What started your interest in Astronomy?

[SHUTTLE ATLANTIS]

as for me watching a young sir patrick moore in the sky at night in them days black and white tv, and seeing the first moon landing

then my parents getting me a small tasco scope and i was bitten with the bug . and it stayed with me when we go camping still sit outside for hours just looking up amazing.

[dick_dangerous]

I got my love of astronomy from my Dad - standing out on a cold dark night when I was about 5 trying to spot Halley's Comet with binoculars. We didn't see it but a lifelong interest was born. I was kind of mildly interested but then got into it in a big way when I was about 13 and realised I was good at Physics. I got a telescope for my 14th birthday and used it as often as I could until I was just about to go to university to become an astrophysicist and my Mum managed to break the stand - it didn't bode well because I susequently ended up studying Zoology. Such is life!

DD

[S.A.M]

Patrick Moore with The Sky at Night and Apollo programme got me started and I have not looked back since.

[cotterless45]

My maths teacher was a Miss Newton , a direct descendant. As soon as the math was done , the blackboard would be wiped off and we'd be mesmerised by orbits, planets and gravity,

Nick.

[M L W]

Like many, I have always had an interest in the unknown and beyond. When I turn on the TV, I always zoom into my documentaries... hopefully to something about the universe, solar system etc.

Again, same as many here, a couple years ago bought a refractor telescope for my sons, who have since grown up and fled the nest! Even when it was first bought, I used it more than them . "I did honestly buy it for them" .... What finally pushed me over the edge was me constantly looking up at the dark skies weather / sky watching and reading conditions trying to suss out if I was going to get out on the water or not the next day!

To explain, I teach kite surfing and part of my instructors training was largely based on weather systems and watching the skies. What I know is that when its cloudy, Im normally happy as with cloulds come pressure = wind! I can honestly say for many nights i have looked up at the stars and thought "clear skies, guess im not kitesurfing tomorrow" but how beautiful the satrs look....... Needless to say, I can get the best of both worlds with these two hobbies. Clear skies / no cloud = no wind, no kitesurfing but get the telescope out. Clouds / no stars = kitesufing and put the telescope away.

Simples

[M L W]

Like many, I have always had an interest in the unknown and beyond. When I turn on the TV, I always zoom into my documentaries... hopefully to something about the universe, solar system etc.

Again, same as many here, a couple years ago bought a refractor telescope for my sons, who have since grown up and fled the nest! Even when it was first bought, I used it more than them . "I did honestly buy it for them" .... What finally pushed me over the edge was me constantly looking up at the dark skies weather / sky watching and reading conditions trying to suss out if I was going to get out on the water or not the next day!

To explain, I teach kite surfing and part of my instructors training was largely based on weather systems and watching the skies. What I know is that when its cloudy, Im normally happy as with cloulds come pressure = wind! I can honestly say for many nights i have looked up at the stars and thought "clear skies, guess im not kitesurfing tomorrow" but how beautiful the satrs look....... Needless to say, I can get the best of both worlds with these two hobbies. Clear skies / no cloud = no wind, no kitesurfing but get the telescope out. Clouds / no stars = kitesufing and put the telescope away.

Simples

PS, I hope the above made sense! I sat there writing it feeling seriously unwell and couldnt wait to look away from the screen to stop my eyes hurting!

[Steep]

My maths teacher was a Miss Newton , a direct descendant. As soon as the math was done , the blackboard would be wiped off and we'd be mesmerised by orbits, planets and gravity,

Nick.

That is really cool! well done Miss Newton.

[Torin]

Well for me there's the usual Sir Patrick Moore / Sky at Night and the Observer's Book of Astronomy. Then there was Halley's Comet in 1986, to be able to look up into the sky and see a comet with such historical importance as that comet and to do so with only eyeball mark 1 to see it was amazing. I can't wait to be able to show my son the wonders of the sky at night.

[Dave 2112]

Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series in the 80's, my dad got them on video and I played them over and over until some were unwatchable. Luckily he also got the book that went with the series, I just picked up a copy on Amazon for pennies. Sure its dated now, but glad to have it on the bookcase again.

[planetdnb]

for me it was a holiday to Spain and seeing Jupiter in the sky. Really stirred my interest!

[fedev80]

Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series in the 80's, my dad got them on video and I played them over and over until some were unwatchable.

For me it was also "Cosmos". And after some years later from the first time I watched it, I found my self all alone because the gf went away on a business trip for four month, so I started to look at the sky at night, and I got hooked

Federico

[summerstars]

I've been interested since I was small. Not sure what started it. Just found it all to be amazing. Never did anything about it until my son started to show an interest. So we now have our first scope and I'm doing a natural sciences: astronomy and planetary science degree with OU.

[66mikeg]

watching the first episode of "The Sky at Night" and being able to see the Arend Roland comet that was it's main subject Sir Patrick RIP.

[Obi Wan Ken00bi]

The misses gave me an astronomy course at the local observatory for my birthday. But now she refuses to give me a 10 inch newton on eq6 for this year!

[Avo]

Ships..............

Did a cadetship with Shell Tankers, the nav officers had to use astro nav to verify the (then) crude / new fangled sat nav. Taught me some of the brighter stars. Never forgot them.

Much more recently, the wife bought me a planisphere, so now I can blame her for the depleted bank account.

[steveb1977]

I can't rememeber any one thing. I can remember a variety of astronomy related things from when I was a child but I already had an interest at the time. Things like the veiw of a dark sky when on holiday. I can also vaguely remember an eclipse on the sun from the early 80's when I was very young.

[mullac2001]

always had a background interest since i was a kid. never came to much. watched stargazing live this year and last and thought hey buying a telescope would be a great idea for me and the kids. attended a stargazing event at alice holt in farnham earlier this year with my eldest who"s 11. had some great views and advice on the whole(apart from asking would be able to see jupiter well in our explorer 130.answer no you won"t . well yes we do!)

now my eldest will say" looks like good viewing tonight" and my youngest will ask if we can go stargazing .

bought an evostar 90 for ease of use and couple of eyepieces thanks to advice from this forum and of course its been cloudy ever since lol.

now i watch sky at night on youtube in bed and im currently reading sir patrick moore"s autobiography

[Gomtuu]

Ever since I can remember, I've always been fascinated by looking at clouds in the freezing cold

Seriously though, I can't remember when I wasn't interested in the sciences.

[Bart]

An uncontrollable desire to bankrupt myself...

[M4lcs67]

I'd always looked up to the sky on a lovely clear night and marveled at it's beauty. In fact I had done that for as long as I could remember, but without doing anything about it regarding buying a scope.

It was probably moved to the next level following a stroke 4 years ago and not working anymore, therefore having more time on my hands and not having to get up for work the following morning. Also I admit I had been bitten by the Brian Cox effect a little after seeing Wonders of the Universe/Solar System, but I had watched numerous Horizon programmes and other Space related ones as well. And not forgetting Sir Patrick. Who could not draw inspiration from him.

So it was a combination of these things that finally got my to buy my first scope nearly three years ago. From there I have pushed on and bought a bigger and better scope that I can see more with and also upgraded and improved it with various accessories.

I have really been bitten by the astronomy bug in a big way and I am only sorry that I didn't do it years ago. With the lousy British weather I don't get outside much, but when I can, I am outside in my garden. In fact we are taking things to the next level shortly and I am having a dedicated observing pad built in my back garden where I can set-up nice and level and clean (at the moment I have to set-up on our sloping lawn, which gets a little chewed-up and muddy if I have been out for a few nights).

[Pyrodave]

It must be 20 or so years since I first saw a Dark sky ,we were camping somewhere near Cheddar Gorge and sat out till the early hours just gazing up at the stars .

Years later we stayed in a cabin in Yosemite national park and were treated to the most awe inspiring view of the night sky it was then that I was finally hooked

[DaveS]

Can't think what started my interest, as far as I can remember I've always been interested, but I had a long break when I got fed up with the rubbish skies and dire seeing from London. I think the last time I set up my scope was to look at Comet Halley.

What re-ignited my interest was trying some very simple AP with just my DSLR and seeing how much better it was than my attempts with old Ektachrome 400.

Since then I've bought the kit in my sig and embraced the Dark Side but I'm still going to get my old 8" Newt up and running again.

[chiltonstar]

What started your interest in Astronomy?

Standing on an "Alp" at 14,000 feet at midnight and looking upwards (minus 34C mind you....)!

Seeing a "UFO" 6 months later was the final straw......this was the hobby for me!

Chris

[m12_shakes]

I've always loved science since primary school (which carried on to secondary, college and finally university). So my interest stems from there, it was only helped further by S@N and Sir PM.

It may sound rather fatuous, but I believe we collectively are all in a very privileged position, we have seen things that I'm sure 95%* of the world population cannot even comprehend, let alone read or see pictures of.

Regards,

m12

n.b. *a totally made up statistic lol.

[kirkster501]

me and two mates when I was about six looking at Ursa Major and thinking how much it looked like a question mark. That was 40 years ago..... Only recently had the money to indulge myself in kit a lot more. I was a Binocular guy for over 30 years. I still love bins.