new beginnings?for a newby by a newby

[sam mayo]

about 2 years ago i was going out all the time and doing the things most 20 something do!

although i was having fun i always felt i was missing something interesting and personal form my life which might sound silly but its true,at that point i caught an episode of how the universe works on discovery and found it very overwhelming and interesting(a popular trend to come in my life),from this point on i found myself watching and reading more and more on the subject of space science and all included!this continued for months to come.eventually i was brought a telescope for Xmas which at the time seemed massive and the bees nee's,(pic in link below!!)

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=jessops&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=456&tbm=isch&tbnid=B-n33np2v-Y0pM:&imgrefurl=http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/75447/show.html&imgurl=http://www.jessops.com/ce-images/PRODUCT/PRODUCT_ENLARGED/AJESSBS705139102.jpg&w=500&h=366&ei=xwZBUNGzBOi30QWUkIDYCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=351&sig=111138350846567707208&page=6&tbnh=130&tbnw=177&start=72&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:72,i:340&tx=112&ty=59

when the time came to using the telescope the moon was amazing and i couldn't believe my eyes but as time went on i found the scope to be lacking(that being very generous).the mount was wobbly at best the view was terrible and so on.i stopped using the scope because i was scarred it would frustrate me out of the hobby,after hours of research online i was enlightened and embarrassed ! but motivated to save some penny's and move on to actual astronomy.

fast forward a year and after much research and joining this site(which was a revelation and the bible to astronomy for me)which was full of very friendly and helpful people who knew what they were talking about i found a new love or the bug for astronomy again.

down to the kit i brought after my research

criteria =not a massive budget

=biggest aperture!

=good mount!

i bought the skywatcher skyline 250px from flo who were amazingly helpful! although i was warned of the size and how easy it would be to move, i had checked pics of it and decided it was the one for me.to my surprise when it was delivered i had trouble getting it into my pug 106! and soon realised that i had truly underestimated the size of the beast.it was ginormous !!!!(see profile pic)

after a week of having the leviathan set up and waiting for a good weather window i was thinking about all the new adventures i could have with my new scope such as imaging and solar but as a newby it was way out of my depth i hadn't even looked through my new scope yet !!

all i can say is that when the clouds cleared i was in a for a shock,the mount wasn't wobbly the image was crisp, starts were perfect points of light, it was truly gob smacking.i knew the price i paid and the effort in researching was worth it.big aperture for small amount of dosh!the bigger the aperture the more quality the image you will see and more!

tips for people in my position

-do your research(on here is the best advice i can give) and listen to the knowledgeable!

-don't try to much to soon learn the sky and enjoy with your eyes before considering upgrading eps or to astro imaging.

-don't let pics from tv or books fool you they are from multi million/billion £ scopes( i thought i would see the colourful nebulae and galaxies i was wrong but that doesn't mean its not worth it, it is!!!.

-if you can try and use the scope you want before buying pics can be deceiving trust me!

-don't waste your money on something your not sure you will enjoy yet and don't buy a scopes are us like my fist they will waste your time!

-the best advice i could give is go jon your local astronomy group first and foremost!!

hope this is helpful i wish i knew all this before i started and if i am wrong please correct me, i am well and truly still a newby but a happy one at that.thanks sam

[KevUU]

Cool! Sounds like you're having fun - and I'm loving the enthusiasm of your post

[breezy]

Sam your post makes perfect sense.

I've jumped in with something cheap from eBay so I can practise before lashing out on more expensive gear.

Which as I'm well and truly hooked probably will be fairly soon

[Rakanishu]

Enjoyed reading every word of that =) Its great you were not discouraged from astronomy. There are so many wonders to be seen up there.

[paul schofield]

Wise words indeed. All you really need is a set of eyes, and a good helping of advice when buying a scope. The more research you do, the less you will expect to see Hubble images from a Seben Big Boss. Enjoyed your post.

[Marki]

Nice enthusiastic post, Sam. And some good advice in there too . I think finding SGL enormously helped me too, and I wish I'd found it sooner, as I was way out of my depth when I bought my first scope!

Clear skies, and look forward to your next reports!

[RikM]

Great post Sam

[Astro Imp]

I'm pleased that your first scope didn't put you off but that you took the time and trouble find out more.

You have written lot of good sense that should be read by all the would be astronmers. There are too many people who just do not have realistic expectations and are then frustrated when they don't see what they expect.

Keep enjoying this great hobby and let us know how you progress.

Good luck and thanks for posting.

[sam mayo]

thanks for the positive reply s,i should add the good point that all you need is bins and a deckchair great nights to be had that way!!

[estwing]

nice read Sam...