Greyhoundfan

I'm dubious to be honest as the reviews are very mixed. Thanks for your previous very helpful post btw.

I did wonder about one of these as my first bit of astro gear! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Clothes-Heating-Motorcycle-Rechargeable/dp/B07MLZTN95/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=heated+coat&qid=1575460576&sr=8-8 Dave

Thanks folks. I have "stellarium" loaded on my chromebook and that's handy. I don't have a posh mobile phone, just a £15 emergency only one. Is there a star chart/planisphere you all recommend please? Dave

Hi folks, sorry if this is a daft question, I am a complete novice. I am at the start of my astro journey (I have a couple of beginner books and will be going along to my local astro club as soon as we have a clear night). Is there a list of constellations I should familiarise myself with to get started? I have deliberately not bought any equipment yet so am viewing purely by eye. The view from my garden is not too bad to the south/east but is heavily light polluted on the west side. I can easily make out orion, taurus, gemini, auriga, cassiopeia, ursa major and (I think) cygnus. Is there a "basic" list of, say, 20 or so of the 88 constellations which are "must knows"? Thanks Dave

Thanks Bill I'll take you up on that. I've persuaded my wife to take a bit of an interest too. She has a heavy cold at the moment so it will be a week or 2 but we will then both come along. Dave

Thanks John, I will go along in the near future.

Thanks for that warm welcome everyone, much appreciated. I've taken to heart the advice in an article on this forum and have no intention of rushing in and buying any equipment at this stage. At the moment I have everything I need, my laptop with "stellarium" saved as a favourite, a couple of books and most important of all a warm coat! Thanks for the suggestion about collimating my bins, I had read about that possibility but as I have had the same double image issue with different pairs over the years I think the problem lies with my eyes. In any event is it really possible to get a steady image through bins when viewing objects so far away? Are those little hand held monoculars any good? Finally, I live a few miles south of Pontefract and have found that there's a good looking club (WYAS) only about 7 miles from home. I will get along there at some stage. Are any members on this forum I wonder? Once again, many thanks for the warm welcome folks. Dave

Hi folks, complete newbie here. I've just taken early retirement so have some time on my hands. Like most people I've always been awestruck by a clear, starry sky and I'm now feeling my way into learning more about it all. I've taken the advice on this wonderful forum and am getting out there on an evening and trying to identify constellations. I've borrowed "turn left at Orion" and Will Gater's "Stargazing for beginners" from my local library and both seem really helpful. I have an old pair of binoculars but they are far from suitable for astronomy, being 12 x 25's and in any event I have always seen a double image with any bins I have used (presumably a quirk of my eyes). I'm content to just learn the night sky for now, always assuming we have clear skies of course. Cheers Dave

Thanks for that Jim, awesome. I am a complete newbie (first post) and that was so impressive.