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Essential reading for those who are thinking about getting into Astronomy !


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I've recently come across this piece on the web written by Alan MacRobert from the well known and respected astronomy magazine Sky & Telescope. It is well worth a read if you are thinking of getting into the hobby - ideally before you leap in and buy a telescope :o :

Sky Publishing - How to Start Right in Astronomy

As someone who has been in the hobby for many years now I found that many of the hints, tips and pointers in this article are right "on the button".

John

Vey good article, worth reading. I am now in awe of all the information and knowledge that i will be seeking for the pleasure of knowing my place in the cosmos.:(

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  • 2 weeks later...

Very, very helpful tips.

The thing that used to get to me was the patience side of it when I was a kid. If I didn't see something interesting in the first 5mins I couldn't be bothered with it.

With age though comes patience and seeing some of the images you guys have captured some of the sights are worth waiting for.

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Thanks for this link. Seeing beautiful images on TV of the solar system and universe, and my long interest in science set me off with astronomy. I was correctly pointed in the direction of binoculars and a couple of books and websites to accompany them. Before joining this forum I was looking at £400 telescopes that I would have had no clue how to set up or operate, and to be honest, I would have probably stuffed up away into the loft after a few failed observations. Upon purchasing the binoculars I was extremely impressed of the quality of them for the money, and im now starting to learn my own way around the sky without the aid of 'go-to' technology, I find the hobby very rewarding and a few nights ago I got a good look at Jupiter and Ganymede, even though they were tiny specs I could feel the connection.

Thank you to the creators and members of this forum for the vast quantities of useful information.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi just thought I would add a quick message. When I was 7 my mum brought me a telescope which really I could only see the moon, been interested in space ever since. I've recently brought a Skywatcher skymax127- az goto telescope and wow what an amazing thing. I have different apps on my iPhone to help me round the sky, and stellerium on the laptop connected to my scope. I have just got the Phillips SPC900nu webcam so going to be try them over the next few weeks. The past few nights I've seen mars, Jupiter and three moons and big course our light in the the sky with Venus passing underneath. Sorry to go on but just wanted to share my interest with everybody and for those who are starting up this form site is great and everyone helps each other, Good look guys and clear skies.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would go for the 130p as it gas a curved mirror and let's more light in. I had one and it's a great scope.

The 130 p

Magnifications (with optics supplied): x26, x52, x65, x130

Highest Practical Power (Potential): x260

Diameter of Primary Mirror: 130mm

Telescope Focal Length: 650mm (f/5)

Eyepieces Supplied (1.25”): 10mm & 25mm

X2 Barlow Lens

Red Dot Finder

SupaTrak Heavy-Duty Motorised Multi-Speed Auto-Tracking Alt-Azimuth Mount

Power Requirement: 12v DC Power Supply (Tip Positive) or AA Batteries (not supplied)

Aluminium Tripod with Accessory Tray

0.5mm Ultra-Thin Secondary Mirror Supports

30% more Light Gathering than 114mm

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Another newbie that has been reading the article and the comments on this thread, so thank you.

A friend of mine, who is a stargazer, recommended to me ages ago to get a good set of binos before even thinking about a telescope. Great to see this article echoes his sound advice.

Going to do some more google hunting and searching here now about some decent binos.

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