How Do Galilean Binoculars Work?
Two Telescopes Side By Side
Galilean binoculars are essentially two Galilean telescopes set up so you can look through one with each eye. A Galilean telescope consists of an eyepiece (or optic) and a larger lens (or objective) set at a distance from each other within a light-tight tube.
The Objective
The objective is the larger lens, the one held furthest from the eye. It is convex (bowing outward) and makes images smaller. The larger the lens, the more light it collects and the larger image it can collect.
The Optic
The optic is the smaller lens, the one held closes to the eye. It is convex (bowing inward) and makes images larger. It takes the minimized image from the objective and magnifies it for viewing.
Other Concepts
A lens will invert any image that passes through it, meaning you'll see it upside down (try looking at your reflection in a spoon). However, because the image in a Galilean binocular passes through two lenses, the image arrives at your eye right side up. Galilean binoculars are the simplest kind of binocular and incapable of magnifying an image too greatly. They are also impossible to adjust for greater or smaller magnification.
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