Why Did You Start??

[cloudsweeper]

Just sitting in the Dobhouse, I thought about how I got to this stage, with gear in there and the house, and all the pleasure and learning I've gone through in 3 or 4 years.  And I recalled how utterly random it has all been!  We had gone to a large Curry's store for a TV, and they happened to have a small display of telescopes, so on a whim, I bought a Newt on an eq mount.  And that was it!  I hardly used that 'scope/mount, got a frac, took off, got a Mak, a Cat, another frac, then a Dob.

And all because of a random purchase at a Curry's store!

What's your story??

Doug.

[mark skelton]

For me it's photography that got me into stargazing as I wanted something to challenge me .

[lenscap]

I was given a little 3" Celestron Newt, complete with wibbly wobbly tripod, shortly after I retired. Completely unexpected.

On the first clear night I was amazed by views of the moon. Then I pointed it at a barely visible smudge which turned out to be the Pleiades!

Next target was a yellow "star" which turned out to be Jupiter, complete with moons.  Beginner's luck.

I was hooked of course and immediately started saving my pennies for a "proper" scope, a 200p with which i'm delighted.

 

[Paz]

I was given some zoom binoculars for Christmas and tried to spot Jupiter in the sky and was shocked to see 4 moons. I had no idea this was possible to see with your own eyes, despite being interested in space since childhood. I then did a little observing with those bins when time permitted.

Some time later I was thinking about bucket lists because of the increasing number of unfortunate things you see happen as you get older that make you realise anything can happen and that you need to make the most of things.

i decided to figure out what my list was and  take number 1 on the list and go for it. Astronomy was top of the list and so I've been going for it with scopes ever since, as much as time and weather permit, which is nearly 4 years now.

[Stargazer33]

I started by making a super telephoto lens for my Canon EOS10 film camera and taking photos of a waxing or waning Moon. Pictures that remarkable came out very well for single frames.

Years and years later I bought a Skywatcher Skymax 102 MakCass off eBay that came on a wobbly light weight photography tripod. This was after watching the first Stargazing Live.

I then bought a C8 and a Skywatcher EQ3-2 Delux, then an Advanced CG5-GT, then a CGEM, then (finally?) a C9.25

[Gina]

I've always been interested in astronomy and had used binoculars for many years but it was only when I came to a dark rural area, free from light pollution that I thought "I need something better to make use of this superb site with thousands of stars on view".  So I bought a fairly cheap Celestron Newt on tripod with manual controls plus a very crude motor drive for RA from Amazon.  One of my first images was with a webcam and was of Saturn, which showed the rings.  I was hooked.  Since then I have spent many thousands of pounds on astro equipment and built my own observatory.  I was primarily interested in imaging as I have been an amateur photographer since a child.  I did buy some eyepieces as well though.  Having had the Celestron scope for a few months I discovered SGL and the rest is history, as they say.

[MarsG76]

Ever since I got a 60mm TASCO refractor when I was a kid, I was hooked, always wanted bigger scopes and wanted to photography the horsehead nebula.... and so the collection of gear begun.

 

[Phil Fargaze]

When I was 8 years old ( I`m 51 now) my father got me a `starter frac`, which showed stars as a green colour! Something must have clicked though, I got a Tasco frac which served me well and I discovered the planets. Teen years and aspirations to be a rock star got in the way but when the dust settled I was back with an 8" dob, then 10" dob and now an observatory with a Celestron 9.25. My biggest regret, not taking the effort to see Halleys Comet in 1986, although I`ve vowed to still be around to see it in 2061 `ish`!

[vlaiv]

I had some astronomy lessons back in the day, and was always fascinated with universe and physics behind it.

Over the course of years, I have sporadically had opportunity to be in touch with astronomy, a trip to local observatory to view Saturn (now I remember that seeing was sooo poor , but at the time looked amazing), then my boss, at that time, being astronomer, invited me to observe Venus transit back in 2004. Now I'm sorry that at the time I did not fully appreciate significance of such event (and later missed 2012 transit).

Due to all people at those times mentioning how expensive astronomical equipment is, that sort of stuck in my mind and I never really saw myself owning a telescope, nor gave it much of a thought.

Couple years ago, I remember it was summer time, I walked from local store back to my house and as I walked I was looking at the stars (I remember looking at summer triangle - Altair, Deneb, Vega) and it occurred to me - why not go online and see how expensive telescopes really are. To my surprise and to delight of astro community - Chinese manufacturing was already in full blossom and scopes of all kinds were quite affordable, so it was not long after that I had my first scope - SW 130 F/7 on Eq2 mount. And so my journey began.

[JOC]

My ex. was into the stars and had a really tatty looking long thin scope on a wooden tripod that had bits missing and was never used.  I saw on QVC once a larger more fancy looking scope and bought it as a bday pressie on the spur of the moment.  Through that I saw Saturn for the first time and thought it was kind of neat to see it with my own eyes, also the moon was better closer up.  However, enthusiasm waned and bits were lost, inc. the wedding ring in due course and in the finish it was just me and kids.  My son's physics class were gifted a large scope and tried an astronomy club, but this failed for all the usual reasons.  At the time I thought he was really disappointed and thought I would get the family a scope so he could see things whenever the sky cooperated. This time I took advice first and found SGL and The 200P goto Dob flextube  arrived.  However, my son was not as interested as I hoped and I have kind of been left to use it or it sits at home with no use.  Which would be a shame as it cost a fair bit and apparently is a goid starting scope.  So I, who knows nothing about the subject, occasionally has a cold night out with it,  when sky allows.  If the goto cooperates I have seen some things, but mostly the planets, and I have tried some quick shots with the DSLR.  I rely on mobile phone stellarium for IDs and really wish someone would visit and share the scope who knows more and could teach me.  I have a semi reasonable scope, a semi reasonable location, but no knowledge.  I even have all the recommended books and no time to read them!!!  I am no addict, just someone with some semi decent equipment who wouldn't feel right if I didn't try to make use of it.

[Peter Drew]

Basically, I couldn't find anything better to do.      ?

[John]

I grew up during the Apollo era. I was 9 when Neil and Buzz walked on the moon. Add an astronomy club at school and a couple of friends who were also into space and sci fi and the result is a 40+ year interest in space, space travel, astronomy and all things linked

 

[tomato]

My dad bought me a Prinz 2.5” refractor from Dixon’s when I was 14. I think the lens was stopped down but I got views of the moon (this was the era of Apollo), Jupiter and the Orion Nebula. It even had a sun filter which screwed into the eyepiece through which I used to observe sun spots, don’t try this at home kids! I sold it to pay for driving lessons and didn’t get back into astronomy until 17 years later. A friend at work lent me a copy of “the Cambridge Atlas of Deep Sky Objects” by the great Jack Newton, which got me totally hooked on astrophotography (the film emulsion kind). I was also into the engineering side of things and myself and my brother, built an equatorial mount from scratch. Interest peaked in the early 90,s with me importing one of the first ST-4s into the UK, it must have been one of the first because Mr SBIG  called me from California asking me if I wanted to be the UK dealer! Just think if I had said yes I may have become another version of IKI or FLO.....

Anyway, family took over and I got back into this fascinating hobby for the third and hopefully final time in 2014, when I joined this brilliant forum and spent a few bob on some decent kit. I’m still trying to do it justice.??

[RT65CB-SWL]

My late uncle, (and late mothers bother), got me interested or inducted into this wonderful hobby during late 1960's/early 1970's.

It was not until the second of third quarter of 1998, I had purchased my 'first' astronomy telescope... a TeleVue Ranger. I fell in love with them when I saw the ad's in S&T.  Prior to that my 'scopes had been Tasco, Prinz or Konus.

[kirkster501]

Always Interested and learned some constellations even as a four year old. Built into my DNA.

[Hawksmoor]

For me there were several starts:

1. Sky at Night with PCM in black and white on a TV with 'valves'.
2. Fiftieth Birthday gift from my partner - a Meade 90mm.ETX Ra.
3. An extravagance and to take the edge off work - 11x80 Helios binoculars.
4. A giant leap for George - retirement and the arrival of my Meade 127mm Apo refractor plus sequential sundries .
5. Suffolk County Council turning the street lights off at Midnight each night.

I'm still quite poor at astrophotography but I really enjoy 'trying' and best off all - finding out interesting stuff in the process. I guess what keeps me going are the elements of discovery, technical detail and beauty all involved with accessing the visible Universe from our backyard. Last night I viewed the Dumbell Nebula through my big bins and as I looked away a bright meteor crossed the 'Swan' and vanished to my west. Tonight I looked up at bright red Mars low in the South and wondered whether the sand storms have abated. So much to see and know in such a short life time.

George in Lowestoft getting a bit philosophical.?

[Relpet]

My wife wanted to buy me a metal detector for Christmas, about four years ago.  I thought the gadget she had in mind was no more than a toy and the more I looked the more money it seemed one would have to spend to get something decent.

Then a still, small voice reminded me of the beautiful skies we had seen from our second home in France.  And the voice persisted “Look up – not down.  Travel back in time; see stars in the making, stars in their dying.  See so many stars you will never be able to count them.”

And I listened to the voice and, lo, I found you could buy an 8” Dob for half the price of a decent metal detector.  And the voice spoke through me to my wife and she agreed.

The first summer the skies were magnificent, carrying on into the autumn.  Friends and neighbours gathered round to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn, craters within craters on the moon, Andromeda, the Trapezium in Orion.  I had listened to the voice and the joy was unbounded.

Then the voice started whispering. “If you think this is good why not try some better eyepieces?  Why not try a different kind of telescope?  Why not read the magazine reviews and see how far you could go with this gizmo, or that dooflicker; or some other gadget”  And I listened to the voice and dreamed of what I might see next season if I just spent a little here and a little there.

Then came a different kind of sky.  Sunny days but then the clouds would start building over the mountains in early evening so by darktime every star in the sky had disappeared; not for days but for weeks.  All the new bits and bobs lay untried, untested their purpose gradually being forgotten.

The following year even the days were cloudy.  Nobody mentioned this in the debate on climate change, weeks of celestial obscurity.  Why wasn’t I told?

Then Astronomer’s Curse starts working its evil manipulation of the optimistic mind.  “Well, it may be bad now but what if I take advantage of this offer in ABS, upgraders listing surplus kit in SGL, even Gumtree might have a bargain.  Cor, Blimey, when the skies do clear what riches will unfold?”

By now I could have bought a state of the art metal detector and found immeasurable treasure.  But would that compare to lying under a balmy August sky and seeing a fireball cross the sky so big and slow that you could follow its progress.  Would that really compare to the gasp of wonder when you give someone their first view of the rings of Saturn.  Would that really compare to your own sense of wonder when, by accident, you come across a cluster so heavy with stars it takes your breath away.

Maybe it would – but I’m stuck with it now.  Thanks for asking.

[SIDO]

Used to sneak outside after my parents went to sleep lay in the yard gazing outward at the universe in wonder and awe, the coolest thing wound up being the outline of my small self pressed in the grass in the early summer contained there in thousands of firefly larva emerging and glowing in the shape that was me. I had no clue what dark adaptation was or what all those glowing worms were either nor could I ask my parents as my jig would be up so I began to prod my father for a 60mm sears telescope and began visiting the public library to learn more about those glowing larva eventually getting the 60mm and losing at least some of my newfound interest in biology I had become a full on backyard astronomer. So 47 years later when the weather is just right you still can find Me out back under the stars with my telescopes at the ready and sometimes I still lay in the grass and look up as that view to this day is still the most impressive sight I have ever witnessed.

[Mr Spock]

Started looking up over 50 years ago and not stopped since!

[niallk]

I came out of a pub in Allihies in the very dark skies of West Cork/Kerry, and was simply blown away by the late August Milky Way.  When my 1st child arrived we moved from the city to a small village, and late at night was the only bit of 'free time' I had in my day. I thought back to that night in Allihies, and started toying on-line with Google searches for telescopes ... and quickly coming across SGL 

So, it's all thanks to the influence of Arthur Guinness!

[sandycorgi44]

Went out one night the back door and looked at the night sky  with my late dads 10 x 40s Charles Frank binoculars......and just accidentally stumbled upon the Pleiades ......was blown away by the view ( obviously didnt know what I was looking at at the time), Have been a sky gazer ever since ? 

[cloudsweeper]

Interesting responses (as expected) - thanks, everyone!  I should add that although seeing a few 'scopes in Curry's got me into observing, the seed had already been planted many years before when my mother pointed out some constellations one winter's night.  This was reinforced with a children's astronomy book showing fanciful pictures of the surfaces of the planets.  I was impressed to learn that although the Earth has one moon, Jupiter had nine!  (Showing my age here!)

Plus - a career based on physics and maths already had me aware of elements of astrophysics and the functioning of telescopes.

And so it all came together about four years ago!

Doug.

[Stu]

5 hours ago, Relpet said:

My wife wanted to buy me a metal detector for Christmas, about four years ago.  I thought the gadget she had in mind was no more than a toy and the more I looked the more money it seemed one would have to spend to get something decent.

Then a still, small voice reminded me of the beautiful skies we had seen from our second home in France.  And the voice persisted “Look up – not down.  Travel back in time; see stars in the making, stars in their dying.  See so many stars you will never be able to count them.”

And I listened to the voice and, lo, I found you could buy an 8” Dob for half the price of a decent metal detector.  And the voice spoke through me to my wife and she agreed.

The first summer the skies were magnificent, carrying on into the autumn.  Friends and neighbours gathered round to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn, craters within craters on the moon, Andromeda, the Trapezium in Orion.  I had listened to the voice and the joy was unbounded.

Then the voice started whispering. “If you think this is good why not try some better eyepieces?  Why not try a different kind of telescope?  Why not read the magazine reviews and see how far you could go with this gizmo, or that dooflicker; or some other gadget”  And I listened to the voice and dreamed of what I might see next season if I just spent a little here and a little there.

Then came a different kind of sky.  Sunny days but then the clouds would start building over the mountains in early evening so by darktime every star in the sky had disappeared; not for days but for weeks.  All the new bits and bobs lay untried, untested their purpose gradually being forgotten.

The following year even the days were cloudy.  Nobody mentioned this in the debate on climate change, weeks of celestial obscurity.  Why wasn’t I told?

Then Astronomer’s Curse starts working its evil manipulation of the optimistic mind.  “Well, it may be bad now but what if I take advantage of this offer in ABS, upgraders listing surplus kit in SGL, even Gumtree might have a bargain.  Cor, Blimey, when the skies do clear what riches will unfold?”

By now I could have bought a state of the art metal detector and found immeasurable treasure.  But would that compare to lying under a balmy August sky and seeing a fireball cross the sky so big and slow that you could follow its progress.  Would that really compare to the gasp of wonder when you give someone their first view of the rings of Saturn.  Would that really compare to your own sense of wonder when, by accident, you come across a cluster so heavy with stars it takes your breath away.

Maybe it would – but I’m stuck with it now.  Thanks for asking.

Brilliant

 

[Stu]

For me it was something passed down from my Dad who had a vague interest from his National Service in the navy, and using the stars for navigation. I used to look at a Ladybird book on Astronomy when very young.

Nothing really happened (other than gawping up whenever under very dark skies in Cornwall, Wales or the Lakes) until I was 30 and bought a 6” Newt on an EQ3 Mount. It showed me a fair amount, but SGL is what has really helped me learn and get far more out of the hobby.

[Saganite]

Out after dark playing, in winter circa 1960, 8 years old, and seeing this amazing pattern of stars in the sky, Orion. This was the moment I became interested. The Observers book of Astronomy  my Dad's old bins, The Sky at Night, kept my interest fed, but it was another 15 years before I looked through a telescope, a rather crude home built 6" reflector, but to me it seemed like the Hale telescope.