Hobby killers

[Raph-in-the-sky]

What almost killed it for me is my first scope!

When I was 10 my parents got me a small refractor (60mm) for my birhday. I had a few looks at the moon which was great but I ve never been able to find anything else with it. I had no idea how to find planets (interenet was not what it is today) and the small book about DSOs I had only refered to scope from 114mm to 300mm ... Not knowing what to point at and the terrible quality of the scope almost killed it for me.

I only got back to it recently when I realised you could get a great scope for little money. I used to beleive that a 10'' Dob was worth as much as a small car! 

 

[Captain Scarlet]

26 minutes ago, Raph-in-the-sky said:

... I used to beleive that a 10'' Dob was worth as much as a small car! 

It is! A handful of years ago I was sitting in the cafe after a rowing outing with some crew-mates. One of them, without a car, fairly urgently needed one for an upcoming trip to commentate a regatta in Europe. Another crewmate happened to want to sell his. "Just a minute I'll go to the cashpoint", and the deal was done. £400 as I recall...

[andrew s]

I forgot previously but when my observatory burnt down taking everything with it I should gave had a killer moment. However, the insurance paid up and I had weeks of joy choosing new kit as a coherent set. I ended up with a better set than I started with.

Regards Andrew 

[Raph-in-the-sky]

19 minutes ago, Captain Magenta said:

It is! A handful of years ago I was sitting in the cafe after a rowing outing with some crew-mates. One of them, without a car, fairly urgently needed one for an upcoming trip to commentate a regatta in Europe. Another crewmate happened to want to sell his. "Just a minute I'll go to the cashpoint", and the deal was done. £400 as I recall...

I meant a small AND decent car

[Alkaid]

I will always maintain a great interest in this hobby, but sadly decided that the UK weather doesn't justify Astro as a main hobby.  If I lived in Spain things would be different (!) but some time ago I decided to sell most of my scopes except the two in my signature.  A busy job coupled with living in a city and with diabolical and unpredictable weather has given extremely limited observing time.  I decided that I would not be spending any more money (if it can be helped haha) on Astronomy as the cost to usage ratio just doesn't work for me.   Last time I observed was Sept and all being well as it is clear tonight with a 1st quarter moon, tonight will be the next time I get the kit out.

I developed other hobbies to compensate and I do those every weekend, with Astro as a back-burner interest.

Having said all that, the one massive positive I have gained is that I no longer spend time wondering about 'the next scope' or 'will this scope beat that scope'.  I just use what I've got and gain great pleasure from the hobby when the gods allow.  And I still like to engage and converse on this forum 😀

[dannybgoode]

Depression. Can take the fun out of just about anything. Couple that with a night when you actually overcome the mental darkness only for everything to go wrong that could go wrong and it’s as sure fire recipe to put you off for weeks if not months.  
 

By the time the motivation returns I’ve forgotten enquiring I’ve learned so cue nights of frustration trying to get everything working. 

I was even considering selling the TMB at one point but know I would have regained it later so just stuck everything away until my mood changed.

A change of meds has improved things greatly though as has the fact I can now pretty much get everything set up and working as and when required so sessions are not wasted. Still have the odd hiccup but hopefully will get a good season’s imaging under my belt and tick off some more of the lunar 100 as and when Mr Moon gets in the way of stray photons. 

[Alan White]

So far in the 53 years I have looked up nothing has been a Hobby Killer, but many things have been Hobby Challengers....

Lack of Money, Kit too Expensive, Kit Not up to the Job, Money available and kit available but work stops play, Children through the ages etc.
But I have always looked up, even with just the MK1 eyeballs and been entranced.

The one thing I have stuck to is much like John, by keeping it simple and uncomplicated.

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by Alan White
typos of course

[kirkster501]

We should have a handicap, like in golf, when comparing a picture from a UK imager (northern Europe to be fair) to those from the Med and warmer climates.  In marks out of ten, we should get 9 for even submitting the picture, so lucky are we to get anything at all! 🤣

Being interested in astronomy is in my DNA, since I was five, 47 years ago.

Edited December 3, 2019 by kirkster501

[Gina]

These posts ring so true!!

I too am on medication for depression and have been all my life like my father before me.  Mostly I have it under control but I surely must be deluded to do astro imaging in the UK on a limited budget.  Though I doubt budget really has a lot to do with it.  No amount of money can conjure up photons that are just not there!!

[upahill]

Mostly funds and not being able to buy x/y/z to fix a problem or improve something. Add in UK weather, work schedules, depression (especially during winter when its so bloomin' grey out), family commitments etc and im amazed im still at it.

My obsy has helped, my setup time is now 10 minutes, no carrying anything around, no more polar aligning every night. But the real winner is when the clouds come in, instead of knowing I have an hours worth of packing up it takes a few minutes to close the shutter and im doing something else instead of dwelling on the lost night 👍