What Got You Into Astronomy?

[Apollo459]

For most of us, astronomy is a life long hobby. It's simply fascinating staring into the depths of the universe in awe. However, we all had to start somewhere, and become interested in the glory of space and other celestial bodies. What made you want to learn more, to crave knowledge. For me personnally, my grade 9 science class. We had a unit in astronomy, before my interest in it was almost non-existant, however, being able to absorb such knowledge was amazing. I started reading as much as i could into astronamy on Wikipedia and the like. That Christmas I got my first telescope, a celestron astromaster 70 az, and 2 eyepieces, a 10mm and a 20mm. I then setout to learn as much as I could, and listen to more experienced astronomers like here on SGL. Now am gaining bigger aspirations in a hobby that I will enjoy for a lifetime. So I ask: What made you decide to become an astronomer?

[cotterless45]

I felt a terrible urge to spend my time and money in order to stand around in freezing cold conditions, camp out in heavy frost, sit on my glasses and invent several new names for weather forecasters.

Love it !

Nick.

[Bungielad]

Looking at the moon after late night parties and thinking......."how the **** did that get there"...... staring at it for ages and thinking to my self....."I really need to know more"

Bungielad.

[YouCannotBeSirius]

Good question...

It's difficult to pinpoint a particular event and there's a few reasons as to why I delved into it, but I think the initial aspect was an innate need and desire to explore my own origins and my place in life and the universe, to find meaning in the seemingly random madness... since the beginning these initial feelings have remained but also developed into a broader interest and hobby.

[houston]

Looking through mates tasco 60mm refracter at saturn. Hale bopp was an easy naked eye comet. Been hooked ever since.

[Luke]

It was the impulse purchase of a £35 telescope from a camera store, Jessops. We had no idea what to expect and were just curious. The first look was craters on the moon. I remember thinking how awesome the craters were and wondering why I had never thought to look at them through a telescope before!

[asset189]

this is the answer i gave to a similar query previously and ill stick with my final sentence, "the thrill never leavers you"  :-

started way back in the early 1960's .

with this

some of this and a liberal helping of a grandfather who could point out most of the northern constellations.

later excitement at the moon landings then dissapointment at not seeing Neil Armstrong when he visited langholm in 72 all shaped my interest. like most i drifted away for a few years.

Got my first "telescope" a Tasco of all things , when i stopped smoking in the 1980's. Hunted for and found comet halley after weeks of trying with an old pair of 10X50 binos - still one of the most exciting experiences ive had stargazing. lost interest again then got back into it again in the last couple of years.

ive said it before but its true, the thrill never leaves you with this hobby.

[philhas]

This book!

[Pig]

A combination of Dr Who, Startrek, Patrick Moore and big fireball in the sky when I was about 7 years old 

[PhotoGav]

My French teacher at prep school when I was about 9. He had some kind of small refractor that he used to set up on a flat roof outside his apartment in the school. I remember the adventure, clambering out of a window in the dark with a couple of mates and the teacher, looking through the eyepiece and there was Saturn... rings and everything. I couldn't believe it. It was so clear and sharp, absolutely beautiful. That was in 1978. I still get a flashback thrill every time I see Saturn even today!

I have always enjoyed staring up at the stars since then and have had various small telescopes that have been great, but it is only really since last year, when I started taking photographs through the scope, that my interest in the heavens above has come to fruition. It's so wonderful developing my knowledge and appreciation of the night sky and discovering and photographing it's awesome beauty.

I can't even remember the French teacher's name, all I remember is that his knickname was Danny La Rue!

Clear skies to all - it's perfect out there at the moment!

[ardbeg74]

I've had an interest for as long as i can remember but always thought you needed 1000's for a decent scope.

Last october while out in the garden having a cigarette i spotted a bright "star" in the south east. I knew it was either saturn or jupiter but didnt know which. On a whim i fished out the bins i'd bought 5 years ago for stargazing and never used. Trained it on the "Star" and there it was. A bright spot with a string of moons... jupiter just as galileo must have seen it. I was blown away, no idea you could see that with bins.

So every clear night i watched juipter, it was a strange compulsion, i just had to look at it. But it was difficult to keep the bins steady  so I decided i wanted cheap tripod, then found out about parallelogram mounts but these were expensive for what they were, then  skywatcher telescopes which werent, then found SGL, FLO and finally at the start of november found whats been missing from my life all these years

So really it was the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of the  SGL community more than anything else that got me into astronomy proper, with a little help from the king of planets of course:)  So thanks guys!!  

Clear skies

Mark

[Naemeth]

I've no idea, the awe of our solar system has been there, for me, since I was little. The Planets was and is one of my favourite documentaries and certainly went someway to inspiring me. It's surprising it took me this long to get into Astronomy, I believe it was a re-watch of the planets documentary that got me thinking - 'hang on, why don't I get a telescope'. Needless to say, I'm hooked .

[Qualia]

Corny as it sounds, interest arose simply from a sense of wonder. I'd put astronomy into the same bracket as the arts and philosophy. There are few endeavors so wide in scope, so rich in detail, and so marvelous in implication.

An unexamined life....and all that

[jetstream]

From a book written in 1931.As a child I would study the book,then sneak outside our cabin to see what I could see.Back then-late 60's-everything was so black outside and the stars shone like diamonds,milky way glowing.I wish I could of had a telescope back then....the sky mag at this same place is still 21.5-21.6.

[cantab]

I'd long been interested in cosmology and science in general, as well as writing sci-fi. UARS was in the news back in 2011, a satellite expected to re-enter the atmosphere, so I went out hoping to catch it on one of its final orbits, armed with a pair of naff binoculars. I never saw the satellite, but I did see that actually I can see stars from Birmingham, and on pointing the binoculars at a funny fuzzy patch discovered the Pleiades.

I did some reading up, joined SGL, got a pair of decent 10x50s, had clear skies the day they arrived (yes, unbelievable I know ) and went from there.

[wxsatuser]

Way back in the sixties I bought a copy of the Observers book of Astronomy with my paper round money.

[reddoss]

The factors that got me interested in astronomy were being fascinated by the moon when I was five, the moon landings, star trek, the sky at night programme and seeing Saturn though a fifteen inch Newtonian aged eleven.

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[knobby]

It was actually the wife... Well sort of... I was looking around lakeside one Christmas Eve looking for just one last present when I saw Photo optix closing down. They had several telescopes on show and I remembered my wife 'always wanted one when she was little ' <br />

Bought a 60mm x 700mm hideous quality frac (never buy scopes without researching first :-) )<br />

But she loved it!<br />

now I'm hooked and she's lost interest, unless its quick / warm / comfortable /near a toilet :-)

[AstroJon]

For me it was probably seeing a meteor when I was about 5 years old, been interested ever since.

[L8-Nite]

For me it was probably seeing a meteor when I was about 5 years old, been interested ever since.

It was seeing a meteor for me me too, that was back in 1965.  I just looked up at the right moment one evening, and saw it slowly burn its way across the sky, wow! My dad let me use his binoculars and I spent many an evening looking at the stars, waiting in vain for it to happen again, lol. It's what got me started, and with the space program in full swing, my Dad bought me a small telescope.

I've never considered myself an Astronomer,  just an Amateur Observer.  

Edit: Still have my first book. 

[nucleardwarf]

Being abducted by aliens.

[RichieP]

For me it was being sent to bed too early as a child and spending the hours before I felt sleepy looking out of my south facing bedroom window at the stars, especially Orion.

If my parents had put up net curtains things would be very different!

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[L8-Nite]

Being abducted by aliens.

Look      ............. I think we have found the lost nuclear dwarf specimen. 

Land here.

[Lee M]

Eastenders and numerous 'reality' shows.

After my son went off to university I was left with my wife & two daughters whose evening entertainment requirements consisted of people shouting 'I'm not your muvver!' or similar at each other.

I'd always been interested in the stars and things astronomical in a casual kind of way. I decided it was time to get a bit more serious. Fortunately I found SGL before I laid out any cash on it

[L8-Nite]

Sad that I have nothing better to do on a rainy Sunday, isn't it, lol.