Patience, and taking stock. . . . .
The time since my last blog entry has been a little turbulent. Some close to home family problems have had my entire focus and energies. Coupled with a week in the Lake District, the time has flown by!
I had really hoped to have a scope to take with me up to Windermere, to make the most of the dark skies on offer up there. However, due to circumstances this didn’t happen. My EQ3-2 is still scopeless in the dining room. That said though, and with hindsight I didn’t miss out – the typical weather, while ok-ish during the day was pretty wet through most of the evenings. It also doesn’t really get dark now here in the UK at this time of year, and with the solstice still 3 weeks away, that won’t change anytime soon. But, hey! The stars have been there for a few years, and they aren’t going anywhere are they?!?!
So I can take stock for a few more weeks, and read, and reread as much info as I can before laying down my Sterling on a OTA to adorn my lonely EQ3-2 mount. But what OTA to get – that’s the million dollar question. The more I read, the less certain I am!! I started out with the plan to get a SW 80 or 102 ST. That then changed to a SW 130p-ds, after seeing the thread here on SGL about its imaging prowess. But I am not getting back into Astronomy for AP- at least not yet. One must walk before one can run! I have plenty of time to build up to AP if and when it takes me. I can settle for looking at the great images here on SGL for the time being.
I want to immerse myself in the visual aspect. I want to be able to find those fuzzies by knowledge of the sky, and not have to rely on a computer doing the hard work for me. Sure, I would love to go out and buy an EQ6 with imaging and guiding OTA’s, and all the bells and whistles that go with it. But here’s the thing – I am a keen photographer, and have learnt that you don’t need all the latest camera bodies and lens to get on with the hobby. You make do with what you have, and use it to its full capability. Give a novice a £10k camera and lens set up, and they will still take novice photos. Give a £40 compact camera to a master, and they will still turn out the goods.
The same is true for Astronomy, and especially the AP aspect of it. Only when you have outgrown what you have, should you even consider upgrading! And for those of us starting out in this amazing hobby think about this – don’t jump in and get what could possibly be thousands of (insert your currency here!!) on equipment that you may well not be able to make the most of. Even worse, it could put you off for life! While the eagerness is always there to get that huge mount and photon hoover, can you really, really use it to its full potential?
Astronomy teaches us the wonders of the sky – and it also teaches us patience. Learning curves can be step, but you can make it easier on yourself by taking it one step at a time.
Thanks for reading –
Nige
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