How do emission nebulae generally appear to an observer looking through a small telescope eyepiece?
Answer
Faint, greenish-gray smudges.
Through a standard eyepiece, the integrated signal appears muted; the human eye's low-light vision is relatively insensitive to the deep red light from hydrogen, causing the faint blue-green oxygen lines to seem more prominent, blending into a perceived muted green or gray.
#Videos
Why Are Emission Nebulae Different Colors? - Physics Frontier
What Makes Emission Nebulae Glow In Distinct Colors? - YouTube
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