chopsuzy Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hello everyone,I'm Suzy, I have always been interested in the stars especially after going backpacking last year and watching starts from a boat in the middle of the ocean. however, I would now like to learn the constellations and buy telescope/ binoculars etc.I am quite lucky because I live in an area away from lights so I had a great view last night however I can only spot the obvious consteallations like Orion and the plough.Where do I start?Any advice would be greatly appreciated Suzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker1947 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Welcome to SGL, download Stellaruim will hepl you find the constellations, buying binoculars there are light weight types that you can hold but won't show to much or heavy weights that would require a tripod, try holding a bag of sugar up to your eyes for 5 minutes, your get a idea of what to go for, as for a Scope there's a few types to choose from depending on, how deep is your purse, the type of astronomy you want to do, viewing, astrophotography, start a thread in the beginners section with some of the info and your purse will empty in no time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbyers Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 hi from a fellow northerner as said stellarium is great, but theres no substitute for getting a star atlas and learning the skythe best way to do this is to learn 'reference points' these are bright stars, easy constellations in the sky and help you to 'star hop' to others- that is you find one you can find easily, and learn what constellations branch off iteg. you can easily find ursa major (plough) and if you follow the pan handle down in a curve you can find arcturus which is the bright orange star in Bootes. i recommend a phillips star atlas (patrick moore) it really doesnt take long to learn the sky- the real challenge is deep sky objects such as galaxiesrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsheffield Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy, Welcome to SGL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaMike Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy,Welcome to the forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazel Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy and welcome to the lounge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charon Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Welcome to the forum Suzy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeSuppalot Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy and welcome to SGL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd8137 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 hi and welcome from me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike.brightmore Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hello Suzy and welcome to SGL. I also recommend the free planetarium software from www.stellarium.org and the book 'Turn Left at Orion'. Binoculars are a good start to begin learning about what you can't see in between the stars you can see with the naked eye. If you have a local astronomical society then that is worth considering also. If possible try a few telescopes out before investing in one. There is plenty of experience and expertise here to help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telesto Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy, welcome to sgl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy, welcome to SGL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingergeek Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi there and welcome to SGL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duns Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi and welcome to SGL Suzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowjet Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy and welcome to SGL John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo70 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy and welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Strings Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi and welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesM Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy and welcome to the forum. I agree with all the recommendations above and that will certainly give you a good start. In addition, can I suggest you take a look at this site if you are going to start off by using binoculars. Its well laid out, give lots of information and receives regular updates.Keep the questions coming as there is no such thing as a daft question - only the one you don't ask! Mind you the answers can be a bit dodgy, I should know as I write half of them!Clear skies for nowJames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToxoLight Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi Suzy and welcome to the lounge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizibilder Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hello Suzy and welcome to SGL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopsuzy Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Thank you all for the replies. I am very sure I will have a lot more questions as most people new to stargazing.I'll have a look for bins etc then report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasperuk Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hello to you sent you a PMessage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zul Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Hello and Welcome to SGL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michigander Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Welcome to SGL, Suzy!Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopsuzy Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 Thanks everyone. much appreciated and Thanks for kind welcome messages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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