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Imagination is not so much as knowledge.
Dunlop et al had no idea about what they were looking at. No notion of galaxies, nebulae, stellar development or relativity. Sure they could resolve globular clusters, but not the understanding of their role.
Once you understand what you are looking at, you not only begin to see more.
Similar with novice eyes vs experienced eyes. Younger eyes will be more light sensitive and have a larger pupil, but the experienced eyes will actually see more as all the training and understanding comes into play.
I see this when I think back on my own experiences and look at my collection of sketches spanning more than 35 years. While as a kid I knew what a nebula was, i had no notion of their actual 3D structure, nor of the forces at play that form its structures or its future. When i looked through a scope 35 years ago, I just saw a fan shaped glowing "thing" that is M42. Today, even when using the exact same scope, I recignise its actual bowl shaped structure created by the power of the Trapezium cluster, recognise the dark pillar that is the Fish Mouth and that it is the gravity of dozens of protostars that make for why it is resisting the erosive power of the Trapezium. And I can also trace out a much wider expansion of faint nebulosity even though my eyes are 35 years older, but they are 35 years more experienced.
Dunlop had a bigger scope and darker skies, but he didn't have the knowledge base that I have today.
Not so much imagination as more knowledge and experience.
Alex.
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