Expert: Ed - 9/23/2008

Question
Hi Ed,
A question more about observing rather than Lunar.  I have a 10-inch SCT scope and I have noticed a problem while observing the moon with what I call "eye-burn."  While I am using a moon filter (no. 96) on my ep, I get a kind of snow blindness in my eye after a few minutes and it gets a little annoying, not to mention a little disorienting.  Should I be using a different filter or some other technique or maybe just suck it up and enjoy the view?  Thanks in advance for your advice.

Answer
Michael,

This website has an idea or two.  Scroll down to the section entitled "The Moon."
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=4741

If you need more detail, I should tell you that Tom Whiting and Paul Wagner are much more experienced than me, when it comes to telescopes.  They are the AllExperts guys that you should really consult, IMHO.
http://www.allexperts.com/ep/1360-18522/Astronomy/Tom-Whiting.htm
http://www.allexperts.com/ep/1360-4834/Astronomy/Paul-Wagner.htm

here is a general discussion of this topic, which I found on the internet:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080522030347AAX2sSB

I'd like to be more helpful, but unfortunately I live in a brightly lit city, so my telescope is more useful as a dust-gatherer than a star-observer.  I'm just waiting for something incredibly dire to happen in the Strait of Hormuz, so the prices of oil and electicity will go waaaayyyyy up and people will stop wasting electricity by keeping the city illuminated while they're all asleep.

Keep Looking Up,
--Ed