I've heard people say that as you age, colors change.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time on the orion nebula. I had a really nice
Criterion Dynascope 6". I remember the nebula being remarkably green,
almost bright green. Then I didn't do much viewing for 10 years and it has
virtually changed colors. It can only be one of 3 things:

1. The color has changed
2. My ability to see color has changed
3. There's something wrong with one of my scopes.

My guess the orion hasn't changed color much in the last 25 years. I'm
pretty confident it has in the last 15.
I know my eyesight has changed significantly during that time (and I stare
at computers all day long, I'm sure that doesn't help).
Scopes have only gotten better although I'd put that Dynascope up against
most in it's class.

My best guess is #2 is right.

Mike.


"Jon Isaacs" wrote in message
...
From my highly light polluted porch (chicago suburbs), the nebula
appears very clearly green.

My experience as well. The other night it was particularly green.

Try this one one for size. Best to do this when the moon is near full
because
it involves ruining your dark adaption.

A scope of at least 10 inch preferable:

Step #`1. Find Orion Nebula

Step #2. Stare at the moon with your observing eye through the scope or a
bright light for long enough to be sure that you dark adaptation is gone
and
that you are relying on your color vision.

Step #3. Find the Orion Nebula with your other eye and then view it with
your
"observing eye" (not dark adapted) eye with a low power eyepiece.

What I seem to see doing this is a smaller but more colorful Orion Nebula.

My hypothesis is that since night vision is essentially greyscale, by
bleaching
out the receptors, that greyscale signal no longer overwhelms the color
signal
from the cones and if the image is bright enough (low power, large exit
pupil)
then one can see the color....

For what its worth...

jon isaacs