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Lancer525

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Hello!

 

After a very long time away from looking through telescopes (25+ years!) I've decided to take the plunge and get back into low-level, hobbyist astronomy. I had a very plain, secondhand Meade Model 300 on an alt-az mount, back when I was in college, one eyepiece (a 20mm Kellner, if memory serves) and an interest in looking at the moon. Off an on, over the years, I've toyed with the idea of getting a telescope for Planetary & Lunar viewing, waffling between the 127/130-series Newtonians, and various 70-90mm Refractors. A while back, I came across a very good deal for an Orion 6" EQ Reflector, and it's been sitting in my den for almost a year, in the unopened box. Given that there's a Solar Eclipse coming up this summer, and I'm a little more than an hour from the center of the totality line, not to mention that Saturn is going to be at opposition in June, well, I just thought I might open the thing up, and get used to using it. Problem is, I just don't remember much of anything I did way back in college, in a farm field in rural south Georgia... I suppose that once one reaches my age, one discovers that the memory is the second thing to go.

I am painfully aware that technology is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was in the 1980s, and judging from what's out there and visible in various internet searches, I just have little to no idea how to get started again, how to go about doing what I'd like to do, or all that much in the way of knowledge base to get there.

My area of interest is casual Planetary and Lunar observation, with the future desire/intent to be able to take some basic, reasonable, color photographs to be able to show people what I actually saw. I'm not going to be the next Carl Sagan, or even the next Brian Cox, so somebody being super-helpful in telling me I need a 43" scope with a $2K computer controlled, helium-cooled camera, and a Cray computer system to run everything, would not be of any benefit. That's just way too far outside of my version of reality. Basic stuff. Basic. With a reasonable eye towards frugality. I know my limitations, and my wife is one of them. More accurately, her grasp on access to the bank account is one of them. Hmmm.... I know I’ve read something like that on some other forum somewhere, sometime… There’s that dang memory thing again. What were we talking about?

Before anyone suggests so, I simply won't have anything to do with the "local astronomy club" for various reasons, so they're just not an option. Thanks for your understanding.

So, I thought I'd come aboard here, watch a few discussions, ask a few ignorant questions when the mood strikes, and hope I understand the answers! All I ask is, please remember there was a time when you didn't know something, and didn't have the tools to understand the answers you were given. That's where I am now, except, at my age, it's a lot easier to get frustrated at my own lack of knowledge, and inability to be specific enough in a question to be able to get to the precise point of information sought. So, having said that, I'll always be sure to wait before I reply, so that I don't inadvertently let that frustration show. It's just not conducive to reasonable discussion in my opinion. And believe me, I have plenty of opinions. Some of them are even valid! Who knew?

My most sincere hope is that I’ll run across some nugget of information put out there by someone who invested in painful and expensive experience, and save myself the horror of fouling up badly. If it so happens that an inquiry of mine is not specifically addressed, I might come out of the safety of lurkingville and expose my significant lack of knowledge, understanding, and information. Yes, I know it’s a spectacle when someone does that, and I am shameless in that regard.

I hope that I can grow into a decent contributor, and that my weird sense of humor becomes endearing. Stranger things have happened!

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Welcome Lancer!  I started 2.5 years ago with no prior experience, just a science background, and soon found there is an enormous amount to learn about the physics, equipment, and technology.  But with practice, keenness, and support from the internet and SGL in particular, you soon make progress up the proverbial steep learning curve, and have a lot of satisfaction on the way!

Doug.

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Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL. You do not have to spend a fortune to enjoy this hobby. Some are content with a pair of binoculars, a comfortable chair and a free app on their phone. Neither do you have to be an astrophysicist. The key word is " enjoy". That's what it's really all about.

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First of all, a warm welcome to SGL. And I am really envious to those of you who have an opportunity to watch the Solar eclipse live :).

I regretfully Chickened out going to Svalbard, Norway for the ecplise in 2015.

I am not sure what forums you are used to, but I`ve never seen any 'spectacle' regarding any questions asked here at SGL whatsoever :).

Remember : any questions asked might also help others (it has certainly helped a superlurker like me)

 

Anyways, welcome and good Luck With Your stargazing.

 

Rune

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Hi, Lancer.

You already have a good scope, so just view landscapes by day, when you see all the levers and knobs easily. Then learn or remember to locate the north star, and practice pointing the proper mount axle to the north. For visual it does not need to be accurate, even an offset of several degrees won't bother you. Even an non-aligned equatorial scope can work, like an alt-az can work being aligned to no particular direction. But targets remain centered in the eyepiece longer with the aligned equatorial scope.

If you encounter a problem while relearning the controls, go back to the previous more basic step, and repeat it until it becomes clear and doubtless. Decompose the task in steps so easy you can't possibly fail. Some would say that's for dummies but the dummies are those who try for hours to learn several things in the same time, fail, and get aggravated. Then it takes them forever to sort out their mental mess. On the other hand, the retarded way is slow at the start, never aggravates because nothing is complicated enough to fail, and builds a basis that allows easier learning later.

A friend spent eight hours trying to collimate his Ritchey-Chrétien scope (working on all adjustment screws at once), and finally succeeded, but that's the kind of chore you want to avoid. Learn one screw at a time, one lever, one knob at a time, check what each change does to the whole setup. You'll master the scope in a few days where those without method will require months, to clear their own confusion, really, not because the scope is a complicated thing.

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Welcome to the SGL. I’m a new member of the forum myself and joined just to be part of a friendly astronomy community. Like you I’m unable to access my local astronomy club. In my case, it’s due to having no transport and their HQ is too far away to be regularly accessible. I am hoping to attend a few Star Parties that are organised throughout the year.

What has helped get me started in astronomy was a book written by the late Sir Patrick Moore entitled “Patrick Moore's Astronomy: Teach Yourself”. It gave me a grasp of basic astronomy in bite-sized chunks. A good primer that I highly recommend.

Apart from the book mentioned I’m gaining knowledge from other books, magazines, websites, blogs and this forum (the search is a gold mine of answers to my questions).

I’m sure you’ll find what works for you and as you progress the memory will dig deep and reveal what you once knew back in college.

Happy stargazing!

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Hello and welcome to S G L, this is a super friendly community, so there are no daft or ignorant questions,

just ask and i'm sure someone will be able to help.

Enjoy and Clear Sky's.

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Wow... I simply didn't expect such a number of responses! Thank you.

Not sure how to manipulate this forum software, as it's not one I'm used to so bear with me. I'm going to make a few selected replies, but I am very grateful for all the welcoming support. Thank you.

Doug: Much appreciated observations (no pun intended) Here's hoping that the curve isn't as steep as I have convinced myself it must be. All I remember that really worked for me is to approach it as, "what does this do?" as opposed to "how do I get it to do X?" being the the best way for me to figure out that old scope. I never could get the kinds of views I wanted to get, but I think that was more operator error than the fault of the equipment I had.

Rune: Oh, I could tell you stories about some of the "spectacles" I've seen (and inadvertently caused) in forums over the years. In fact, I hardly ever bother with them any more, because of the repeated behavior patterns I see. It's almost like people become some other form of person when they go on a forum. Case in point: I went to a tech support forum once, seeking some help for a computer-related issue. The trouble started all at once. Apparently, I didn't post the question in a manner that was to some people's liking. As in, I wasn't asking the right question for them to answer, or I asked in a way they didn't want to be asked. Then, I was literally bombarded with requests for "additional information to help troubleshoot the problem" that were completely unrelated to the issue at hand. They wanted all sorts of information that even I knew were irrelevant. And when I expressed my disappointment with the answers I wasn't getting, I became the target of a massive amount of vitriol, as in "how dare I come asking for help and then complaining about irrelevant and non-solution answers I got. You better be happy we even bothered with you at all!" I even ended up with someone from that forum attempting to hack into my computer, and posting in the open forum exactly what he was doing and how he was doing it. That's the kind of "spectacle" I've more or less come to expect from forums, and why I mostly avoid posting in them. I fully believe this one is going to be different, as I've read through a few threads here for a couple of weeks before even signing up. I know full well there's no one around here like that. 

Ben: (I'm very envious of your screen name!) I absolutely and totally agree with and very much appreciate your "break it into foolproof sections" advice. Problem in my case is that I'm the fool nobody took into account when designing their foolproof steps... Heh. Seriously though, I totally agree that it would be a better thing for me to master one step before going on to the next, and getting to the point where I can mostly do what I want to do without thinking about it too much. Excellent advice. Thanks.

Rollageyder: My issue with the "local club" isn't so much transport and distance as it is that I know where I'm not welcome. I had a lengthy series of emails with a former member of the club, and they don't want anyone to know anything about them. They're an "insiders only" group. Hope they have fun with that.  Excellent book title suggestion. If I may, there are a couple more titles I would like to add to that list, as they've been good reading for me while I work up the nerve to actually open up the box that scope is in. The first is: The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Dickinson & Dyer. Excellent book. I could even understand some parts of it! The other is Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe by Chaisson & McMillan. These two have been very good resources, and I'm developing a sense of what I don't know from them. To my way of thinking, knowing what I don't know is better than learning something I don't need to know. Another great source for me, in terms of figuring out what kind of equipment/accessories I'd want is: https://astronomy.tools/ This site has been a very valuable resource, in that I can get to actually 'see' what it is that I would be dealing with. I recommend it highly.

Fellow SGLers... I am very grateful for the warm welcome, and I appreciate all of you who took the time to make a reply. It is very comforting and reassuring that there is a group out there who can and will offer advice, answers, and guidance. It is all very much appreciated and welcome... Thank you all...

 

 

 

 

 

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On 24/05/2017 at 04:26, Lancer525 said:

A while back, I came across a very good deal for an Orion 6" EQ Reflector, and it's been sitting in my den for almost a year, in the unopened box. Given that there's a Solar Eclipse coming up this summer, and I'm a little more than an hour from the center of the totality line, not to mention that Saturn is going to be at opposition in June, well, I just thought I might open the thing up, and get used to using it. Problem is, I just don't remember much of anything I did way back in college, in a farm field in rural south Georgia... I suppose that once one reaches my age, one discovers that the memory is the second thing to go.

Hi and welcome to SGL :smile:

One thing that jumped out at me when reading your opening post was the above paragraph discussing the solar eclipse. Please note that your Orion 6" Reflector will need a solar filter on the front of the scope in order to view the sun safely, even during an eclipse. Something like this would do the trick...https://www.firstlightoptics.com/solar-filters/astrozap-baader-solar-filter.html

I hope you enjoy returning to the hobby and your time here on SGL.

Derek

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello and welcome to SGL and welcome back to amateur astronomy,

I was in your shoes with a long break from my teenage years than re starting the hobby, maybe not 25 years but a fair bit of time nontheless... amazing how one has to learn everything from scratch.

As far as complex equipment or clubs, I think that basics are the best... and manual or simple goto alt-az mount with a 6 or 8" dob is enough. When it comes to clubs or groups, I find that the best times are when alone with no one interfering.

good luck.

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Welcome from Oz

Have several of our club members heading your way later in the year for the solar eclipse

Observed the eclipse from the down under in 2012.

As mention, you going to need a solar filter for both your scope, and spotting scope

U can image the solar eclipse by holding your mobile phone to eyepiece of your scope

Just get out there and play with what you have

Like riding a bike, once you ridden one, you never forget

John

  

 

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Hi & welcome to the SGL club Lancer. 

I'm a relatively noobie myself & really wouldn't be anywhere without the help from members here. 

All the best & remember that Solar Filter for eclipse viewing. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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