I take your point, but I would argue that retinas and brains are categorically different than telescopes and photomultiplier tubes. But the point you make brin

I take your point, but I would argue that retinas and brains are categorically different than telescopes and photomultiplier tubes. But the point you make brings up an interesting analogy though. If we consider optical illusions — where the mental model our brains create at a preconscious level lead us to incorrect conclusions about reality (insofar as an objective reality can exist) — can that inform our understanding of the models we use to interpret our astronomical observations?