Worried about being disappointed

[Alexgopro]

As I am making my final decisions on a scope, the nagging thought in the back of my mind is starting to annoy me. 

Will it excite me as much as I think it will? 

I'm positive I will have phenomenal lunar views, but I guess I won't really know how the DSO's feel until I head to local public night. 

The following is Dragon Man's post from the "What can I expect to see...?" Thread.  

I you are fortunate to live in or near dark Sky you will see much more light coming from Objects.

Here is an example of what I see from my Very dark sky in my country town in Australia.

This is as close as I can get to what I see through my 12" GSO f5 Dobsonian using a GSO 2" 30mm SuperView Eyepiece.

Notice the slight pale green tinge. Young children tell me they see it in pale Pink!

Yes, a far cry from the pretty pictures on telescope boxes  

[BeanerSA]

If you think about how far those photons have travelled to hit your retina, shouldn't that be amazing?

[Alexgopro]

Well I have a feeling that there will be a weight to it, something that photos cannot grasp. Something that will keep me hooked and going for more. 

Then I have this feeling that it will appear flat, but my brain reminds me about how much I love to look at the stars and ponder. 

Very amazing. 

[Paul73]

Some targets will disappoint. Some will wow you.

If you are interested in the subject matter you are more likely to be enthralled.

Good plan to have a look through a scope or two at a public night. Most amateur astronomers are delighted to show you the sky and chat scopes.

If you are the type of person who doesn't mind working at something, consider a fully manual set up. Many find honing their navigation skills and the hunt for an object adds to the experience (I am one of those strange people).

I guess that you won't know until you try.

Paul

[Mrbloke]

I guess it would be best to find some local friendly astronomers, so you have have a go before you buy. Have a look for a astro club near you. That would also enable you to gain from their experience before you commit.

[beamer3.6m]

I personally dont really enjoy the visual side of things as dso's to me appear as grey smudges and sometimes those grey smudges are very hard to see.

I have an 8" newt for info.

In reality I think it is the moon amd planets which grab peoples interest and dso's are interesting if you enjoy the theory behind them etc.

However if you do need instant bang for your buck like me then I would recommend the video astronomy section. Its more kit but you do actually get to see the dso's in 'real time', say over a 30 second period of integration.

I think in this hobby realistic expectations help a lot.

Take a look at the 400hour image of Olly Penrice and you will find an image to be admired but note it took 400 hours to get it. Thats not including the years spent in this hobby and the high end level of the kit.

Not to put you off but be realistic and you wont be dissapointed.

[Sonicfishcake42]

I've got a C9.25 and I get fuzzies I think it's the thrill of actually knowing what they are and realising at what mind-boggling distances they are away from us. I certainly think that astroimaging might be worth looking into as glorious sights can be captured through even modest scopes.

[Qualia]

As I am making my final decisions on a scope, the nagging thought in the back of my mind is starting to annoy me. 

Will it excite me as much as I think it will? 

As you'll appreciate Alex, any response to this enquiry will be grounded upon subjective judgements. As such, avoiding the thorny issue of ultimate volition and will, much will depend on how you choose to engage with the world about you.

Certainly, observing the night sky holds the promise of new excitement, adventure and learning opportunities. Spending time with the wonders of the night sky can inspire curiosity, wonder, bewilderment, awe and empathy. In a way, just like observing nature on Earth, there are life and death stories being played out in the night sky at every moment and watching them unfold season after season, trying to come to understand them can help build a deep sense of humility and respect for nature and one's environment.

Stargazing can also help augment your observation skills. Like the artist, poet or sleuth, you must learn to slow down, to look rather than merely see. You have to learn to apply the knowledge you have acquired and gather up those components into a coherent story, literally pulling evermore information from the celestial sphere and the objects you are observing. These types of activities can help increase concentration, intelligence, well-being, alleviation from stress and the hustle and bustle of every day life and so on.

Too often we move too fast through the world and in consequence our capacity of awareness is diminished. Becoming still with an activity like stargazing means we are taking more in and regardless of disposition, we begin to focus and concentrate on the world around us, to become present with what is happening, not only through sight, but all the senses.

I don't know what excitement you will get from stargazing, like so much in life, it'll suit some and not others. All I can advise is that you follow your curiosity, the willingness to ask questions which will hopefully get you to look and notice things new and in a deeper fashion.

As the others have mentioned, perhaps it's a good idea to get to a local astronomy club and head out to one of their gatherings or, again, just to purchase a cheap set of binoculars and head out on a number of occassions. There is much to learn and see and at the end of the evening, if you feel stargazing isn't 'your cup of tea', you haven't blown a load of cash on telescopes and eyepieces and the such. 

Good luck with whatever you decide

[John]

Some targets will disappoint. Some will wow you.

If you are interested in the subject matter you are more likely to be enthralled.....

I think this is spot on from Paul.

With my largest aperture scope (12" dob) some objects are really spectacular if the seeing conditions are good. Aside from the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn, I'd say the most visually impressive are the brighter globular clusters, the Orion Nebula and one or two other nebulae, a few of the brighter galaxy groupings and some of the open star clusters.

On the surface though I think it's fair to say that most of the other stuff I observe does not make any great visual impact in itself being either rather faint, rather small, rather subtle or a combination of these, but cerebally, because I know a bit about what I'm looking at, the impact is still spectacular.

When I think about the things I've viewed over the past, say, 12 months that have made the biggest impression on me, visually they were very obsure indeed. A tiny faint point of light on the limit of seeing which was actually the most distant object that I've ever seen, a Quasar. A faint additional star in a galaxy which gradually fades over days and weeks is a Supernova, one of the most cataclysmic cosmic events. Tiny puffs of faint light extending across the field of view are the Markarian's Chain of galaxies. Many folks viewing these things would have seen nothing at all, they are that subtle but knowing a bit about what they are and having some observing experience makes all the difference in the world

So whether you are dissapointed or not will, to some extent, depend on the attitude you go into viewing with I feel. The obvious "wows !" and quick wins are relatively few but with some effort, research and dilligence more lasting satisfaction is out there, if you look hard for it

[hjw]

When I started more serious about a year ago, I was sure I would not be happy with seeing grey smudges in my eyepiece and I made the decision very early on that AP would be my goal. I started just with a DSLR and a tele zoom lens and worked myself up to the equipment you can see in my signature. It has been a very rewarding experience, however it will be more expensive than a scope for observation. The example shown above is outstanding, even for dark skies and keeping in mind that M42 is one of the brightest DSOs. I come from Australia, have fairly dark skies but without a 12" f/5 I don't get anywhere close of seeing this. As an image, it's easy... 

[Ouroboros]

Like a lot of interests, the rewards in astronomy lies in the doing it and not just the result.

[RLWP]

So, having picked out my targets for last night (Albireo, Mizar) to check if I am getting my scope sorted (I haven't quite yet), I found myself lost somewhere in the milky way around Cassiopea. No idea what I was looking at, having an eyepiece full of tiny, distant stars not visible to the naked eye was just absorbing and delightful

It's a funny hobby, it can frustrate you when you think you are doing it right, and reward you when you least expect it

Richard 

[Davesellars]

I am primarily into DSOs.  Although, I love to look at the planets and the Moon as well for me DSOs give a special something that is not easily tangible nor easy to explain.  I find all my DSOs manually at the moment and have pretty much completed the Messier 110 list apart from a few that are extremely low down and now working my way through the Herschel 400 list.    In the process there have been many stages of "excitement" the fire being continually stoked as I progressed with my experience of being able to see these dim fuzzies.

First though although at times frustrating as I learnt how to actually star-hop and finding my method  was actually finding the object and the initial achievement as it appears in the eyepiece.  For some this may be too much of a chore and something they don't get and would rather just get on with observing and I guess GOTO tech solves this this is great as well.   Each to their own in this respect.

Second is actually being able to discern some detail with those DSOs.  This is something you learn at the eyepiece and gain with experience.  For example M51 while easy to see the core of it and its companion is rather more tricky to see the spirals and bridge connecting the two.  However, on a good dark night with good transparency for me these are easily discernable now with my 8" SCT.  OK, it's nothing like the pictures but those don't interest me in the slightest... What an incredible sight it was to be able see some structure and the interaction between the two galaxies.   The detail is very subtle and you need to work at it...  A  30 second glance in the eyepiece is generally not going to cut it and time needs to be spent viewing the object perhaps over several different magnifications and use of averted vision etc to get the best from it.    There are objects of course that will give almost immediate gratification like the brighter globular clusters and many of the open clusters are really spectacular.  Some brighter nebulae (emission and planetary) also don't need that much work but can be enhanced my use of filters.

At times these objects can be very difficult to see and gain any real detail and very fickle to the conditions needs good transparent skies and no Moon and taking care to cut out the most light pollution you can.  They are very rewarding though IMHO.   Good luck!

[laudropb]

For me part of the enjoyment is in planning observing sessions. Working out a star hopping scheme and then trying it at the scope. When successful I get a real buzz from this. For me much of the enjoyment is in the 'hunt '. I also find that as I plan I read up and get knowledge of my target and this also makes things more interesting. This is why I do not have a go to system. Manual observing has more rewards for me.

[LukeSkywatcher]

If you are expecting Hubble type views, you will be disappointed. If not, then you will be happy. Some objects are so small and far away (i feel a Father Ted moment coming on) that you may feel underwhelmed by them. It really is exciting to think about how far away things are and how long it took the light from them to reach your eye(s).

[ramdom]

I will admit that I was disappointed when I first saw faint white/grey smudges but as I observed more, I picked up more detail, but as someone said, it still remained a faint smudge. It wasn't even close to what I was getting from Slooh. Once I understood the physics of why this was (the human eye hasn't evolved for this purpose), EAA was naturally the obvious choice and I've made some progress there. But I still love to look at things and I love to move my scope along the axis of the Milky Way where there are many objects near and far that ALL have something to offer. It's like one big nebulous cluster and after a while, in dark skies, with filters, you can see the shapes the gas clouds form with stars sprinkled on them, like shiny diamonds of dust.

One thing that has happened as I've observed more is that I've started projecting: i.e., I've either taken the image on Slooh or seen it elsewhere and when I view it visually I imagine the image projected onto the fuzzy grey blotch I'm seeing and sometimes I can get carried away to a point where I think I'm actually seeing the Hubble type images. Induced hallucinations. Looks like all the medications are having an interesting side effect.

--Ram

[LukeSkywatcher]

I must add thats its not ALL about how far away objects are and how long it has taken the light from them to arrive at your eyes. Most objects will just impress you anyway because;

A: It takes light so long to arrive at your eyes.

And 

B: Under the right conditions, they are actually visually impressive anyway.

Its a bit or both to be honest. 

[LukeSkywatcher]

Something we have all missed is what scope the OP is thinking of getting. I think its probably a 12" Dob. 

[Alfian]

Despite being labelled as an "advanced member" I still feel very much a new kid on the block, but I always have been and still am "wowed" by a clear night sky using nothing more than the Mark 1 eyeball. The binos show even more, ( really like my binos!)  and with my telescope(s) observation gets ever more "specific".  I  can see that spending  more on equipment kind of creates an expectation to see things better  but so far I have never been disappointed with what I see when I look, because of the appreciation of what I am looking at. Even little smudges! It is probably because of this that I like purely visual observation. If I could go back change things I'd maybe do one or two things differently or not at all, but that's the journey of discovery and that has been so good. So just "jump in" and enjoy and be wowed by what you can see rather than worry about what you might not see. It will all evolve!

Slight addendum - I save all my feelings of disappointment for the pesky weather!

[Alexgopro]

Something we have all missed is what scope the OP is thinking of getting. I think its probably a 12" Dob.

The 16" dobs are looking better, considering I used to be able to curl 50 lbs with one hand it can't be that bad... Plus that's what little wagon/carts are for.....

This weekend I'll be sure to gaze at my dark site with some old bino's I have laying about.

After much consideration I highly doubt anyone interested in the stars/ space/ the cosmos will be disappointed with going further into it then they have previously. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted

[John]

I'd love a 16" or larger dob but I've seen quite a few and know that they would be just too large and heavy both to store and to set up and use often in my circumstances. The overall size and weight seems to grow fast once the aperture exceeds 12".

By all means go for the largest aperture you can but do try and have a look at, and Ideally have a look though, these things "for real" so you can assess just how you will manage them.

Here are a couple of movies that show such scopes. The 1st is a 12" Orion XX12i and the 2nd is the 16":

[dick_dangerous]

It's all a matter of attitude when it comes to astronomy - for me, the motivations are the thrill of the chase, the appreciation of the scale and structure of the cosmos and feeling a connection to the wider universe. I'm quite Zen about star-gazing: "I'm going to look at space" is my euphemism for finding my own headspace, a kind of meditation and way of unwinding. There is nothing like the thrill of hunting down an elusive Messier (M83 for example) or seeing something truly spectacular (I remember using my 3'' refractor to observe the Veil Nebula in Northern Spain last year - stunning!). Who can forget their first view of Saturn's rings or Jupiter's cloud belts or the first time you resolve a globular cluster and that quote from the novel of 2001 comes to your mind: "Oh my God, it's full of stars!"

I often tell people the story of why I stopped studying Physics - I got to university and asked, "When do we get to look down a telescope?"

"Oh no," the Physics lecturers said, "We build computer simulations and carry out spectral analyses, we don't look down the telescopes."

"Fine," I replied, "Where do I sign up for palaeontology, because they still knock rocks together..."

You're getting in to astronomy because of love of the subject, a fascination with the deeper workings of the universe and a desire to find out more. That hunger will keep you hooked, so you'll find it hard to be disappointed as your expectations are realistic.

Of course if you're really worried you could pop along to a local Astro group or star party and look down someone else's 'scope to get an idea of the views!

Paul

[Gomtuu]

You might find this useful :

http://www.deepskywatch.com/Articles/what-can-i-see-through-telescope.html

[xtreemchaos]

i have never been disappointed with anything ive seen through my scope everything is amazing even the fusses and smudges you have only to take maybe a 15 to 30 sec snap and all becomes clear.  clear skys charl.

[Tzitzis]

Very nice topic. I remember I was having this kind of thoughts before getting a telescope (which was a present, I wanted another).

I have a 60mm refractor...Imagine that. I first saw Venus and I said no big deal... But the day after and the day after I couldn't help myself thinking that I will have the opportunity to gaze upon her one more time... 

After that was the full moon (dissapointing due to the angle it was lit, fewer details) Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter blew my mind...It's so small with 4 bright tiny dots around him. I spent some time on the EP and I saw color too. Then I saw the gibbous moon... Amazing...

I haven't seen any DSO. I was trying M13 with no luck (I live in a big city, lots of LP). But I have seen the Andromeda Galaxy  and the Pleiades with binos from a rural area. Andromeda was a faint thingy with a bright center... It knocked my socks off... I was awed dude... 

Bottomline is you won't get dissapointed especially in these appertures... I was looking -and still am- into 6'' or 8'' dob, but I have seen faint smudges (M8 and M20) through binos and I know, they are gonna reveal something more with my 60mm refractor... I can't help myself thinking that the time I will gaze upon them is quickly coming (August in my village). So buy the best you can afford, have some patience and you will be awed... The moon will look awesome, the planets too (with practise you can see Uranus and Neptune reasonably) and hundreds of DSO, all the Messiers etc...

Also the thrill of the hunt is exciting. Plan your sessions as much as you can. I have only planned mini sessions 2 hrs or so, cause I cannot lose sleep. I am too excited in the idea that in August I will go to the mountains with my father and catch some great views of the Milky Way (never seen it bright and clear, just as a grey faint line) and ofc of DSO's, double stars and the Moon and will camp the whole night... It's agreat hobby...

Clear skies dude!