I recently saw a photo somebody posted of a galaxy 50 million light years away. I have always wondered, why doesn’t he point it at the moon or even a planet 10 light years away and see the surface up close? We might see water or certain organisms. I have yet to see a picture like that in my lifetime. Thanks in advance for the answer.
In: Other
> see the surface up close. We might see water [droplets] or certain [microscopic] organisms.
A telescope is not a microscope. The microscope works by taking a very bright point of light and **magnifying** it. The telescope works by taking vast amounts of spread out light (diffuse light) and **focusing** it. Telescopes are not binoculars or magnifying glasses either. Binoculars work by taking a small amount of straight focused light (not diffuse) and magnifying it.
If you point the telescope to a nearby object, say the moon, it will take in vast amounts of light of equal luminosity and focus it all down to a uniform pixel. You won’t see any fine detail, certainly not any organisms or water droplets.
Latest Answers