My nephew asked me why the stars in his space book looked so blurry compared to my telescope photos

4 comments

4 Comments

Actually, I'd argue those blurry book stars are doing their job perfectly. They're meant to show a kid what they'd see with their own eyes on a clear night, not a processed Hubble image. A super crisp photo sets an impossible standard and makes the real night sky seem disappointing. The blur gives a more honest, achievable goal for a beginner's first look through actual binoculars.

spencer_coleman26d ago

Exactly, blurry book stars set a better first goal.

kimr7423h ago

It's like how they make those cooking show recipes look a bit messy on purpose. If the burger is too perfect on TV, yours at home will always look wrong. A little bit of mess sets a real goal. We see this everywhere with filters making real life seem dull. Maybe showing things a bit rough around the edges just helps people get started without feeling bad.

blair_taylor3227d ago

That bit about an "honest, achievable goal" is interesting... do you think that logic applies to other stuff kids learn from books?