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What Got You Started In Stargazing?

Mr Q

By Mr Q
in The Astro Lounge

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Mr Q

Mr Q

Posted
Posted

;)

With me, it was seeing the Russian satellite Sputnick in Oct, 1957. While the U.S. was contemplating if the satellite carried a nuclear warhead that would crash somewhere in the U.S. and start WWIII, I was just 10 and amazed at seeing a 'star' moving across the night sky, other than a meteor or aircraft. I remember saying out loud "WOW! Look at that thing go!" From that night on, I was (and still am) hooked on looking up at the night sky and marveling at the rest of the universe:icon_scratch:

I get shivers thinking about that night when I was part of history in the making - the start of the space age:D

How about you? What got you started?

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Stevie816

Stevie816

Posted
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Hi Mr Q

I bet everyone has a different answer

For me My fatherinlaw bought me a really cheap scope for christmas.

And it really was an epthany. Now a year later I am thousands of pounds poorer and can't wait for the next clear night.

I have a much better idea of my place in the universe the other can have religion I've got the universe. The wonder of it all it incredible and the explanations are only theories.

Steve

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Luke

Luke

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The missus and I were in Jessops looking for a zoom as the missus is into her photography, and we saw what looked like a massive telescope. It was a 76mm Newtonian. I think we paid something like £35 for it.

We just wondered what you could see through it, that's all, an impulse buy.

Although cheap scopes sometimes get a bad name, we feel really lucky that we got this one and wobbly as it may have been it will always have a place in my heart! After seeing a few things, that was it, we were hooked! ;)

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Skybrowser

Skybrowser

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Initially following the Apollo missions in the 1960s and knowing the names of the astronauts likemost people know footballers. Following Apollo 8 to the moon (Borman, Lovell and the other bloke - think it was Anders) and then the rest of them on those "boldly go" missions. During that time, my mate made a refractor - I saw the moon and was amazed. Took me 35 plus years to buy a scope and now completely hooked. As I work away from home during the week, I read loads of posts on this site and it's still all fascinating to me. The amazing fact about most people having more computing power in their wrist watch than there was on Apollo 11 startles me.

That first look at the moon though, probably about 1968/69 was just amazing and it still grabs me today.

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Double Kick Drum

Double Kick Drum

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Good question.

Truth is, I am not entirely sure.

As a nipper I used to look at atlases, learn dates, facts and figures about all sorts of subjects, tirelessly.

As a result, i'm afraid to say that as well as rattling of the 88 constellations, I have a wealth of useless information on other subjects too, all lodged somewhere in my noggin.

Having said all that, i'm sure Star Wars must have had a big impact on me thinking space was cool (I was five when it was released).

I still think Astronomy is like Star Wars, except maybe with one or two less lasers!

Please don't burst my bubble! ;)

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assasincz

assasincz

Posted
Posted

What did it for me? Hard to tell, it rather depends on how far would I be willing to trace it.

Well, let me see.

Since I can remember, I have always been interested in all things science fiction, documentaries about space and generally space n' stuff.

My earliest memories are those of classic sci-fi movies of my youth (90s), followed by an acquisition of a VHS set on the topic of space and planets from Reader's Digest. I remember watching it on a regular basis, over and over again, often just listening to it in the background.

As I grew older, my parents though that buying me a second-hand 60mm refractor one summer would be nice, followed soon by a two-week astronomy summer camp on a nearby observatory (not a lot of astronomy actually included, but still). That probably did it for me.

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damnut

damnut

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Hi MrQ,

It was a very good teacher 35 years ago in my secondary school. I bought my first scope from him. Recently tacked him down as the scope was bought for him by his parents.

He was having trouble moving his equatorial scope around so I sent his old alt az scope back. chuffed all round.;)

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Madhatter

Madhatter

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it was some random video on youtube about how to make a telescope with lenses, i made one out of a cardbord tube and it worked!..well sort of lol..I decided that if this works i may as well spend 20/30 pounds and bought a jessops TA-880, not a great scope by anymeans, but it gave me my first views of the moon and saturns rings and then i was hooked!.

Next scope was a "seben" style 1400x150 reflector, i thought the extra apeture would make all the differance..it really didnt though!.

Then we saved for ages and bought the 250px and love it!.

One thing that i hate about this hobbie is the english weather effects it so much.

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king-jaffethehutt

king-jaffethehutt

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Hale Bopp for me, think March-ish 1997. Was walking home from local shops looked up and saw it!

I asked my dad what it was "Hale-bopp" as he had obviously seen it on the news!!

I went out the next day bought a Tal 65mm Newt for £99 from LCE in Mcr, I took it back the next day and got a Tal 1 ;)

I've never looked back.....Just up!! :)

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osteoblast

osteoblast

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Always been interested in our origins in the broadest sense since school. I also enjoyed 'Cosmos'. But at the age of 40 felt the need to do something other than work. I now get frustrated more about clouds than career issues which isn't such a bad thing.

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RikM

RikM

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Having said all that, i'm sure Star Wars must have had a big impact on me thinking space was cool (I was five when it was released).

Star Wars for me too. The Christmas after it was released, I was given a very nice 60mm Prinz Astral refractor on a wooden tripod alt-az. The first time I saw the moon and Saturn through that scope with my Grandad I was hooked. I still have the scope, though now with a white-light solar filter on the front end.

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rory

rory

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Hale Bopp for me, think March-ish 1997. Was walking home from local shops looked up and saw it!

I asked my dad what it was "Hale-bopp" as he had obviously seen it on the news!!

I went out the next day bought a Tal 65mm Newt for £99 from LCE in Mcr, I took it back the next day and got a Tal 1 ;)

I've never looked back.....Just up!! :)

now THAT was a site. never seen anything like that before.

and my dad passing me some rickerty old bin's and telling me to have a look at the moon . open mouthed disbelieve followed.

hey great thread and stories by the way:headbang:.

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Bluey

Bluey

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Like a lot of others here, just looking up and being amazed at the true scale and beauty of what's over our heads. Now I know a bit more about what is going on as well it is even more amazing, makes me feel VERY small!

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