Am I alone in my self doubt about spending on astro gear in our climate???

[bomberbaz]

2 grand kirkster, it'd be rude not to http://www.365astronomy.com/celestron-c11sgt-xlt-computerised-goto-telescope-plus-eyepiece-and-filter-kit-p-76.html?zenid=6d9a12e14aaae9868913fe05aaac220b

plus change some otg bins and a decent 22/25mm EP that you appear to be missing, Nice !!!!

[Ganymede12]

You are definitely not alone! Right now I am in two minds whether .or not I should buy a Telrad! I have read that they are really useful but I haven't had my scope out for at least a month! Would it be worth spending £35.00 on something I may rarely use?

[kirkster501]

I bought a 2" Hutech IDAS LP filter four weeks ago. Not even been out of its box - not a single solitary night I could have used it....

[Gary70]

Yes to all of the above, we all know that as soon as the sky clears and we get superb lunar views and we are counting moons around Jupiter once more it won't matter about the past few weeks of cloud one little bit.

[Planetesimal]

You are definitely not alone! Right now I am in two minds whether .or not I should buy a Telrad! I have read that they are really useful but I haven't had my scope out for at least a month! Would it be worth spending £35.00 on something I may rarely use?

Don't lose heart Ganymede!

I would definitely recommend a telrad... I wouldn't take my 'scope out without mine (to be fair it would be hard to use my right angle finder without the help of a telrad).

Despite the cloud I still manage to get the occasional look in; two days ago, with nearly a full moon and lots of hazy cloud, I thought I'd get a look at Jupiter, and was rewarded with a lovely transit of Io, even though I could barely see a star anywhere.

[mert]

I would also recommend a telrad, brilliant bit of kit.

[MikeDay82]

You are definitely not alone! Right now I am in two minds whether .or not I should buy a Telrad! I have read that they are really useful but I haven't had my scope out for at least a month! Would it be worth spending £35.00 on something I may rarely use?

The Telrad I bought is the best add on I have ever paid for! Highly recommended. I look at it like this, if i save my self 10 minutes star hopping in a session against using a normal finder, then the time saved is well worth the price if the clouds start rolling in

[nederman63]

Well my other half keeps saying. 'what are you fretting about the sky is going nowhere'. I am frustrated and although I am new to all this, I do think that I would think twice about forking out a lot of money.

[stringbean]

I've only been doing astronomy for 10 months now and I learnt more from Stellarium than looking through my scope I really feel now that the £1500 could have been spent more wisely on a different pastime/hobby

Same for me as well. I sold my six inch Celestron refractor last year because I was so fed up of the cloudy nights which far outnumbered those odd clear nights.

I got a good price for it. I now don't crave wanting to spend my money on add-ons to the kit because it's gone. I purchased a simple Grab & Go pair of Opticron 10x50 bins and a decent tripod. I can honestly say I've got more use out of using the bins than I ever did with the scope. Ok, I don't have the magnification but I'm still pleased with my binocular astronomy. I'm also no longer freezing myself outside anymore because I can stargaze in short bursts and I don't have to set up and pack up everything at the end of a session.

As for software,..yes,..I too have learnt far more using my planetarium software and space related apps and from watching youTube videos. The Internet has really opened the hobby up for me so I no longer have to rely on just purely visual astronomy.

My money is now spent on other interests of mine and I'll be honest and say that I don't regret selling my scope one jot. The weather here is ridiculous and to turn round and say,..it's worth the investment just for that odd clear night doesn't cut the ice with me.

[kirkster501]

Indeed. Another astro event last night - the Asteroid - completely clouded out. As was the transit last year. I am sure if there were a total eclipse here so would that.....

[maclean]

well i've got a few hobbies myself that could sap up every penny I have/make.... audio production:synths, photography: lenses, motorcycling:mods etc etc... I think its very easy (especially us blokes) to get drawn into 'gear lust', where you get stuck in buying the 'top of the range' toys more than you actually enjoy the hobby.

So for me realising I don't need a room full of top of the range synths to make good music, or a collection of canon L-lenses to take good photograps, or a top of the range brand new motorcycle to enjoy the road...

Just like I think I don't need anything other than my £200 skyliner to enjoy the skies... I think the combination of impatience, marketing, 'gear lust' and even a touch of envy make us spend alot more than we need to sometimes, so I personally think buy an 'average' bike and an 'average' telescope rather than blowing the whole lot on a 'top of the range' one or the other...

However I'm not really into imaging which I understand is very expensive so my perspective may fall flat there!

[Obi Wan Ken00bi]

Hmmz very reasonable maclean, but indeed, dont go into imaging I guess

[DaveS]

I suppose if you're just starting out then buying some good basic gear is entirely reasonable.

For myself I can't see myself buying anything beyond what's in my sig for the rest of the year, perhaps get my 550D modded if I get my digital cine camera.