Did anyone else struggle to decide....

[Tim]

17 hours ago, TheShape said:

Anyway........Here is what I have FINALLY gone for

Skymax 127

 

[bish]

23 hours ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

I never made a choice/decision to get into astronomy. Its just something ive done for 37 yrs. It stemmed from a natural curiosity i had about something i saw in the night sky,as a 6 yr old.  I guess from that moment on, you could say i decided that astronomy was for me. Ive always had a healthy interest in the natural world around us and that includes the universe around us too. I think its something that is either in you or its not. I dont think you can force...

 

I think everybody who joins the forum has that natural curiosity.  But deciding on whether to spend out big money  is something else.

[Tim]

My fear when starting out was that I would get bored quickly like with other hobbies (golf, shooting, fishing, woodturning, fishkeeping, flying models etc etc etc....) and end up with a shed full of expensive ornaments. 

Thankfully the forum members pointed me in the right direction at the time, so that rather than become just another hobby, astronomy has become a way of life. Sleeping habits, holiday plans, watching forecasts, planning trips around celestial events.....there's loads to keep us occupied.

Looking forward to your first light report @TheShape, try and start with something easy, the moon, or Venus in the early evening. The 127 Maks are a staple part of many astronomers kit, the long focal length and f12 making them a favourite for planet hunters and lunar observers.

 

[SteveNickolls]

Hi, and thanks for your post. It's impossible to know if sometime into imaging you decide it is not for you and having money to spend does not make things any easier. The worst outcome would be to sell your gear down the line, good equipment will command a decent resale price.

Now if you really want to find out if imaging is for you cheaply then it can be done very inexpensively. Do visit the 'No EQ Challange' thread on SGL. The family DSLR, a SkyWatcher Alt-Az mount and 102mm achromat refractor will get you started cheaply and there is free software out there to use for stacking, for example Deep Sky Stacker, and free trials of processing software such as StarTools. Give these a whirl and see if the imaging bug lights a fire in you. You will learn a lot about your equipment, stacking, processing and most importantly yourself along the way. In the New Year you could buy a copy of, "Astro-photography on the Go Using Short Exposures on Light Mounts" by Joseph Ashley from our sponsors and not look back.

Whatever you do, good luck in the future.

Best Regards,
Steve

[mikeDnight]

On 23/12/2016 at 15:48, TheShape said:

Hi everyone. Thanks again for all your replies, some more welcome than others I might add :-/

Anyway........Here is what I have FINALLY gone for.

SkyWatcher SKYMAX 127 SynScan AZ GOTO Telescope

Not my first choice.....I couldn't (or cannot ATM) justify paying out £1500.

Not my second choice.....was put off my members here.

So please now go ahead and diss if you like or tell me its 'a good un' to get my foot in the door.

I felt like I had been 'told off' my certain members on here the other day. Nearly didn't buy anything full stop!

I can't help it if I am indecisive :-/

The SW 127 is a great scope! You can always change the mount if you don't get along with it. Maybe an astrozap dew shield would be a good next purchase. 

Mike