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

[Ishidori]

Really good article, another thing i learn from experiments amateurs and is that the things in the sky will not look as they appears in magazine. But still, object like Orion's Nebula can take your breath away -see it a few time from a telescope-.

I can't wait for my binos!!

[marshy123]

Absolutely fantastic article. "Slow down" is definitely the advice I would give to anyone starting out. After a false start due to moving house several times and not having time to set up an equatorial mount I resorted to lying on my back in the garden with Google sky map on my phone. Surprisingly fun and even setting up Sky Map taught me something about lat and long. Having learned my way around a bit better and stopped moving house I am now getting on with setting up my scope but I definitely feel better equipped to do things properly. Think I have also learned to be a bit more patient as even my frustrations around polar aligning are not making me see red. Yet

[Mr Moff]

Great thread this.Really helped me out.

thanks.

Danny.

[kgully]

Thanks John, Hopefully that will give me some help with what I'm trying to get out of my stargazing and what equipment I should be looking for before spending hard earned wages on anything I may not need

[Albenn]

I thought I was ready for my first scope... Gonna stay with the binoculars for now until I have learnt a little more about navigating my way around the sky. A lot of wisdom in that article. Thanks for the post.

[Gary70]

Thanks indeed, it sort of says what we all think but usually choose to ignore, wise words I will read again I am sure

[Paulus17]

Read this article last night and it will be the route i'll be taking now.

So just using what i have already,my camera,decent tripod, binoculars,cheapish pair which i haven't been able to use yet,and the books i have to learn from,plus what i can learn from SGL,then eventually get a telescope:icon_salut:

[spacecake]

thanks for that i'm a complete beginner but ive always been interested in the nights sky, ido have a question though. has any one used the google star map on android phones and is it accurate?

[BeattieBabe]

That's a great article. I got my first set of binoculars when I was 12 and I still use them.

[BaByDaDdY2010]

hahahah this was a dang good read, I did find myself getting frustrated last night, but it makes perfect sense that I am supposed to be having fun and looking at anything in the night sky is better than not looking at all, heck I saw saturn for the first time not in a book..

[kevrees]

Awesome article, thank you for sharing it. I feel so much better after reading that as one of the things that i thought would hold me back was not being in a position to buy a half decent scope.

I got my 10x50's at the moment but will invest in a pair of 15/70 binoculars and a tripod which should be good enough to keep me going and gather enough knowledge and experience that if and when i do get in a position to take the next step and buy a telescope i'll know what sort of thing to look for.

[Evl]

Very good articals. Gives good food for thought on where to start.

[mor aase]

Very good articals. Gives good food for thought on where to start.

Concurred.

But there is some who is not covered.

Them like me with no friends to share tonites fantastic Aurora Borealis.

Us with rheuma, completely unable to hand hold even the best Leica binoculars.

People like me with Ph D in a parallel universe, in my case botany, venturing the dire straits of the Milky Way above the Earths strawberry fields, hoping to learn something new before the last call of St peter.

In other words, the third part of my miserable life is the art of expressing it by the the tools of Poetry.

[parkes59]

Greaf article,very lucky that this is the first post ever read on this great site,.have binoculars,will get some star charts and learn a bit about the night sky.will make it a lot better for when I do eventurally buy the scope I desire.

[Briskycat]

Just read it, Very helpful and a good read. Although now I've finished, all I'm seeing through my eyes right now are white lines :@(

[JG777]

Enjoyed reading this thread, great advice here.

John

[tone2012]

thanks of to read it now

[astronomit]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread, and especially the article as it puts everything into perspective - take your time, enjoy, but most of all remember to have fun. Sound advice.

Regarding other books - I have to second the recommendation for Turn Left at Orion. It's a great book - nothing flashy (no glossy pictures), just easy to read and shows exactly what you'll see in the sky.

[BoilerNebula]

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 :

http://www.wwnorton....startright.html

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

Extremly helpful and thank you!!

[deepdiver]

Thank you,as a senior beginner I was getting confused as to where to learn anything. I now have more confidence.

[orions belt]

That was a great read as I myself is new to the astronomy game.

Thanks.

[DonRemus]

Interesting read, good advice from a totally non sales related perspective.

[somuchtogrok]

Good read.

As someone who is planning on buying a telescope in the future, this was exactly what I needed to hear.

[Turtleboy]

Very good read. As an absolute novice I was already starting to feel frustrated at the sheer amount of information out there regarding buying a half decent starter scope. Now I can't wait for a clear night to just grab my old low powered bins and get out there. It's easy to get bogged down in the equipment side of things and forget why you wanted to do it in the first place.

[Rob1956]

That is very useful information thanks for sharing John