How exciting is this hobby?

[PapaPlanets]

Very

Seems like a lovely night, clear as a bell.

Polaris was out nice and early so this time, my second go using my scope I could my polar alignment sorted. Thanks Mrs Melsky for adding that laser polar aligner to mel's C6 (which he kindly sold to me) as that made it a cinch.

So after a quick alignment on betelgeuse and Rigel, I pointed at Venus (meh) and Jupiter (splendid, but one of the four moons I've seen before just be hiding )

Anyway, I thought....it's time for my first messier, so off I went to M42 and <12 year old Californian girl voice> oh my god, oh my god, look, look :hello2:

I see space and I like it.

Anyway...enough destroying my night vision looking at my iPad keyboard, but I was too excited not to share. (or use excessive smileys)

What should I look at next? Too many things too excited...aaaarrrrrgghhhhhhh :)

Edit: also whilst looking at m42, something flew past, I was already about to explode like an 8 year old doing a trolley dash through a sweet shop and then I get extras. Dunno if it was a comet or a satellite or the ISS. No clue. It was very bright and flew right to left across (south eastish?)

Setting up pic with Venus...

[Skybrowser]

I never get surprised these days at the excitement this hobby creates. It's the only thing where you can spend hours away from home, then walk the few yards back to the house for a cup of tea.

Seeing the things we do has gripped me for years and I look at the same old things so regularly. The moon, when I saw it through a scope aged 11 set me off and today, virtually 40 years later, I still get a buzz when I see it, although the full moon is a bit of a pain!

Saturn never disappoints, Jupiter is awesone and several DSOs are easy to find and look at.

Yep, you can keep your golf, your spectator sports (although I must admit I am off to Twickenham next week for England v Ireland) and anything needing a lot of travelling. Give me my back garden, a clear, still night a piping hot brew and the night sky.

Your thing which flashed by whilst viewing M42 was probably a meteor (shooting star) - not like the one in the UK last week which was incredible and made headlines all over the world, but a regular, several times a night shooting star, or a satellite, or the ISS, or something else!

Enjoy this great hobby.

[David Smith]

Give me my back garden, a clear, still night a piping hot brew and the night sky.

Amen to that!

Glad you had a successful night PP. Many more to come I'm sure.

[dean w]

iwas like that waited ages to get a scope last week i got one all i can say is wow looked at the moon and jupiter not seen satern yet been cloudy gere since that first day/night wish the clouds would go away cant wait to have anouther look

[Double Kick Drum]

Congrats on your first M-number!

One of the very best.

[PapaPlanets]

Thanks all My first nebula

Also took a lok at mars for the first time tonight. It was small and round and orange.

I've not had a chance to look at Saturn yet. A bit late rising at the moment.

As was the moon tonight which was a shame. I could look at it for hours.

Still not got the goto aligned perfectly yet, I think I'm aligning on the wrong stars, or it's because it's still set up for a different location. Don't get asked about location in the setup. I'm sure I'll work it out.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Make that 2 Messiers, you must have got M43 as well (the little round patch of nebulosity surrounding a star, quite close to the finger-like dark dust patch in M42).

Congrats!

[m_j_lyons]

Congrats - you picked the right Messier to start with...that's sure to keep you coming back for more.

BUT - I'm almost offended by the "12 year old Californian girl voice" comment - my daughter is rapidly approaching that age and I don't think you can use that comment until you've truly lived in a house with one of them.

Cheers!