It’s hectic when you buy a new telescope but can’t see anything except your own eye.
Especially when you are new and you don’t even have a single clue.
Your first challenge is then, “why do I see my eye in my telescope?”
You can see with your own eyes in a telescope due to wrong focusing. The focusing can be faulty and instead of a planet, you are seeing your own eye’s reflection. Or perhaps the finder scope and the telescope are not aligned. Another reason could be, your lens may require a bit of collimation.
However, it’s not the end of your dream. A bit of in-depth knowledge and the problem becomes a piece of cake!
Guess what? That’s why I have summoned the perfect article for your aid.
So, ready the telescope and sharpen your eyes! It’s time to look sky-high!
Eye Reflection at The Telescope
Eye reflection at the telescope is a rookie issue for most people at the beginning of using a telescope.
Nevertheless, if there’s a curse, there’s a cause. In fact, multiple causes if I say.
Issue-01: Faulty Movement of The Focuser
If your focus is somewhat messed up then you can see your eye gazing at yourself. It’s one of the most common issues responsible for eye reflection.
Source: spacegear
What happens most of the time is, the focuser of your telescope is not at a proper adjustment. Either you are moving your focuser too or too slow.
As a result, you end up with a view of your own eye.
So, the next time you think, “why can’t I see anything through my telescope”, then check your focus.
Issue-02: Eyepiece Cover
Another possible cause is not removing the eyepiece cover.
Seems like a bit of a silly question? Actually, it’s a common greenhorn mistake. Now if the eyepiece is blocked then how can you see any planet?
Hey, don’t feel disheartened now. Perhaps you forgot to pull it out of excitement.
However, if you don’t remove the lead of the eyepiece, then you can end up seeing the reflection of your own eye.
Since light can’t enter from any other object to the eyepiece, then it works like a mirror. Thus the reflection can be seen.
Issue-03: Miss of A Perfect Lining
Another cause could be the telescope lacks collimation.
Apart from the focusing issue, the telescope still can show you your own eyes.
It’s due to the parts of the telescopes not being aligned properly. As a result, an error can occur and you might end up seeing your eye.
Issue-04: Distance You are Focusing
If you are not focusing at an appropriate distance, then such weird mistakes can occur.
Telescopes that are usually used for space-view, are made to work properly over a displacement. This means that you need to set the focus accordingly.
If the focus is out of the range of distance or smaller than the distance, then your eye can give you a peek!
These are some possible excuses for which your eye gives you ‘Hi’ over the telescope.
Other Issues of Eye Reflection at Telescope
When you encounter the eye through your telescope, this is not the only thing that happens.
Reflections of the eye at the telescope have some other issues as well.
These other problems often occur simultaneously with the reflection issue.
Eyelash
Sometimes, you might have to think “why can I see my eyelashes in a telescope?”
Because, instead of eyes, you can end up seeing eyelashes.
Actually, it’s the shade of the eyelashes.
If the radius of the eyelash is larger than that of the outer pupil, then the projection of the eyelash falls over the view.
As a result, you can see your eyelashes through the telescope as well.
White or Cloudy Screen
Suppose you start to see nothing but a white screen through your telescope. What could be the reason actually?
There are two main reasons. Firstly, your focusing can have an error. Your telescope might not have any fixed focus point.
Thus you will see everything cloudy and white.
The second reason is, your eye can take time to process the images.
Our eyes consist of two types of sensory. One helps us to see in the mid-light. While the other works in bright lights.
Unfortunately, eyes don’t shift the sensors immediately. It takes time.
Perhaps your next concern becomes,” why can I only see white through my telescope?”
How to Fix The Problem
You would have never wanted to see your eyes at the telescope. After all, you are brought for seeing planets and know how to look through a telescope, right?
Avoid Mechanical Error
Try to avoid mechanical errors while you go for a sky view.
Use the telescope appropriately. Assemble the components at the right orders.
You must know how to tell if a telescope needs collimation. Then make collimation. Remove the cover from the eyepiece.
If you are a guy who doesn’t know the difference between astronomy and a binocular, then follow the instruction manual that comes with the telescope.
Plus, you can find many tutorials on the internet. Follow them accordingly.
Things to Keep in Mind While Focusing
Be extra caring about the focus of the telescope.
Always maintain a proper focus distance. 100 feet distance is usually expected to be ideal for focusing. Maintain a perfect focus distance.
Also, Move the focuser accurately. Move firmly and follow the distance parameters while moving the focuser.
This way, you can get a perfect focus for the view and you can see planets instead of your eyeball.
Moding your Telescope
If you are having trouble seeing through the telescope, then you can mod your telescope.
Nowadays, there are a lot of ways to mod as well as upgrade your telescope. You can even build a brand new solar telescope just by modding!
You can replace the eyepieces, change the start angle or add up the Barlow lens.
Here’s our recommendation for Barlow lenses.
- Barlow Lens 2X, Bysameyee– The magnification of any 1.25 inch eyepiece is doubled through this lens.
- Celestron Omni 2X Barlow Lens– Known for its minimal reflections like seeing your own eye through it.
However, upgrade according to your need and see if your problem is solved or not.
So, troubleshoot your telescope like that and you don’t need to see the third eye.
FAQs
Why Do I See Spots at My Telescope?
If your telescope mirrors are dirty then you can see spots. Telescope mirrors can get dirty. Different particles and dust can fall. These particles can put on spots over the mirror. So, a cleanup is mandatory. You can clean up your telescope’s mirror at five years of interval and keep the dust away.
What to Do for The Chromatic Aberration of Telescopes?
Use a secondary lens that is carefully manufactured. Chromatic aberration is a common problem for refracting telescopes. Mount the secondary lens just at the back of the main lens. This way, the secondary lens covers up most of the chromatic aberration.
What Is The Best Method for checking Eye Reflection at The Telescope?
Check your telescope in a bright place for checking eye reflection. This way, enough light can get through the telescope lens.You can check whether the focus is okay or not, what if there’s any reflection of your eye etc. Also, you won’t face the problem of seeing white space through the lens.
Conclusion
That’s it, Kepler! Now you have the answer to, “why do I see my eye in my telescope?”
Still, If any query is still left, then you can go to any Astro prodigy for suggestions.
Till then stay safe.
To infinity and beyond!
