Quote:

---

Is it true that from the very darkest locations in the world, you can actually glimpse mag 8 stars visually?

---

Quote:

---

Also, when they say that an 8" sct can "see" down to 14th mag, what kind of visual limiting mag are they talking about?

---

I wouldn't take statements like this too seriously. Yes, under dark skies with excellent seeing, keen-eyed observers can undoubtedly see fainter than mag 15.0 in an 8-inch scope. And obviously, if the sky is both bright and severely hazy, you might have trouble seeing first-magnitude stars through the same instrument.

But in general, light pollution has less effect on limiting telescopic magnitude than limiting naked-eye magnitude. That's because magnification is your first weapon against light pollution. Human eyes operate far below the optimal magnification for a 7-mm aperture.

For what it's worth, I've never been anywhere where I couldn't see 4.0-mag stars on a night of good transparency, as long as there weren't lights shining directly in my face. That includes my mother's apartment in upper Manhattan and the 87th floor of the Empire State Building. I've never tried from serious bright spots like (say) Las Vegas or Tokyo.

--------------------
Tony Flanders

eyeglasses
6x15 and 8x32 monoculars
8x25, 7x35, 10x30 IS, 10x50, and 15x70 binoculars
70mm and 100mm achromatic refractors
4.5", 7", and 12.5" Dobs

Post Extras