Oct 1972

[Ibbo!]

What were you doing?

3-10-1972 I had just bought my first proper telescope a 4" Charles Frank Saturn with 1 eyepiece giving x31 it cost me £4

the following night I got first light it was Jupiter.

I still have the main mirror and was wanting to retube it for the ruby anniversary on the 4th so tomorrows job is get on with it.

how I laughed at the sighting arrangement 2 bits of stick really,were amazed at the views with the upgrade of eyepiece (a 1/2 " Ramsden) and stood in absolute panic as the telescope fell off the rickety table and the precious mirror rolled down the pavement.

In school I made an equatorial mount for it metalwork(wish I could find it) is helped for my coursework in 2 exams Metalwork of course and my pride and joy a GSC O Level in Astronomy in 1975.

As more telescopes were purchased the old 4 got neglected and if I remember correctly last used as a finder for the huge 8" f13 reflector.

despite its bumps and bruises this mirror has not been recoated in its lifetime and will hopefully will see starlight again very soon.

[simon]

i was 3yrs old just about to start nursery. lol

[firstscope]

my dad was 8 and getting ready to celebrate his 9th birthday on the 7th n my mum was 7

[yeti monster]

It is quite possible that that was the time my elder brother got his telescope, a proper Tasco refractor, he showed me M-42, but sadly I didn't understand what it was that I was seeing....

[Ibbo!]

Now you are making me feel old

[sologuitarist61]

Blimey, I was 25 years old then - where does the time go?

[robbie c]

I'd just started work and still in the same trade now

[Hypernova]

Most likely nothing, I still had 19 1/2 years to go before I'd be born

[LukeSkywatcher]

I cant remember back that far. I was too young to remember anyways. I wasn't born til 1974.

[paul schofield]

I was 2 years old, so probably getting my nappy changed and giving my mother hell, ha ha.

[Stu]

....I was 2 and 3/4, or there abouts . Hadn't really thought about stars yet

Stu

[Treeden]

... despite its bumps and bruises this mirror has not been recoated in its lifetime and will hopefully will see starlight again very soon.

That's a nice story

Apparently there are still the odd one or two knocking about. This advert made me smile.... "we found it in a Scout hall during a clearing out." I can just imagine the young scouts queuing impatiently for their turn to take their first look through a real telescope! I wonder how many of them went on to become astronomers?

Good luck with the restoration.

[Claire]

My parents had just turned 9

[Ibbo!]

Treeden thanks for the image thats how it looked

only the main mirror left now though

[RikM]

40 years ago today, I was just being born

[pajr777]

40 years ago today, I was just being born

Happy birthday Rik

Oct 1972 I had just started junior school.

[Photosbykev]

I was 14 years old, just getting into photography and building model railways. I gave up the model railways for girls a little bit later

[The Sailor]

I had just been posted to West Berlin and the barracks was just across the road from Spandau Prison, a two year posting in a fantastic city. I was living in private accommodation just off the Kurfürstendamm and enjoyed life to the full. The only intrusion in that life was work and plenty of it, train guard on the British Military Train from Berlin to Helmstedt, guarding Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison and all the other duties associated with a posting there. Sport was sailing on the Harvel and swimming in the Olympic Stadium and orienteering around the Grunewald Forest. Visits to East Berlin was a must and a Sunday stroll along the 17th of June Street, to the Siegessäule, past the Soviet War Memorial to the Brandenburg Gate and a look over the wall into the East, all in all a nice time

Jim

[BuzzBomb]

My planet had just been invaded by the Kraags and I was on my way to earth in an escape pod, shaped like an egg...

Seriously, I was also just about 2 at that point but your story is great. Good luck with refurbing the scope.

[Beulah]

I had literally just been concieved.

[AstroTux]

I had just been bitten by the bug ( aged 16 ) and was probably standing in our front garden looking through my cheapo Prinz 2" refractor at Jupiter.

How the time flies......................... :grin:

[freeflyjay]

i was 11 months old so probably deficating in my pants and crying alot, give it another 40 years i may well be back to that stage.

[wookie1965]

I was 7 yrs old and looking at the moon i remember watching the moon landing in 1969 with my grandad he got me into this hobby.

[SteveA]

Born in 58 then ?....definately a vintage year (though I'm biased!)

I was probably trying to persuade my parents to by me a telescope for my birthday in November. Though my ambitions were rather conservative in those days.

I eventualy received a 2" table top refractor, which I have to say was pretty useless. It wasn't until a couple of years later that I got a "real" telescope, a 3" refractor on a GEM mount. It came from Dixons and although at the time it was my pride and joy, looking back on it...it wasn't really that good either! Back in those days there really wasn't anything decent available in the UK . I remember looking at the occasional copy of Sky & Telescope that I managed to get hold of (again..even this was difficult to come by)..I used to dream of one day owning a Celestron SCT...I seem to remember that at the time even in the USA these retailed for many thousands of pounds..

It really is amasing how things have changed and how spolit we are now for good quality and reasonably priced equipment.

Steve

[Velvet]

Hi Ibbo, i was about the age that every parent hates, just teenager. Not very pleasant for them, was not exactly a perfect child.

Congrats and may there be many more years of astro for you.

Velvet