Hello from Shropshire, UK

[Johns22]

Hi all, it's been just over a week since I took the attached photo via my 5 year old daughters telescope using my Samsung S8+ smartphone. The telescope was a Christmas gift and is a Smyths Toys TM0090P 50mm. We used a H4mm eyepiece. I was blown away that something so simple could be so amazing! This has led to a week of spending every spare minute reading beginner articles online, enquiring on telescopes for sale, purchasing a pair of Celestron 12x60 binoculars and downloading various apps and software to help me learn the skies!

Last Sunday night I ventured out into the garden with binoculars and a laptop and once again I'm amazed by what I saw - and what is out of sight of the naked eye! For me the Eastern and Southern Sky are best for viewing - the North is somewhat obscured unfortunately with light pollution from the pesky street lights.

I have been using Sky Map on my phone and Stellarium on the laptop. I have found both useful when used in conjunction with each other. I started viewing Venus first, using it's brightness as a reference point and then worked east from there. Absolutely amazing!

Lessons learned from my first session - wear gloves... and I tried using Observation Manager to record my notes but I will revert to pad and paper in the future. I'm sure this application will be great to use in the long term but I don't want to spend more time searching it's database for objects than actually looking at the sky!

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you have lots of fun. 🙂

[Mick H]

Hi John, welcome.

That is a good pic you and your daughter took from what you had.

All the best.

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi John, welcome. 

[Ally8446]

Hi from just over the border in Welshpool. 

 

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL.

 

[banjaxed]

Hi and welcome to SGL.

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome.

Peter

[ronl]

Hello and welcome to the community, hope you enjoy your time here in SGL, keep enjoying your new scope,

see you around the forums.

Clear Sky's.

[Johns22]

Thanks everyone 👍

[sloz1664]

Hi John, and a very warm welcome to the Lounge

Steve

[Stephen Green]

Welcome to the SGL

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Welcome,

Impressive 1st pic you and your daughter have there. I have done similar with my eldest daughter and that makes your capture even more special 🙂

Edited January 17, 2020 by Barry-W-Fenner

[Nigella Bryant]

Welcome to the forum and great first pic of the moon. It's now an expensive slippery slope into astro imaging, lol. 

[Marvin Jenkins]

So happy to have you here. The enthusiasm and warmth for the subject are obvious and contagious.

Your line in your post that something so simple could be so amazing sums up how a lot of us feel.

I hope you enjoy this incredible journey. For me personally it was like having the top of my head removed, quick play with the grey matter, top of head replaced and I came out the other end a different person.

I sincerely hope that you continue this amazing journey and encourage the younger generation to do the same. I hope your five year old daughter is in as much awe as me, and you, and hopefully thousands more.

[JRM]

Hello Johns22 welcome to the lounge.

 

Rick

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Peter in Bedfordshire 🙂

[Adam1234]

Welcome to the forum

[Johns22]

Well my first scope has been purchased, a great buy from Facebook Marketplace. It's a Skywatcher 200P with EQ5 mount. I'm enjoying building it up, the previous owner had not put the mount together correctly so could never had polar aligned it. Typical that theres been no clear skies for me since picking it up...