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DonRemus

By DonRemus
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DonRemus

DonRemus

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Hi folks,

I have a very new interest in this hobby. I am in Cambridgeshire and plan to attend the next St Neots Astronomy Association meeting Monday 7th Jan 2013. I arrived here via their web link to this forum.

I have always looked up and wondered but that was as far as it went....The Plough was the only thing I recognized up there (apart from The Moon of course) I viewed a couple of stellar object size comparison videos on Youtube that were breathtaking. A few weeks ago I was looking up at a clear sky and saw 3 stars in a line, typed '3 stars in a row' in Google next time I was online and learned I was viewing the belt of Orion and the star name Betelgeuse grabbed my attention - I had heard of it.

The next clear night I again saw the belt so I went inside and found my old binoculars and viewed Orion. Wow, the amount of stars up there is amazing. The 3 belt stars were very bright, I scanned up and left and found a bright orange star that I now know to be Betelgeuse. I located Polaris via The Plough. I then looked at a very bright object above and right of Orion and it didn't really look like a star and I could see 2 tiny bright specks next to it (when I leaned against a wall to reduce shake). Looking on the 'net I discovered I had viewed Jupiter - I hadn't even realised it was naked eye visible let alone the brightest object after the Moon!

I looked up some telescope and binocular advice videos and learned how to calibrate my binoculars properly. The next time I used them the view was even more impressive (they are 10x50 and I have had them since I was a young ornithologist).

I have now purchased some Philips books (Starter Pack with Planisphere, Stargazing 2013 and Practical Astronomy - love the advice about drawing objects you see, I may try this in future). Ultimately I want a half decent telescope but it looks a complete minefield!

I live in a town so light pollution is quite bad, planning to go somewhere dark and take a look again.

I think I'm hooked.

Thanks for letting me join.

Gary

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mountainmadman

mountainmadman

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Hi Gary,

welcome to the forum. I'm quite new on here too, but the forum and its members hold a vast amount of information and are all very helpful. It's really helped me get sutck into it all too. I hope you find it all as informative and interesting as I do.

All the best,

clear skies,

Tony

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JonDoe

JonDoe

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Hi Gary and welcome to SGL, i know what you mean about picking your first telescope, im no expert so all i would advice is that you dont rush into anything, go to the meeting in a couple of days see what people have on show and ask away on here as people are only too willing to help you out.

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Raga

Raga

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Hi Gary. Welcome to SGL. There are loads of cool ppl here that will answer any if not all of your questions. No question is a dumb one so ask anything and ppl will always give their advice.

I always find forums better than web searches because you get the answers from ppl who have tried and tested and can give their findings. Your asking from ppl who have been exactly where you are.

Every one here started from the same curiosity that you and I have.

From curiosity comes understanding.

Clear skies and welcome once again.

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DonRemus

DonRemus

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Wow what a warm reception.

Thanks people I imagine I will be asking a lot of stupid questions very soon. Will do my best to try and find answers in previous threads rather than add 'new' ones!

And hasn't it been very cloudy lately! :-(

Gary

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glowjet

glowjet

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Hi Gary and welcome to SGL, Don`t be in a rush to obtain a scope, your bins will be fine for a while, try downloading the free program Stellarium, it will help you find your way about the night sky. Meeting people with the same enthusiasm for the hobby, at your Astro meeting, should be very rewarding and if you become a member they may have club scopes which you can subsequently borrow, enjoy your Astronomy :)

John.

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Special K

Special K

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And hasn't it been very cloudy lately! :-(

Gary

Yes, we are all hunkered down here awaiting the next cold snap! Welcome aboard and sure you will enjoy it here. You are in a fantastic position of discovery and sometimes finding these objects the first time around is the most fulfilling.

There are lots of good guides for finding stuff and the Moore Winter Marathon has two sections: one for binoculars and one for telescope. Easy to find on the web and you can save it to kindle too. Happy Hunting!

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DonRemus

DonRemus

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The Moore Winter Marathon is very good. Now I'm really looking forward to the next clear night to have a go at this space word search. I am amazed at how much you can do with a pair of bins, think it will be a while before I need a telescope.

Thanks

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