2006-12-28 02:19:25 · 9 answers · asked by terrence j 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I don't know. But I've heard you can see more if you don't look at the moon when it's full. There are more shadows to contrast the craters.
2006-12-28 02:22:34 · answer #1 · answered by Jessy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Depending what you mean by "hurt".
The Moon reflects less than 20% of the light it receives and reflects it in all direction. Still, the Full Moon has a magnitude of -12.6 (the Sun is approx. 450,000 times brighter than the Full Moon). If you were to look at the moon through a very large telescope (the largest I've used on the Moon is 1.6 m in aperture), then it is possible to shove a lot of light into your eye.
Will it hurt you "as much" as looking a the Sun? Probably not (the image is spread out over a larger area and you'd need a 5 m telescope to increase the amount of light by a factor of 450,000).
You can still suffer temporary blind spots with a much smaller telescope, especially with low magnification power.
2006-12-28 10:32:10 · answer #2 · answered by Raymond 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is not dangerous, but it IS bright, isn't it? It will not damage your eye in any way but can be unpleasant to look at, so there are Moon filters available (see the source). Another way to reduce the glare is to just cover up part of the front of the telescope. That will reduce resolution, but at low power you won't notice it. You can just put your hand in front or make a cardboard cover with a hole in it that is small enough to let in only as much light as you need. Experiment with different size holes, but I think 2 or 3 inches would be good. At high power, the magnification alone makes the image dimmer.
But in any case, it is not nearly bright enough to damage your eye. It is perfectly safe.
2006-12-28 10:31:10 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it wont hurt your eyes. The moon light is reflected sun light. The harmful rays are not reflected.
2006-12-28 10:22:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I doubt if it would do permanent damage but it's pretty bright. They sell lunar filters to bring the level down.
2006-12-28 18:54:45 · answer #5 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no // only if you look at the sun during an eclipse that can burn your eyes
2006-12-28 10:24:53 · answer #6 · answered by lugwrench3@verizon.net 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No
2006-12-28 14:21:11 · answer #7 · answered by diamond r 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-12-28 10:22:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No!
2006-12-28 10:53:14 · answer #9 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋