Brightness of objects through a telescope

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SUMMARY

The brightness of stellar objects observed through a telescope is primarily influenced by the telescope's light-gathering power rather than magnification. Telescopes collect more light than the human eye, allowing for the visibility of more stars. However, increased magnification can cause celestial objects, such as the Moon, to appear dimmer due to the dispersion of light over a larger area. In contrast, terrestrial objects maintain their brightness with minimal change when magnified. Observations of nebulae indicate that they may appear brighter through telescopes due to enhanced light collection.

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  • Understanding of telescope optics and light-gathering power
  • Familiarity with magnification effects in astronomy
  • Basic knowledge of celestial objects and their luminosity
  • Experience with observational techniques in astronomy
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  • Research the principles of telescope light-gathering power and its impact on brightness
  • Learn about the effects of magnification on different types of celestial objects
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Astronomy enthusiasts, amateur astronomers, and educators interested in understanding the effects of telescopes on the visibility and brightness of celestial objects.

NihalRi
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Hi my question is about how the brightness of stellar objects is effected when we look at them through a telescope.
Firstly when I looked through a telescope I noticed there were more stars I could see. Is the reason because a telescope can gather more light than our eye or does it have something to do with magnification.
Also the more we magnify, an object such as the moon appears dimmer. And if we look at objects on Earth they seem to not change brightness much, maybe they become brighter I'm not sure, but I'm wondering why.
Lastly I would like to extend this question to groups of stars like in nebuae. Do they appear btighter or dimmer through telescopes?
I'd like to conducted an investigation of how brightness is effected by magnification and I'm just not sure I'd get any results, I'm also stugling to find a good way yo conduct it, I'm thinking of observing a bulb in a dark toom through different lenses, I haven't thought if s discreet way of obtaining measurements yet. Any suggestions? Or perhaps an alternative like counting the number of stars I can see through a telescope by changing the eye peices?
Thanks in advance :D
 
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The light gathering power of a telescope obviously makes stars appear brighter. Magnification only improves the ability to discern individual stars. Since all stars are so distant they appear to be point sources of light, magnification does not dilute their luminosity like it does for planets.
 
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