Biggest astronomical regret?

[MahlerMoonMan]

Hi folks

Up here on the north east coast of Scotland, the weather has turned really nasty ... So I'm sat enjoying an after work pint, there'll be no observing tonight .... Probably not the whole weekend!

Anyway, sat here in my cosy 'local' I've been pondering .... I've been dwelling on one or two regrets I've had over the years with my hobby ...

1) that my ED80 has hardly seen the light of night in nearly 10 years (big regret that, but I can make up for lost time and enjoy my scope as I've always intended)

2) that I didn't keep up my variable star obseving better from when I was a teenager .... I'd have had a fine collection of measurements and become a very seasoned observer by now! (Again, I can pick up those lost threads in the weeks, months and years to come)

And,

3) as a 16 year old, circa 1987, with £80 Christmas and birthday money in hand, I allowed a well-meaning friend to talk me out of buying a Ziess pair of 10x50s that cost £80 .... He didn't want me to 'blow all my money' ... Instead I bought a £30 pair of Rubbish 7x50s that broke a few years later, and a number of cassettes/LPs. This is my biggest regret. I could've had a quality pair of binocs that'd lasted me a life-time. I so wish I'd ignored my friend and bought them!! They're well gone now and I can't aford Ziess's now ....

My Celestron Skymaster 20x80s and Visionary V-1, 8.5x42s will have to do me a long time!!!

At least my ED80 will show me a whole new 'undiscovered country' in the years to come ...

So what big astronomical regrets do you fine folks all have? Pour your hearts out to me!

Donaldo

[Beulah]

Not getting out there enough. My regret is very recent - for various reasons including LP problems over Christmas this winter season has been a total washout for me. I have only seen the Orion Nebula once!!

The positive thing about it all is that the sense of awe has returned. I had the scope out last night for half an hour before the skies closed again and it was lovely studying Jupiter for five minutes as it faded in and out of the cloud.

Another regret is that we had the opportunity to move to a remote location in a very dark area last year and had to turn it down because of my job. (Have to get priorities right!!!) But...the opportunity could come again when it is 'meant to be'.  

[Stu]

Two regrets for me.<br />

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1) That I have not properly recorded all my observations over the years. I have now started in a rather ad hoc fashion but need to start sketching and recording things more so I can look back on it in the future. I'd love to keep a record of sunspot activity over a long period to plot the trends for example.<br />

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2) That I didn't force my now ex wife to get up an hour earlier in order to see the total eclipse in 1999. We were heading back from the west coast of France, and could have been slap bang on the path of totality but she refused to leave any earlier so we only saw it at around 80%. Frustrating is not the word!<br />

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Stu

[reddoss]

That I did not win the Euro millions jackpot so I could by an astrophysics mount and huge scope housed in a luxury observatory on top of the Canary Islands. :-)

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[rory]

Oh, this could be an interesting thread.

For me it's very simple . SELLING MY GEAR.

Big regret and kick myself about it every day !

[Lorne]

I thought about saying I wish Id got more into the hobby 25 years ago (the interest has always been there) but looking back I dont think i would have had the time as I worked wackier shifts then than I do now, my kids are nearly grown up now so that would have eaten into my free time, I imagine the scope and eyepieces I have now would have been a lot more expensive relatively speaking,.

There's a few regrets about eclipses, Venus transits, comets I've failed to see but the sky isn't going anywhere soon so I've still got loads to see.

Anyway, time for MY after work pint (since its raining outside) What you having? Guinness it looks like! 

[Johnny4365]

Not using my scope much for the last few years is a big regret but, I will try to make up for it in the next few years.

Not buying a scope earlier when my eyes were much younger.

Not seeing Neil Armstrongs small step. I know I was only 4 at the time but come on Mum & Dad I think you should have got me out of bed for that !

Not joining this forum sooner

[laser_jock99]

Not getting out there enough. My regret is very recent - for various reasons including LP problems over Christmas this winter season has been a total washout for me. I have only seen the Orion Nebula once!!

The positive thing about it all is that the sense of awe has returned. I had the scope out last night for half an hour before the skies closed again and it was lovely studying Jupiter for five minutes as it faded in and out of the cloud.

Another regret is that we had the opportunity to move to a remote location in a very dark area last year and had to turn it down because of my job. (Have to get priorities right!!!) But...the opportunity could come again when it is 'meant to be'.  

I wish I had moved to the country side years ago.

[Space Dragon]

Not getting into it when I was younger when my eyes dilated to their full potential.

I was living in London then though.

[TractionMan]

So far no regrets that I can think of. Perhaps several years from now when I've gathered more experience, that might change. Hopefully not though. By being a member of SGL and having access to the vast knowledge here, I think the risk of ending up with regrets can be reduced quite a bit.

[stevepeverall]

Not taking up astronomy when I lived in Cornwall under some amazingly dark skies.

[John]

For me it's:

- not having seen a shuttle launch despite 7 visits to Florida and the Kennedy Space Centre during the period they were flying.

- that the total eclipse on 1999 was clouded out despite us being right on the central line of totality.

Other than that (both out of my control) I can't complain 

[Mr Spock]

I too should have kept my variable star observations going. I would have had 30+ years of light curves. I get a mention in this BAA report from the '80s http://www.britastro.org/vss/00465a.html

[MahlerMoonMan]

Hey Lorne

Guiness is a favourite tipple of mine certainly ... But there's a great wee pub in the centre of Aberdeen near the station that I get a regular pint or two of Orkney Dark Island .... A gorgeous rich stout .... That's what I'm enjoying on this wild night

Back on thread now!

Some great posts ....

[bingevader]

Other than that (both out of my control) I can't complain 

Well done John, I think that statement probably sums it up for me too!

There are things that I'd like to do and hope to get the opportunity to do one day, but I don't think I've missed anything that wasn't already beyond my control or that my circumstances made impossible at the time. 

I'm trying to keep my glass permanently half full, but Guinness would do fine. 

[Dave_D]

leaving my 14" mirror set stored away for 25 years before i even started on a mount for it

[L8-Nite]

Timing for me is sometimes at a miss, often I seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when opportunity knocks; such is life.

 Astronomy related, I regret missing the opportunity to buy a Zeiss AS 100/1000 with B Mount and Pedestal last year.    

[Crebles]

Not getting into astronomy before the age of 42 and as such buying a house with a garden surrounded by street lights. It's like Wembley Stadium here sometimes on a Saturday night.   

And getting married. 

[Peter Drew]

No regrets. Yet. 

[dick_dangerous]

My relationship with Astronomy is one filled with regret:

• That I was out of the loop when I traveled in the Southern hemisphere, so didn't make the most of my time down there (Although I did get to look through some telescopes in the Atacama desert, which was really rather cool)
• Similarly, that I didn't see the Transit of Venus... To be fair this was mostly due to teacher training in 2004.
• That I gave up on pursuing Astrophysics as a career. Actually, I don't regret that for a moment because I ended up studying Zoology and specialised in vertebrate evolution. Okay, so I haven't got to aim a big fancy telescope on La Palma, but I have had the fortune to see one of the Archaeopteryx lithographica type specimens.

So don't regret anything, just enjoy what life throws at you - life can only be lived forward, but it can only be understood backwards.

Having said that, I really should have caught that transit of Venus. Doh!

DD

[lukebl]

Very interesting thread. My biggest regret is selling off most of my astro gear after a personal tragedy a couple of years ago, thinking I'd never get my mojo back. Fortunately, I did get it back and subsequently replaced everything and more. Rather an expensive business.

[Mark at Beaufort]

My big regret was from 1969. I had an invite to see the launch of Apollo 12 then had a chance to visit Mount Palomar and Wilson. Did not go because of lack of funds - was married a few months before and was saving for a house deposit.

Nearly went to Chile to see the telescopes at the Atacama Desert - problem with the arrangements stopped me going.

[YouCannotBeSirius]

Interesting thread!

I don't really have any regrets as such, yet... I've always been heavily interested in astronomy and stargazing but only ever dabbled for a few years, minor observing, reading and researching and I didn't have the finances to start what many describe as an "expensive hobby". I then bought 10x50 binoculars followed by a telescope over a year later... so I don't regret anything, but it would've been nice to have been in a position to have a telescope a few years ago. However, being 23 gives me many years to pursue stargazing from now on...

It is indeed a humbling and inspiring experience, I can't imagine not being able to observe the night sky, whether it's looking at the stars and the edge of the Milkyway when I walk home at night, or viewing the nearest galaxies through a telescope. I look at Orion every night (when it's visible) and it feels like an old friend, always there, it's the same with a couple of others. I feel as though I know Orion, a constant, reassuring hunter in the sky that is always there no matter the turmoil of my mere blink-long existence. We live and die in the blink of an eye...

One thing which has caught my attention more than ever, since having a telescope is our moon, I'd always considered it a little 'boring' in comparison to deep sky or planetary viewing simply because it didn't contain enough 'mystery' and un-trodden territory as much as the latter two, however since seeing the enormous level of detail with my telescope, I now know how exciting and wonderful the moon is and feel a little bad and stupid for ever thinking otherwise! It is fascinating, it's like looking at a grey version of another planet, with all it's craters, lines, patches and details; it doesn't matter that it's the most observable, most easily studied nearby object. It's also inspired me to look at the sun (I need to buy a filter first though).

So I think, with any regrets, there is an up-side or a learning curve.

[jason.p]

I wish I'd spent more time learning the night sky before I got my first scope. It would have saved me a lot of time now. Still, that's water under the bridge, not really a big regret:)<br />

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[bomberbaz]

Being far too impetuous with buying, not taking enough time to thinks things through. Easily cost me a fewhundred quid more than I should have spent but having said that, I am very happy where I am.

othrvregret, not getting my backside of the setteee often enough and missing viewing things. (More recengly panstarrs)