Complete Novice with no idea at all

[Penwith24]

Hi and hello everyone over the last few weeks I have spent a great deal of time searching  the internet in search of information with regards to trying to obtain a little knowledge on Astronomy, whilst also  deciding what I would like to achieve in a hopefully  new hobby ie just to observe our nearest planets, or take if further by accompanying my hobby of photograph so taking steps into astrophotogrphy, I am attempting to join a local astronomy club, I have mede inquires with some of my friends and one of them gave me the Stargazer lounger's Site to try and gain more information on the subject, at the moment I have not as yet taken the plunge as at the moment its all a little confusing and my knowledge is still limeted ie what sort of Telescope I need to do this and that but I have to admit I'm finding to hole process fascinating,  had the opportunity I of taking a look at this 10ins star finder Dobsonian I think an old model but as it was my first experience of looking at a telescope I was impressed  thank you for reading this cheers. 

Just made contact with my local Astronomy Club, its my first step.

Roger

starfinder_reflecting_telescope.pdf

Edited August 16, 2020 by Penwith24
Astronomy Club

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi Roger, welcome. The scope in the picture isn't a dobsonian - it's on an equatorial mount. More versatile than a dob but more involved in usage. It will allow you to track celestial motion when set up properly. 

[KeithP22]

Hi, i am also new to this and after weeks of researching different telescopes I finally took the plunge and bought an 8 inch skywatcher dobsonian. Since buying i have only observed the moon and jupiter but what a view i had of jupiter, crisp and clear and that was with the supplied eyepieces. I have now ordered some new eyepieces and a barlow lens. Happy viewing. 

[John]

Hi and welcome to the forum !

The Meade Starfinder is an old model and long out of production.

Take your time and ask lots of questions before coming to a decision on what to buy

In turn we will ask questions about where you think your interests might lie to help nail down some suitable options. Each scope type has it's strengths and weaknesses of course !

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @Penwith24 & @KeithP22 welcome to SGL. 

[des anderson]

A warm welcome from Essex. Des

[barkis]

Welcome to SGL Gentlemen, you're in good hands here, so take advantage of the help and guidance
that is available to you should you need it. Keith has acquired a telescope, and he chose well for his
first instrument. The 8 inch Dob. is a very popular first intro to observing the night sky
and it will bring some great objects into view,
Roger, heed Johns words, don't rush into spending your hard earned money  before you consult 
SGL's experts, they will keep you from harm. 
Best Wishes both, And enjoy your stay.
Ron.

[callisto]

Hi Roger.......You have joined the best forum 😉.......plenty of advice on here

Also, joining a local Astro club is the best way to learn, ask questions and try other equipment.

Welcome and enjoy,

 

Mark

Edited August 7, 2020 by callisto
change wording

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL.

[cletrac1922]

Roger and @KeithP22

Both of you welcome from Land Down Under

Keith, just a couple of useful tips for your new Dob

Did you get a Flex or solid tube Dob

With the base been chipboard material, always put down a small waterproof tarp for the base to sit on, to stop absorbing moisture in the ground, especially night time

Also get a right angle Finderscope

This saves having to lie on the ground, when trying to align an object directly over head

John

[Sunshine]

Welcome to the lounge! i cannot stress how important it is that you join a local astronomy club. Getting out under a dark sky with members and, asking question while looking through their scopes will be the best way by far to get you on the best path. All too often, newcomers to the hobby rush to buy equipment, only to find they are in over their heads. Once again, a big welcome to the lounge!.

[PeterCPC]

Hello Roger and welcome.

Peter

[KeithP22]

4 hours ago, cletrac1922 said:

Roger and @KeithP22

Both of you welcome from Land Down Under

Keith, just a couple of useful tips for your new Dob

Did you get a Flex or solid tube Dob

With the base been chipboard material, always put down a small waterproof tarp for the base to sit on, to stop absorbing moisture in the ground, especially night time

Also get a right angle Finderscope

This saves having to lie on the ground, when trying to align an object directly over head

John

John I have a solid tube dob and thanks for the advice.

[banjaxed]

Hi Roger, welcome to SGL.

[Starwatcher2001]

Hi Roger. Welcome to SGL and to the wonderful hobby that is astronomy.

The amount of information can seem quite overwhelming at first, so really do take your time and ask all the questions you want. At the start, you may not even be sure which questions to ask, but we've all been there and there's no such thing as a daft question on here.

Meanwhile, if you're not already familiar with the sky, I'd suggest getting a good book on the constellations and spending some time getting to know your way around. The things you see and start to recognise will soon become familiar friends.

If you already have a pair of binoculars of any size, you've already got your first piece of astronomy equipment. Sitting or laying out, and just gazing up at the night sky both amazing and educational. These warm summer evenings are an ideal time. Many of us keep our bins handy even when we've got telescopes.

What are the skies like near you?

Cheers,

Mark 

[igorigs]

Hi mate and welcome!

You will love your new hobby and folks here are realy friendly and helpful. I am a newbie as you are with small Evostar 90 refractor but still it is not stopping me of reaching for some messiers. 

I hope that with your scope you will get hooked even more, because there isn't a hobby beautiful as this one 😉

[sloz1664]

Hi Roger and a very warm welcome to the Lounge

Steve

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you have lots of fun with your new hobby. 🙂

[Ruud]

Hi Roger, Keith,

[richard ashbee]

welcome to the group

[Tenor Viol]

Hi welcome

Astronomy is a large and complex subject. It is definitely worth taking the time to get some familiarity with the different aspects of it and work out what you'd like to do. I'm new to to the world of digital astrophotography, but I'm not new to astronomy - just had a 15 year break from it...

Finding and getting involved with a local society is good because you can have a 'real world' chat with people. Similarly chatting on here is useful too: there's a lot of helpful people and useful advice.

One problem you will come up against is that there is no one set of 'kit' which is able to do everything. Visual and imaging have different requirements; lunar and planetary is different to gaseous nebulae etc.    

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Peter in Bedfordshire 🙂

[Penwith24]

On 07/08/2020 at 21:24, callisto said:

Hi Roger.......You have joined the best forum 😉.......plenty of advice on here

Also, joining a local Astro club is the best way to learn, ask questions and try other equipment.

Welcome and enjoy,

 

Mark

Hi Mark I have just made contact with my local  Astro club thanks for your input cheers

 

[Penwith24]

On 08/08/2020 at 09:51, Starwatcher2001 said:

Hi Roger. Welcome to SGL and to the wonderful hobby that is astronomy.

The amount of information can seem quite overwhelming at first, so really do take your time and ask all the questions you want. At the start, you may not even be sure which questions to ask, but we've all been there and there's no such thing as a daft question on here.

Meanwhile, if you're not already familiar with the sky, I'd suggest getting a good book on the constellations and spending some time getting to know your way around. The things you see and start to recognise will soon become familiar friends.

If you already have a pair of binoculars of any size, you've already got your first piece of astronomy equipment. Sitting or laying out, and just gazing up at the night sky both amazing and educational. These warm summer evenings are an ideal time. Many of us keep our bins handy even when we've got telescopes.

What are the skies like near you?

Cheers,

Mark 

Hi mark I have just made contact with my local astro club so looking forward to meeting them, as for the skies around me there not vert must light pollution as I live very near the coast with country side at the back of my place , at least I think I have taken my first steps in this very interesting hobby cheers .Roger

[Starwatcher2001]

Contacting a local astro clue is a great move Roger. They are a great place to learn more, swap ideas and make like-minded friends.

Looking through different scopes and eyepieces, at various types of objects, can help you decide what type of observing you prefer (if any), and what equipment will work well for that. You might find some objects are a bit underwhelming, but others blow your socks off.  Do remember as you get more experience observering you'll learn the skills to see more with the same equipment.

Looking through other scopes lets you see first hand how all those things you've read about: field of view, eye-relief, exit pupil, tracking... actually work in practice with your model of eyeballs, and how comfortable you are looking through certain eyepieces. Experiencing these for yourself will guide you to buying the right kit for you, first time.

The best thing though is the camaraderie, the "hey, what you looking at?", "how do I find that?", "anyone wanna see Saturn though a 16 inch dob?"... and comparing the same object through different scopes, eyepieces and filters.  Some people are there just to quietly observe, but many will be more than happy to give you a tour of their scope, show off it's capabilities and the night sky, and answer questions. If you take your scope with you, there's usually someone who will help you get the best from it, let you borrow eyepieces to try, etc. Observing in a group is more secure, and a lot more fun in my opinion.

SGL, books, youtube, etc are all great resources, but they can't give you the experience that going to a club can.

All the best, Mark

Edited August 23, 2020 by Starwatcher2001
fixing poor sentence!