[skyoyster (Alexandra)]

Hello all! Very new at this observing business - been out three nights now with my Takahashi. Each night I've come in with a slight headache, and I'm concerned that I'm straining my eyes. I'm wondering if anyone can give me advice on avoiding this in future.

I am shortsighted, and have been observing without my glasses - much easier to see through the eyepiece, and I can focus it for my eyes easily enough. However, I sometimes don't re-focus it after my perfect-eyesight-husband has been observing, especially when looking at nebulae and similar; it doesn't seem to make much difference, but I'm now wondering if it's stressing my eyes. I also wondered whether switching from eye to eye, which I have been doing, is also not a good idea?

If anyone's experienced something similar, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how not to get a headache!