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Hi everyone! Nick from Berkshire County, MA here

nmitsthefish

By nmitsthefish
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nmitsthefish

nmitsthefish

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Heyyy,

My name is Nick and as the title states I currently live in the Berkshires in MA.

I'm totally new to astronomy and havent even looked through a telescope yet. I've been infatuated with the heavens for as long as I can remember and now I am 28 years old and ready to take a serious dive into the experience that is the universe. I've spent the past several weeks reading as much as I can and playing with Stellarium and finally ordered myself an Orion SkyQuest XT8 Dob and am currently patiently (or overly excitedly impatiently) waiting for its arrival. I realize most people suggest their first "scope" being a good set of binoculars but I tend to jump into things (with usually good success).

So, I have come to realize that I have no fellow amateur astronomer friends yet nor do I have an active local astronomy club so I'm a bit in the dark here hoping to spark up some new friendships by joining this forum!

-Nick

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HIP3802

HIP3802

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Hi, Nick, and welcome to SGL! That's a very nice scope you have ordered there - 8" is often described as the 'Goldilocks' of scopes as it is the ideal size to move around and will resolve some of the 'faint fuzzies' of deep sky objects. Along with 'Stellarium' I would also recommend you buy the book 'Turn Left at Orion' which will give specific guidance as to how to 'star hop' to help find objects in the night sky. A planisphere may also help you by showing where the constellations are. I'm sure you will get a lot of use and enjoyment out of your scope.

Martin

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Avocette

Avocette

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Hi Nick and welcome to the SGL forum. How are the skies in Berkshire County? Your choice of scope is very like my Dob. so should be very satisfying. In the meantime while you're waiting for delivery you could always borrow some binoculars and see what they show up! I'm not sure about Stellarium, but an alternative free software (Cartes du Ciel) lets you print out star maps to take outside with you. Clear (and dark) skies!

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nmitsthefish

nmitsthefish

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Thank you everyone for the warm welcome!

Hi, Nick, and welcome to SGL! That's a very nice scope you have ordered there - 8" is often described as the 'Goldilocks' of scopes as it is the ideal size to move around and will resolve some of the 'faint fuzzies' of deep sky objects. Along with 'Stellarium' I would also recommend you buy the book 'Turn Left at Orion' which will give specific guidance as to how to 'star hop' to help find objects in the night sky. A planisphere may also help you by showing where the constellations are. I'm sure you will get a lot of use and enjoyment out of your scope.

Martin

Ah yes, the infamous Turn Left at Orion I've read so much about, I'm definitely going to have to pick that up. Also, a planisphere is coming with my order ;]

Nice scope Nick, and welcome. What was it that made you select this one over other 8" dobsons, did you get a good deal?

Well I was interested in both the Orion and the Zhumell based on their reviews. I was torn between the two and finally when I gathered the money to purchase, I went on both sites and the Zhumell was out of stock (and now apparently its back in stock lol wow). I have quite the difficulty making decisions and committing so I was kind of relieved it was out of stock lol and therefore it made my decision for me. Also Orion was having a deal where they threw in a free $47 shorty barlow and a $30 "beginner's toolkit" which includes a couple books, a planisphere, and a red LED flashlight.

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NickK

NickK

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Welcome - from Nick in Berkshire UK :D

A dob is a very good starting point - also dig out any binos which I've found help find targets or star patterns before pointing the scope!

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