Glenn Chaple's observing basics: Good Sun behavior
June 2005: You can explore the Sun with a telescope, as long as you exercise caution and common sense.
Contributed by Glenn Chaple
Published:
June 1, 2005
"I'm going to be the first human to land a spaceship on the Sun," a man boasts to his friends. "But you'll burn up!" they protested. "No I won't," he responded. "I'll make the voyage at night." Piloting a spaceship to the Sun would be a pretty dangerous enterprise.
Piloting a telescope to our nearest star isn't much safer. A sticker on most telescopes provides an ominous, helpful warning: "CAUTION! VIEWING THE SUN DIRECTLY WITH THIS TELESCOPE MAY CAUSE PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE!" |
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