How many friends do you have in real life who share your interest in astro/space?

[Paz]

I have tried a few local groups but they focus more on meetings to discuss astronomy when I'm more interested in getting out in the field and observing. All the various commitments of middle age, work, and young children take up time and make it difficult to get to any of the few meetings that occur after bad weather has cancelled the majority of the planned dates.

Hence I'm a light-polluted backyard-limited opportunistic visual observer who very rarely observe with others.

I'm an introvert and a nerd and proud of it. When I was young I was led to believe extroverts were good and introverts were bad but that's just what western culture puts into your head, other cultures know better that there's no good or bad about it. Now I'm happy being myself and I dont try to be anything else.

I don't have friendships with others interested in this hobby, except for my dad and I really enjoy the time we spend on it. But interestingly on the few occasions that I've set up in a public place where there are passers by they have invariably been curious about what I'm looking at and shocked by what they can see especially if the moon or planets are on show and I've always enjoyed talking to anyone who is interested.

[Sunshine]

I have a couple of friends who share this hobby with me, my wife is supportive but doesn't share the same interest, besides that, I HAVE SGL BABY!

[DHEB]

8 minutes ago, Paz said:

Hence I'm a light-polluted backyard-limited opportunistic visual observer who very rarely observe with others.

I'm an introvert and a nerd and proud of it. When I was young I was led to believe extroverts were good and introverts were bad but that's just what western culture puts into your head, other cultures know better that there's no good or bad about it. Now I'm happy being myself and I dont try to be anything else.

I am confident that this description and short story fits many here, myself included.

[bish]

None of my friends have any interest. My wife thinks I'm mad - but loved the Kennedy Space Centre. She is also loves total eclipses.

[Gina]

I have quite a busy social life with an average of one meeting or outing a week sometimes more.  I also see my neighbours quite a bit.

[scarp15]

Somehow starting a conversation almost anywhere but here, on such subjects such as the difficulties in trying to observe the Jellyfish Nebula, will be quickly reduced to either humour or silence. The forum not only introduces you to such subjects but enables you to get these things off your chest so to speak.

[Macavity]

GOD how I hate this introvert / extrovert thing! Didn't THAT go out in the 70s? lol ?
If it didn't it *should* have [done]! I LOVE my own company, but such has its limits?

Call me an "extroverted introvert" if you will! lol As I get older, I find I would dearly
LOVE to have more friends to talk about *my* own interests... The "Pensioned Bus" 
into town hardly cuts it? SO MANY people these days admit having NO hobbies? ?

Anyone here fancy an evening down the PUB RIGHT NOW! [teasing] I'm forgetting
millenials "don't drink" now? Still I CRAVE a *vague* social life... conversation etc. ?

Just musing etc. etc. ?

[JeremyS]

14 minutes ago, Macavity said:

GOD how I hate this introvert / extrovert thing! Didn't THAT go out in the 70s? lol ?

It should have done, along with all kinds of other pseudo-scientific so-called personality tests, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, that many consultants still peddle!

[LukeSkywatcher]

1 hour ago, Gina said:

Well, you certainly have plenty on here ?

I was of course, joking. Too many to be honest. Might have to start thinning the herd. No friends into astronomy though. 

[D Wright]

I feel really lucky as I volunteer at Kielder observatory once a week and all the staff are complete nerds and all heavily into astronomy and I class them as friends even though I don't see them socially. Also there are public events on every night and some of the public love to talk telescopes and astronomy. So I have lots of people to talk to. On the other hand when I talk to the missus she just glazes over and looks blank.

[Hallingskies]

I like to think I am moderately well-adjusted when it comes to social interaction, but I have learned not to talk too much about my hobbies to my friends or colleagues (I like watching and breeding British butterflies as well).   Unless your hobbies are fairly mainstream (e.g. ordinary photography) or sporty in nature, it seems you will inevitably be regarded as an oddball and/or a subject for mickey-taking.

Neither of which I have a problem with - after all, I openly mock my football fan acquaintances (for example), whose state of happiness seems to depend on the success or failure of a bunch of overpaid inarticulates...

That said, I did attend a few local astronomy society meetings a while ago in the hope of finding some like-minded people, but I found the folk there to be very cliquey, to the point of being a bit rude and unfriendly.  That rather put me off.  So maybe it's just me after all...

[Hallingskies]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

It should have done, along with all kinds of other pseudo-scientific so-called personality tests, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, that many consultants still peddle!

If I learned one thing in my long career as an industrial chemist working for large organisations, it was that anything said by a "consultant" could be safely ignored.  And that "best practice" was determined by the consultant who could boast the loudest...

[Hallingskies]

3 hours ago, Paz said:

When I was young I was led to believe extroverts were good and introverts were bad....

 

"Introverts" and "extroverts" are just a couple of the labels that were devised by the professional HR/psychology crowd for people who aren't as defective as they are.   Individualism (with due respect to others, of course) is to be gloried in, not subject to analysis by the condescending and smug...

[Sedna]

9 hours ago, Knighty2112 said:

Just watch out for rattle snakes and coyotes!  

I checked into an Airbnb once in the Mojave desert, and as soon as I got out of the car, I realized the whole place was circled by a couple dozen howling coyotes ? That was an experience ?

[Sedna]

13 hours ago, geordie85 said:

None, but then again I only have a handful of friends. I struggle with people and have been told I'm a rather strange and awkward fellow. 

It's a miracle I have a wife, but she's pretty damn sure I suffer from aspergers syndrome, which to be fair would explain alot. 

I feel like I can relate to this ? I don't meet the full clinical ASD/Asperger's criteria, but I do check the "restricted interests and/or repetitive behaviors" box, and it's probably a miracle I have a wife. I work in neuroscience, and the ASD phenotype is really driven by hundreds of risk genes. I definitely have some risk variants, probably not enough for the full diagnosis, but enough that it's sometimes difficult to make friends. The phenotype is definitely a continuum.

[Sedna]

8 hours ago, cloudsweeper said:

Love the scale of the US!  I regard a three hour drive on British motorways (aka car parks) as something to dread, and to avoid as much as possible.  ?

Doug.

Hi Doug, I also felt like that was a slightly long drive when I first moved out there. But once I realized how perfect the desert is for astronomy, a drive out to Joshua Tree National Park started to feel much shorter ? Now I am temporarily in Switzerland, and it is really frustrating not only how the population density here precludes lots of dark skies, but also how little dark there is in the summer at this latitude! I wanted to go out to the Alps to take some Milky Way pictures, but it doesn't even get fully dark now until almost midnight ? No wonder you all are freezing to death doing all your observing the winter! ? No clouds, low light pollution, warm weather--the desert is definitely the place to go for me. If I drive slightly farther (5-6 hours for parts of Death Valley), I can enjoy a Bortle Class 1 sky with virtually zero light pollution.

[Sedna]

8 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

It's never bothered me that none of my family or friends are into astronomy. I quite like the fact that it's my thing, unique to me amongst the people I know well. I don't want to do astronomy with other people.  I meet people who share an interest in astronomy at my local astronomical Soc. And the Internet is great for sharing the interest and for information. But that's it. There are other things like music that I like to share with others. I'm a member of two singing groups and two music making groups in my local U3A. But astronomy, no! I like it as a solitary activity.  I don't go fishing but I wonder whether it's a bit like that. An opportunity to get away from others. 

This is an interesting perspective. I feel a lot like this on my good days. Solitude is a wonderful feeling sometimes. On the other hand, I like to drive out to distant places in the middle of nowhere for observing (e.g., Death Valley), and there is no mobile signal. It's actually kind of dangerous to go alone, so would be great if I had other people.

[Sedna]

7 hours ago, Macavity said:

Macavity is available to LECTURE at Astro Soc Meetings... weddings... bar mitvahs etc. etc. ?

Damn, I totally missed out on having a particle physics lecture at my wedding ? Agreed, the introvert/extrovert dichotomy is over-simplified.

[Sedna]

7 hours ago, Paz said:

I'm an introvert and a nerd and proud of it. When I was young I was led to believe extroverts were good and introverts were bad but that's just what western culture puts into your head, other cultures know better that there's no good or bad about it. Now I'm happy being myself and I dont try to be anything else.

One reason I decided to try living in Switzerland for a bit is because US/California is the worst for introverts. Here in Switzerland, no one talks to you unless they already know you ?

[Ouroboros]

5 hours ago, Sedna said:

This is an interesting perspective. I feel a lot like this on my good days. Solitude is a wonderful feeling sometimes. On the other hand, I like to drive out to distant places in the middle of nowhere for observing (e.g., Death Valley), and there is no mobile signal. It's actually kind of dangerous to go alone, so would be great if I had other people.

Yeah. I think somewhere called Death Valley would put me off. Something in the name maybe? ?.   At least in Britain it's pretty safe at night in a totally rural location. The worst that's likely to happen is you get mauled by a sheep! Here  I'd have more concerns about observing in a public place in an urban location. 

[Sedna]

45 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Yeah. I think somewhere called Death Valley would put me off. Something in the name maybe? ?.   At least in Britain it's pretty safe at night in a totally rural location. The worst that's likely to happen is you get mauled by a sheep! Here  I'd have more concerns about observing in a public place in an urban location. 

Death Valley is most dangerous in the summer when daytime temperatures are around 50 Celsius. In the winter, the temperature is actually very comfortable, but you're still out in the desert wilderness. The park is huge, long enough to stretch from the northern to southern border of Switzerland. Speaking of solitude, if you're in the northern half of the park, there are very few tourists and you get an incredible sense of being completely alone in nature. But if your car breaks down, you're totally screwed. No easy way to call for help out there.

[Stu]

14 hours ago, Paz said:

 

I have tried a few local groups but they focus more on meetings to discuss astronomy when I'm more interested in getting out in the field and observing. All the various commitments of middle age, work, and young children take up time and make it difficult to get to any of the few meetings that occur after bad weather has cancelled the majority of the planned dates.

Hence I'm a light-polluted backyard-limited opportunistic visual observer who very rarely observe with others.

 

That all sounds very familiar. The reason I left one larger society was exactly that, I found myself sitting in meetings with clear sky outside, and I wanted to be observing! My local group which I have helped to set up gives us what we need, some company and an opportunity to observe as a group, or drink beer if it’s cloudy . Do consider setting something up yourself, it is well worthwhile even if it can be hard going to get people involved in the early days.

I largely do solar, lunar, planetary and doubles from home. Keeps me interested and I enjoy it. Sitting for a long time viewing Jupiter (say) on a simple tracking EQ mount certainly works to reduce my stress levels

[GavStar]

42 minutes ago, Stu said:

That all sounds very familiar. The reason I left one larger society was exactly that, I found myself sitting in meetings with clear sky outside, and I wanted to be observing! My local group which I have helped to set up gives us what we need, some company and an opportunity to observe as a group, or drink beer if it’s cloudy . Do consider setting something up yourself, it is well worthwhile even if it can be hard going to get people involved in the early days.

I largely do solar, lunar, planetary and doubles from home. Keeps me interested and I enjoy it. Sitting for a long time viewing Jupiter (say) on a simple tracking EQ mount certainly works to reduce my stress levels

Big thumbs up to Stu here. The Walton group is great and has really boosted my enjoyment of the hobby. It’s been extremely helpful to directly tap into Stu’s, PeterW’s and others expertise, including getting the opportunity to try out lots of fab astro gear!

And I’ve made some new good friends as well! ??

[Stu]

8 hours ago, Sedna said:

I checked into an Airbnb once in the Mojave desert, and as soon as I got out of the car, I realized the whole place was circled by a couple dozen howling coyotes ? That was an experience ?

Along similar lines, when on safari in Tanzania I was under the best skies I have ever seen. My observing however was severely curtailed by a desire not to be eaten!

[scarp15]

9 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

 The worst that's likely to happen is you get mauled by a sheep! 

It depends, some place I used to go (not any more) and fortunately on this occasion with a companion, a car rolls up, a group of men get out of the car with shot guns. Fortunately we were not the intended target they were,,, poachers. 

I can feel quite at ease solitary stargazing as there are some advantages, such as enhanced concentration, but I choose places carefully and I go deep into remote locations, that I am familiar with. If you do feel threatened, perhaps there is a need to adapt as some prey animals do, to kind of inflate yourself to look bigger than you actually are.