Turns out I was pointing my telescope through a window for 6 months

Yeah so I got a used Celestron 8SE last spring and set it up in my basement thinking I could just aim out the window at night. Spent months wondering why everything looked blurry and soft. Then my buddy Mike came over and asked why my window was open. I said it was closed. He pointed out the glass was messing with the light. Felt like a total idiot. Has anyone else done something this dumb with their gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elizabeth8d ago

Alright, I gotta push back a little here. I mean yeah, shooting through a window isn't ideal, but "total idiot" feels a bit harsh. Glass does mess with the light a bit, sure, but it's not like your telescope was gonna explode. I've seen people mount their scopes on wobbly tripods made of old lawn chairs and still get decent views of the moon. You probably could've gotten some half-decent shots of the brighter planets if you played with the focus enough. Honestly, a lot of the "blurry and soft" thing might've been the seeing conditions or needing a collimation check more than the window itself. Don't beat yourself up, man. It's a hobby. We all do goofy stuff.

wade_perez1d ago

You said "we all do goofy stuff" - so what's the goofiest thing you've done with your own setup that you actually learned from?