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A big THANK YOU!

MG1

By MG1
in The Astro Lounge

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MG1

MG1

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Well here it is, my 1000th post and I wanted to mark it with a thank you to those who have helped me along my journey in astronomy.

First up is my Grandad, Ronald Berrow (19 August 1929-18 July 2011). It was he who inspired my interest in the stars as a young 'un, showing me the plough, the 'W' and the mighty hunter. We'd talk about the myths and legends as well as the science, occasionally watching Patrick together. He inspired me to look, learn and work hard. He was incredibly proud of my first few attempts at astrophotography and I only wish we could have spent some scope time together. Unfortunately he passed away just over a week after returning home from living in Canada. Thank you Grandad.

Whilst I continued to look up all the time, pointing out the little bits I knew to new friends as they came about, it wasn't until some 25yrs later that my wife and I decided to sign-up for an Adult Education Astronomy course.

This was organised and presented by Steve Parkinson. There may well be a few on here from the Bristol area who know Steve, and if so you will also know his infectious enthusiasm and passion for teaching. I can fully attribute my revitalised interest to his 12-week course and the ongoing occasional meet-ups with fellow 'alumni' around the wider Bristol area. Thank you Steve!

I'm not quite sure how it came about, but I think Steve may have planted the seed in our minds that Kielder forest was worth a visit with a telescope. It was then only a matter of Google minutes before we discovered the Kielder Forest Star Camp, and being a child of the 80's who could resist! (SpaceCamp (1986) - IMDb) So in October 2009 we ventured North for our first Star Party.

Here I obviously must say a huge thank you to the organisers whom always welcome the Southern Softies, in particular Richard, Dave, Lynn & Kev, but not forgetting all the others from KOAS and SAS that volunteer to make both the Autumn and Spring events a success whatever the weather.

I should also thank the members of York Astro with whom Jen and I always find ourselves sharing pitches (John, Paul, Glen, Martin et al.) and who have alongside many others (Rob, Antoinette Paxo, Dave, Steve, Carl, John, Neill, Karen, Bill, Phil and more) made these events so enjoyable and from whom we have learnt so much. Thank you all, and apologies if I have forgotten to mention anyone specifically.

It was at Kielder that 'PhillyDee' and 'Zog' introduced me to SGL and what can I say about that!

I've been a member here for just over 2 years and think it really is a wonderful part of the Astronomy community. It wasn't until this Spring that we managed to get ourselves to SGL6 and actually put some faces to names, but we have still enjoyed learning from some real experts, all of whom have been extremely patient with naive questions and willing to share their knowledge and expertise. I can see that if I try and name everyone here I'm only going to get myself into trouble, by Mods, Admin and Members alike, from professional photographers, North Sea workers and teachers to Nuclear inspectors and programmers, please all accept my thanks!

Whilst SGL takes the majority of my on-line astro time I would also like to thank those who are involved with the other forums and groups that are proving a wealth of information to those of use that like to fiddle and tweak a little. In particular I'm grateful to the help and support received from Chris (EQMOD Yahoo Group), Mel (Astrobaby), Ivo (APT Astroplace Yahoo Group) & Dion (Astronomy Shed). Thanks again for helping me out and keeping me going.

The final thank you (and at the risk of this starting to sound like a really bad Oscar speech!) is to my wife Jen, whom many of you will have met and who has to put up with bits of electronics, scopes and allsorts strewn around the house as I attempt various mods and tweaks...not always that successfully!

Blimey...I didn't set out to write an essay, but it goes to show how in such a relatively short period of time you can meet so many great people and have learnt so much.

Thank you all and I look forward to more, somewhat shorter posts in the future!

:)

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MG1

MG1

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Cheers guys, for what it's worth I've found that as hobbies go, Astronomy really is one that sorts the wheat from the chaff. It's become a little like a martial art. There are no real short cuts. My interest is mainly in Astrophotography, but whilst capturing good data is number one, it's nothing with the knowledge of what your shooting.

Understanding the target and the technique....there is no substitute for patient application, and observing the trials and tribulations of you good folk has taught me loads and kept me sane when I thought...it must be me!

woo hoo....1001!

:)

PS, I feel I've shrunk in stature now!

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MG1

MG1

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Congratulations and thank you!

I'm really happy that managed to be in help with something :)

Hey Ivo, I'm sure that most of the APT gang think what you do is amazing. I just find it incredibly frustrating that although I did physics and maths at A-level, I did pursue a career that involves science or computing. I am quite honestly in awe of people link yourself and Chris over at the EQ project amongst others.

I'm going to someday have to learn how to make sense of all this stuff...but until then I'll keep pestering with questions!

I'm looking forward to seeing how it all develops over the next few years...and what amazing things we'll see as the technology gets even better!

:)

ps: oops :), cheers Steve

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