, that's rough... I feel for you. Sometimes people mean well but their solutions are just... weirdly specific. Like Bob's brain went straight for covering a camera lens and didn't think about how that doesn't actually fix the real problem. It's one of those moments where you just nod and smile while wondering how they got through life this far. I've had coworkers suggest taping things too, like it solves everything from a broken hinge to a leaking pipe. Hope you got it sorted without too much trouble.