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Message: <blockquote data-quote="longboat" data-source="post: 3346874" data-attributes="member: 129532">A couple observations:1. I find that, during the warm summer months, an 82mm spotting scope works quite well during the early morning hours, from sunrise to several hours afterwards.  If it is a clear sunny day, you might only get a couple hours with the scope.  On a cool cloudy day, the scope may be useable throughout the day.  I use a 30-60x zoom eyepiece, and as viewing conditions deteriorate, I use lower power.  Most days, the scope is good up to around 9-10am, then one gets a better view through 8x binoculars due to heat waves rising off the ground surface.  So, yes, as atmospheric conditions deteriorate due to surface warming, you will definitely get a better view with lower-power optics, in my experience.If you are an early riser, a larger-aperture scope may give you viewing conditions for a longer duration prior to sunrise (i.e. - start viewing at near-dark conditions).2.  When boating on a large river, I notice that distant sandbars appear much larger than they actually are.  As an example, a sandbar two kilometers distant may appear to be 2-3m in height.  As you approach the sandbar, you find the actual height is maybe 0.5m.  I thought this was maybe an optical illusion attributed to magnification via humid conditions...in other words, can humidity in the air serve as a magnifying glass, of sorts, to make distant objects appear larger?  Or is it just a mirage playing tricks on the eyes (although it represents actual objects)?</blockquote>

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