Worried about being disappointed

[RT65CB-SWL]

My first telescope was a 40x Tasco (4ETE) refractor. I did think... "I wish I had a bigger telescope!"

It gave me many years of positive enjoyment. And when I first saw Saturn... "WOW!" - and was I disappointed... "No!" - Did Galileo think or say to himself... "I wish I had made a bigger telescope!" when the first-light of Jupiter came through his telescope eyepiece. We will never know the answer.

Think positive everytime you look through the eyepiece. Think of it as a bonus. That photon, that has travelled a myriad of miles/kilometres across the universe, that has taken seconds, minutes, hours, etc., to reach your eyepiece... and you maybe the first or only one that has seen that something.

I only get negative when everything is setup... all systems go... then the weather decides not to play ball...

...it is either   or 

[ollypenrice]

By a million million miles the best thing is a dark sky. With a dark sky you need a chair and not much else. Then bins. Then a scope. Then, maybe, some imaging kit but that's another form of madness.

From bad skies the moon and planets are really great.

The faint fuzzies are only rewardng if you know what they are and have read the science - though maybe that's just me.

I agree with prevous posters that trying it for yourself at club meetings is the logical thing to do.

Olly

[Alexgopro]

The local club had a meeting a couple days ago, all clouds so no viewing but they had a really cool star hopping guide. They put up a picture of what the stars in our area would look like, and they could go forward/backward in time to see the rotation and what you would see to the north/west/south/east and at what time would be best for certain things. Granted they only showed this season, but it was really cool. Think interactive local star map that can selectively highlight anything you want! Oh and this was all projected onto a dome that you view while laying back in a chair.

The only odd part was the major age group difference. Not many youngins like me, and the few youngins that were there appeared to be showing up because of some type of class requirement..(this was at a local college)

Super excited for the public star party this weekend though. I just want to buy a damn scope already

[Tzitzis]

I only have one astronommical club near me and they are showoffs and have an irritating attitude...

Dome! Wow take advantage of that. Also don't be hesitating cause there are no young members, I wish I had someone to talk to about astronomy. We are like 1000 astronomers in Greece and we are like 11.000.000 Greeks  

All in all don't miss the astronight or ehatever it is and meet some other members, get in touch and this will help you so much...

[spaceboy]

There a so many different factors to take in to consideration with this hobby. For example you could have 2 people with the same equipment, same age, same dark skies, 20/20 vision etc, etc, etc  but one could be viewing in perfect transparency and seeing conditions and the other from the UK suffering the jet stream and sat between 2 weather cells. For the one observer the wow moments will be few and far between in comparison to the other. Then there is light pollution, smog, humidity etc, etc, etc. And as I recently found out not everyone's expectations are the same http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/245192-is-astronomy-like-marmite FYI even from dark skies I have visited I have never seen M42 in the detail Dragon man has, so this again shows how 2 different locations can vary even though away from light pollution.

[Scott]

The local club had a meeting a couple days ago, all clouds so no viewing but they had a really cool star hopping guide. They put up a picture of what the stars in our area would look like, and they could go forward/backward in time to see the rotation and what you would see to the north/west/south/east and at what time would be best for certain things. Granted they only showed this season, but it was really cool. Think interactive local star map that can selectively highlight anything you want! Oh and this was all projected onto a dome that you view while laying back in a chair.

The only odd part was the major age group difference. Not many youngins like me, and the few youngins that were there appeared to be showing up because of some type of class requirement..(this was at a local college)

Super excited for the public star party this weekend though. I just want to buy a damn scope already

And that my friend IS astronomy ... Joking of course but not far from the truth. As many have said, you don't just use your eyes for astronomy. it's as much, or more about the knowledge you pick up along the way. Never let fear of disappointment stop you  from trying new things. It's how we grow

[swamp thing]

By a million million miles the best thing is a dark sky. With a dark sky you need a chair and not much else. 

Olly

^^^ this

The only thing I would add is some good company.

[Tzitzis]

^^^ this

The only thing I would add is some good company.

And a couple of beers

[Piero]

It's all a matter of attitude when it comes to astronomy - for me, the motivations are the thrill of the chase, the appreciation of the scale and structure of the cosmos and feeling a connection to the wider universe. I'm quite Zen about star-gazing: "I'm going to look at space" is my euphemism for finding my own headspace, a kind of meditation and way of unwinding. There is nothing like the thrill of hunting down an elusive Messier (M83 for example) or seeing something truly spectacular (I remember using my 3'' refractor to observe the Veil Nebula in Northern Spain last year - stunning!). Who can forget their first view of Saturn's rings or Jupiter's cloud belts or the first time you resolve a globular cluster and that quote from the novel of 2001 comes to your mind: "Oh my God, it's full of stars!"

I often tell people the story of why I stopped studying Physics - I got to university and asked, "When do we get to look down a telescope?"

"Oh no," the Physics lecturers said, "We build computer simulations and carry out spectral analyses, we don't look down the telescopes."

"Fine," I replied, "Where do I sign up for palaeontology, because they still knock rocks together..."

You're getting in to astronomy because of love of the subject, a fascination with the deeper workings of the universe and a desire to find out more. That hunger will keep you hooked, so you'll find it hard to be disappointed as your expectations are realistic.

Of course if you're really worried you could pop along to a local Astro group or star party and look down someone else's 'scope to get an idea of the views!

Paul

I see this hobby very similarly to you.

The only difference with your text is that I went on with my studies, even though sometimes I just think I went too far and wonder if I made the right choice. 

[sunka]

As you'll appreciate Alex, any response to this enquiry will be grounded upon subjective judgements. As such, avoiding the thorny issue of ultimate volition and will, much will depend on how you choose to engage with the world about you.

Certainly, observing the night sky holds the promise of new excitement, adventure and learning opportunities. Spending time with the wonders of the night sky can inspire curiosity, wonder, bewilderment, awe and empathy. In a way, just like observing nature on Earth, there are life and death stories being played out in the night sky at every moment and watching them unfold season after season, trying to come to understand them can help build a deep sense of humility and respect for nature and one's environment.

Stargazing can also help augment your observation skills. Like the artist, poet or sleuth, you must learn to slow down, to look rather than merely see. You have to learn to apply the knowledge you have acquired and gather up those components into a coherent story, literally pulling evermore information from the celestial sphere and the objects you are observing. These types of activities can help increase concentration, intelligence, well-being, alleviation from stress and the hustle and bustle of every day life and so on.

Too often we move too fast through the world and in consequence our capacity of awareness is diminished. Becoming still with an activity like stargazing means we are taking more in and regardless of disposition, we begin to focus and concentrate on the world around us, to become present with what is happening, not only through sight, but all the senses.

I don't know what excitement you will get from stargazing, like so much in life, it'll suit some and not others. All I can advise is that you follow your curiosity, the willingness to ask questions which will hopefully get you to look and notice things new and in a deeper fashion.

As the others have mentioned, perhaps it's a good idea to get to a local astronomy club and head out to one of their gatherings or, again, just to purchase a cheap set of binoculars and head out on a number of occassions. There is much to learn and see and at the end of the evening, if you feel stargazing isn't 'your cup of tea', you haven't blown a load of cash on telescopes and eyepieces and the such. 

Good luck with whatever you decide

Very well said!

[dick_dangerous]

I see this hobby very similarly to you.

The only difference with your text is that I went on with my studies, even though sometimes I just think I went too far and wonder if I made the right choice. 

My experience at university taught me that there are no right choices, you just have to go with the flow and sometimes life will take you in new and unexpected directions. Luckily Astronomy is a subject that can be enjoyed at many different levels and in many different ways. Sometimes all you need is a blanket, some dark skies and a bit of imagination!

Paul

[Moonshane]

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/174263-when-scopes-start-to-get-big/

I use my 12" far more than my 16".

[Alexgopro]

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/174263-when-scopes-start-to-get-big/

I use my 12" far more than my 16".

Don't those pictures just make you want the 16 more! Haha but yes that's crazy.

113" to 203" that's a big difference. How do you compare the views?

[Alexgopro]

Wish I could edit posts already

With Washington weather (consistent rain and clouds) I'm less likely to be out often, so that might make a difference.

[Moonshane]

Don't those pictures just make you want the 16 more! Haha but yes that's crazy.

113" to 203" that's a big difference. How do you compare the views?

As you'd expect really. the 12" is really excellent at home and very easy to use. The 16" is rarely used at home and more for darker sites when it provides truly excellent views of some objects, faint whiffs of others and sort of average on others still depending on the conditions. I have seen knotty structures within M1 with an Oiii filter from a relatively dark site.