My neighbor's kid saw my Jupiter photo and asked if it was a real planet

I was showing my new telescope shot of Jupiter from my backyard in Tucson, and this 7 year old from down the street pointed and said 'that's not a sticker?'. It made me realize how used I am to seeing these pictures. What's a good way to explain astro photos to someone who's never seen them before?

3 comments

3 Comments

riverperry3mo ago

Know exactly what you mean. That moment hits you hard, realizing how normal space pictures are for us now. I'd start by saying it's like a super zoomed in picture from a really good camera, but for things super far away. Maybe show them a regular photo of the night sky first, then your Jupiter shot, so they see the difference the telescope makes. It's cool they asked, means you sparked something.

wood.john3mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, that part about it hitting you hard is so true. It's easy to forget how wild it is that we can just... see Jupiter's storms from our backyard. I love your idea of showing a normal sky photo first to really make the telescope's power clear.

alice2421mo ago

Is it weird that I felt a little proud when that kid thought it was a sticker? Like, my photo was so good it looked fake, which is honestly the best compliment for a backyard astrophotographer (even if I did spend half an hour fighting with a wobbly tripod). I think @wood.john's idea of starting with a regular sky photo is spot on, because then you can frame the Jupiter one as, "see how much extra detail the telescope pulls out of that same dot you see with your eyes". I'd also add that it's like looking at a friend's vacation photo of the Grand Canyon - it's real, just way more zoomed in and processed than what you'd see standing there. Also, maybe warn them that Jupiter looks way smaller and shakier live through the eyepiece (because it does, and I don't want him thinking I lied to him).

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