how long does it take?

[GazOC]

Oh, and I read a LOT.

Yep, I have FAR too many astronomy books....

[Naz]

You never stop learning, after over 40 years of interest in astronomy, I found I have still a lot to learn.

But I feel confident enough to discuss astronomy with anyone, as long as I listen when they speak.

This forum along with the internet has enable all of us to communicate and learn from each other. Long may it continue.

naz

[jonifive]

1st interest in 1977, Star Wars year, had a cheap chinese Frac for xmas........for the next 30 years I played about on and off, but have been serious since I started SGL three months ago and even AFTER ALL THIS TIME I STILL KNOW PRACTICALLY NOTHING!!

JV

[Astronut]

Ever since I was a young lad I've been into astronomy, space travel, sci-fi, etc but I've been an armchair astronomer for the last 20 odd years or so. I've only recently bought another 'scope this year and I haven't had any real chance to use it yet due to UK weather and the fact that I can only observe at weekends due to the nature of my job.

When I was a teenager and into my twenties, I used to calculate (by hand and later with a calculator) the planet positions with a useful spherical trigonometry equations book I'd bought somewhere and I used to draw up charts showing a graph for the year which eventually got me into computers and programming. I had a decent sized scope about then and I'd previously had a go at grinding an 8" mirror but astronomy went on the back burner as I got more interested in programming. I wrote a program to display the night sky on my screen but never finished it off. Nowadays with off-the-shelf applications like Starry Night and Redshift my efforts seem redundant but it was an education and I enjoyed the time spent doing it - the database alone took around 3-4 months to input. I became a professional programmer eventually but became disillusioned with it as a career and eventually quit. I've not got much spare time due to what I do now but I'm gradually getting back into the practical side of astronomy again. It's a damn slow and frustrating process though because of my severely limited observing opportunities.

I'm hoping tonight will be 'the night' for proper first light.

[John]

I've been interested in astronomy since I was about 11 - I'm 47 now. My school had an astronomy club and was lucky enough to have an 8 inch Charles Frank newtonian in a dome and a small planetarium in a shed nearby - and a very enthusiastic chap called Ken Ball to run the club. I was green with envy when my mate got a mail order 60mm refractor for his birthday - I had to make do with 7x30 binoculars for ages. He lost interest and then sold me his scope - I still have it today.

Since then I have owned 21 different scopes :shock:

I've never got into imaging although I really admire those that do and the results they produce. I'm just not patient enough so I stick to visual stuff.

John

[cygnusx1]

As a kid I always had a fascination for the stars. Awe in fact.

Just looking up into the pitch black of space ( that was back in South Africa in the early 80s ), and wondering how far those stars were away....made my imagination run wild and boggled the mind.

I did a 1/2 course in Astronomy whilst at Uni, but spent more time drinking and missing lectures....

Over the years, career and other interests have got in the way.

I have always been fascinated with cosmology, the large structure of the universe, hence my fascination with galaxies.

A few months back, saw some aastro pics on the web, and somehow destiny brought me to this site

I've learnt a great deal, esp about equip and imaging techniques in a very short time.

I read everything i can, suck up the knowledge, thats just who i am.

Still, i've a long way to go, but im happy with my results so far....

clear skies

[adrastea]

Ive been away for a few days so have only just read the replies on this thread. I must admit they've filled me with a lot of encouragement. I'm 23 and though I've been "into" astronomy for my whole life, I ended up turning away from it for about 8 years - practicality, I guess. Right now I'm spending more money on education than equipment, since I'm struggling to find even the most basic job and feel that I have a lot of intellectual "catching up" to do.

I used to have so many relevant skills for astronomy - an interest in maths and programming, but it's all fallen out of my head a bit. I suppose it's only the last two months since finishing my Masters (in marine biology) that I've allowed myself the luxury of admitting I made a major career mistake, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can to feel confident about astronomy and physics again. Whether it becomes a career or not doesn't really matter - so long as I can get outside enough and do some observing.

I'm without a scope right now but still finding that there are so many gaps in my knowledge that I can learn enough about the stars and locations of things with the naked eye. There's something surprisingly satisfying about just sitting outside with a planisphere and a mug of tea. I'm really glad I found this site, it's really inspiring and feels pretty overwhelming to give myself permission to pursue something I love after what feels like such a long absence...

Thanks everyone for the wonderful replies!!

Maya.