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night vision as you get older


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I know everyones different, but when your over 60 how does your night vision perform?

I had cataracts removed last year and can now go about without glasses......but need them for reading.

People keep saying that the likes of M31 is visible with the naked eye.....but ive still to see the thing ?    I use the Star Walk 2 App so know where to look.

Was wondering if my night vision at my age could be the reason even after an hour out in the dark ?  The night sky where I live isn't too bad for light pollution.

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I'm 55 and even at a dark sky site (Stiperstones in Shropshire) with relatively well adapted eyes I could barely make out M31.

At a recent club meet older members claimed to be able to see it, but I couldn't! I think it must be very dependent on the individual. I think my night vision takes a long time to work up to 'full power', possibly a couple of hours.

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I am in the older category, and have gradually progressing cataracts, not that I have noticed any problem, just the optician told me.  But 8 years ago I could not see M31 with the naked eye (or with glasses) even though others said they could.

Carole 

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At 47 I'm still a whipper-snapper but I've just started being able to see it after a couple of years looking unsuccessfully. Seeing it for the first time is the problem and then it gets easier and easier conditions allowing. I think training, memory and knowing exactly what to expect are important here. In all my stargazing it's surprising how much easier I find it to make out faint stuff after the second or third time.

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I guess, as well as a dark sky, you probably need good atmospheric transparency too, in order to see M31 naked eye. Living in Glasgow, I never will see M31 unaided from here. I also have developing cataracts and floaters. The cataracts mainly cause problems seeing in the shadow when it's bright roundabout. Night time hasn't been problematic - yet! I'm not sure how having cataract surgery affects seeing objects at long distance/infinity? Perhaps glasses are needed for that as well as for reading?

Louise

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M31 and other similar FGF's (faint grey fuzzies) are figments of the imagination dreamt up to get me to waste hours of my time trying to find them.........fingers in ears............they just don't exist La, La, La,.......

Ha, Ha

Seriously I look into the sky and I am not convinced that I could see many Messiers without a telescope, maybe Pleiades and possibly the area of M42, but not much else.  I have just started counting backwards from 50!

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Hi there, I'm 68 and I have seen M31 naked eye on a number of occasions in my back garden one mile from Swindon town centre.  Try Mizar and Alcor in Ursa Major, I can also separate the main double stars naked eye, although with a telescope it is multiple star system.  If you can split the two stars you are said to have good eyesight.

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48 here and can still see M31 fairly easily if the skies are good enough. I think experience makes up to some degree for eyesight degrading up to a point ie knowing what to look for. I’m always amazed at just how big my children’s pupils are in the dark, they are huge! Even just sitting around a table with my 84 year old parents, myself and the children you can see the difference age makes! If only I had started stargazing earlier!

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Yep I'm 40 12 and can still see M31 but only from here in Spain, definitely not at home in the UK.  I think it really helped once I had found and seen it for the first time as I then knew exactly what I was looking for.

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66 years now; always had a good eyesight (well corrected myopia). Under 21 mag skies/NELM 5.6, M 31 is still easy for me, even when only 20° above the horizon. On better nights, I can now and then spot M 13 with averted vision, when it's high up in the sky. Fairly blessed and thankful.

Stephan

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