Just to say hi :)

[CMR]

Hello everyone  I’m totally new to this hobby and actually haven’t even got a telescope yet. I’m also completely new to online communities and, as such, haven’t ever posted anything like this so I don’t know exactly how it all works yet.

Anyway, I’ve always been fascinated by the universe and would love to see the things in it more closely and with some detail. Of course I am aware that it’s not going to be like the colourful photos sent from the Hubble and it’ll also take time to learn how to get clearer images from the equipment but I have decided to start with a decent telescope that won’t kill the hobby from day one. Speaking of which, I have a question related to light pollution but I’ll ask that question in the ‘getting started with observing’ forum, which I’ve been told is the appropriate thing to do on these online communities! 

Well, I hope everyone has a great evening!

[Jasonb]

Welcome! As I'm telling anyone who's joining recently, check out the Black Friday sale FLO are having, not only might you get a good scope for a bit of a reduction, but with stock levels at the moment, it might be the only place to buy one at all!

 

[banjaxed]

Hi and welcome to SGL.

[Zermelo]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If you're not familiar with the way these communities work, the first thing you might want to know is that information that is important or widely relevant is sometimes turned into a "sticky" post that remains in a prominent position. I presume you already found the guidelines? And I would also recommend reading this one (or at least the article at the top) to set your expectations.

If you're not in any hurry to buy a telescope you could do a lot worse than having a run through some of the threads in the 'Welcome' section - there are quite a few from new starters asking for advice on choosing or buying. There's also a guide here , and a glossary of terms here. Astrophotography is a whole extra can of worms, be prepared for a serious learning curve if you want to get straight into that (and put your credit card on standby).

If you haven't already, it's worth getting hold of a 'planisphere', either physical or software (like "Stellarium"). You can use it to show what constellations are up and when, and then see how many you can recognise (I'm assuming you're not already familiar with this, and it will be useful when you start observing). There are also some great apps for phones, like Skysafari.

[CMR]

12 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If you're not familiar with the way these communities work, the first thing you might want to know is that information that is important or widely relevant is sometimes turned into a "sticky" post that remains in a prominent position. I presume you already found the guidelines? And I would also recommend reading this one (or at least the article at the top) to set your expectations.

If you're not in any hurry to buy a telescope you could do a lot worse than having a run through some of the threads in the 'Welcome' section - there are quite a few from new starters asking for advice on choosing or buying. There's also a guide here , and a glossary of terms here. Astrophotography is a whole extra can of worms, be prepared for a serious learning curve if you want to get straight into that (and put your credit card on standby).

If you haven't already, it's worth getting hold of a 'planisphere', either physical or software (like "Stellarium"). You can use it to show what constellations are up and when, and then see how many you can recognise (I'm assuming you're not already familiar with this, and it will be useful when you start observing). There are also some great apps for phones, like Skysafari.

Yeah, I’ve read up a fair bit on telescopes and the terminology and did skim read the CoC. I’ve also chosen a telescope to potentially buy but didn’t know about the apps like Skysafari so I’ll give that a go, thanks

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL.

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you have lots of fun. 🙂

[PXR-5]

Welcome to SGL

thanks for joining us 😊

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome.

[Starwatcher2001]

Welcome aboard SGL. Good to have you with us.

You've chosen a great hobby and a great community to join. There's everything here from help when you have a question, support when you need it, friendship and banter. The thing to do is just join in. There's no such thing as a daft question on here. We've all been new to this game at some point.

May I ask which telescope you're thinking of buying?

Unless you're viewing on a mobile which might not show it, you'll notice that some of us have a "signature" line under our posts. Some people list the equipment they have in there or a link to their web site. Knowing what kit someone has can help put posts into context when someone asks about accessories, a problem, or what's likely to be visible with their telescope. It also helps recognise people who have similar equipment to you, which can help if you have a question about something unique to that telescope.

If you feel like adding one now or later, you can do this by clicking your profile picture to go to your profile. The click on the little down arrow against your user name.

Click on Account Settings, end then on the left there's a menu of options including "Signature", where you can add such information.

Cheers,

Mark

 

Edited November 26, 2020 by Starwatcher2001
typo

[rwilkey]

Hi Christian, and a warm welcome from me way down south.  Good luck and clear skies!

Edited November 26, 2020 by rwilkey

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Hi CMR, welcome to SGL 🙂 

Well you certainly have done the best thing you can joining SGL both from the Astro side and online community side as well.

Not too long ago, about 3 years,  I was completely new to the hobby but with loads of help from many SGL members I have gone from knowing nothing to at least enough to be able to take reasonable images of DSO's . Also, I had used other online forums for some of my other hobbies so was not new to me I have found SGL the friendliest forum I have used by a country mile, so feel free to ask any (ANY) questions you need, you will never be belittled for asking even what seems to you a silly question.

Best advice I am able to give you is to ask lots of advice, do not rush into buying a scope or setup because you see what seems like a great offer on some obscure website or on the well known auction sites, it is very easy to buy lots of what seems like a bargain to you at the time and end up buying again because it is poor quality or just the wrong setup.

Although I am into imaging now my first buy was a very manual Dobsnian bought 2nd hand for not much over £100 from another SGL member. It was a great introduction to Astronomy and still have it as it offers some great views and so easy to use.

Anyway enough for now enjoy this great hobby Obsession 🙂 

Steve 

[Stephen Green]

Hi welcome to the SGL

[sloz1664]

Hi, and a very warm welcome to the Lounge

Steve

[Mr Spock]

Hi, welcome to SGL 

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi there, welcome. 

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire 🙂