Qualia, thank you SO much for this excellent post you wrote. Years ago, I went to an observatory and got to see Jupiter in the large telescope, but was not impressed since it was just a bright white dot with the bright white moons around it. I decided to give astronomy another try since I love the night sky and learning about space, so I just recently purchased a decent set of binoculars. I also read some short beginner books on astronomy and binoculars. Last night I tried the binoculars out for the first time and, some other factors aside, I was a litte disappointed feeling wondering why I wasn't so blown away and seeing things like several of the online reviewers had been saying about the binos (photos they'd posted after using nice equipment and software to edit). Now, I understand what has been some of my misunderstandings and improper expectations the past few years, and reading everyone's thoughts on this post has given me encouragement to go back and try it again, with a different purpose and outlook now...knowing what I'll see, and being excited and stunned at these beautiful celestial objects so far away that we can see. Thank you for your wisdom and for the encouragement and help your post was for me.