Best Way To View The Moon

Binoculars may be your best choice to explore the moon.

For people who like to explore the world beyond earth, the moon is a great place to start. Unlike the Sun, people have visited the moon and also, the a full lit moon can be gazed into directly whereby looking directly at the sun can be harmful to your eyes. So, with that being said, its fun to explore the different ways we can view the moon.

Viewing the moon through a telescope can be fascinating. Telescopes have gotten more powerful over time and they do a fantastic job at helping you to better view remote objects. Telescopes can be a great tool to view the moon, however if you use a telescope to look at a very bright moon - it can be straining on your eyes and affect your vision. The moon is brightest when it is a full moon, so if you are going to use a telescope, you wouldn't want to view the moon during its full phase.

Binoculars can be less powerful than telescopes - so they can allow you to look at the moon with less effect on the eyes. Also, binoculars are of course generally less expensive and easier to transport then the telescope.

Telescopes are great instruments for gazing at stars which are light years away. However, the moon is only 240,000 miles away from earth - which is why it seems so big. And, a simple pair of binoculars offer a great way to view the moon. As for when you should view the moon; viewing the moon just after the first quarter or just before the last quarter - offers the best views and the best experience to view the moon. We wouldn't advise gazing deep into the moon during its full moon phase. And, if you ever experience discomfort while gazing into the moon, it is a good idea to stop looking at it.

Please note, it is never a good idea to look directly into the sun, and is even a worse idea to look at the sun with binoculars or a telescope. So, it is not advisable to ever do this.