I have always had a keen intrested in all things space for as long as I can remember and although I would read lots of articles online, in magazines and in books I never really thought about getting out there and observing the night sky with my own 2 eyes. Thi was to change when on Chrismas day 2013 I unwrapped a gift from my mum which was a Skywatcher Mecury 707. I was really chuffed and couldn't wait to get out with it into the back garden, Naively I hadn't done much reading up on the observation front.

So a few nights after Christmas I lifted out the telescope into the back garden set it up and began scanning the skies! I used the spotter scope and got the objects aligned perfectly in the centre to find I couldn't see them in the main telescope. At this stage all I could find was the moon. After a while gazing at the moon I gave up and went inside. I didnt't think to much about the telescope for a while and it sat in the cupboard unused for a couple of weeks.

On the 9th January 2014 Stargazing live came to town and I decided to take my self along as it was not far from me. I went to the event with a friend who is also quite interested to see if I could get some tips. When we arrived there was a dark area set up within the museum where it was beinf held and several people had brought along their own telescope and set up in this area. We queued for one of the telescopes that was showing Jupiter. This is where I was bitten by the bug. Seeing Jupiter and its 4 biggest moons was definately a wow moment for me and I came away that night quite excited.

The next day I got the telescope out and made sure the finder scope was aligned properly for that nights viewing! As darkness fell I was both eager and determined to get out and find Jupiter in my own telescope. After a bit of fiddling about there is was I had found it! It may seem silly to some of the more accomplished members of the forum but I felt a real sense of achievement that night. After this in the following nights I tried a few other objects to no avail.

In the couple of months that followed I kept going back to Jupiter and the moon when I could view it and that was the height of my viewing for a time. Around the middle of February I bought the book "Turn Left At Orion" and during the neverending cloudy nights I got down to reasearching. I picked out a selection of objects I would like to see and intend on working my way through them.

I late february I was offered a Tasco Galaxsee reflector for £40. I read a few mixed reviews and peoples opinions and decided with my tight budget and having to make do with whatever I can get my hands on I bought it primarily for the mount as it was on an EQ1 mount.

At the beginning of March as the weather started to break I jumped at the chance to get back out there. I decided to be a bit more adventurous and to see more than just Jupiter, my aim would be M42 The Orion Nebula. I was amazed, I set the scope out and let it cool for 20 mins then located the area with the finder scope, looked in the eye piece and brought it into focus and there is was! Another WOW moment and more sense of achievement ( can't imagine what I will bt like when I find something really special). At this point is when I found one of the street lights annoying, the way I had to position the telescope everytime I looked in the EP i was getting a real glare from the streetlight behind me. That said it didn't take away the magic of the moment.

So that is my story so far and will hopefully lead on from here. I hope this blog can be of use to other beginners and they may not make the same mistakes I have made when starting out. For now I hope the clear skies last and I can get out into the back garden more and be a bit more adventurous with what I am trying to find in the night sky.

Andy