Why do I need a telescope anyway?

[Stu]

I’m with Louis on this one, relaxation is a big part of why I observe. When trying to spot detail on a planet or the Moon, or find a harder deep sky object, I find my breathing slows down, as does the heart rate, and I concentrate to an extent that I forget about any worries or stresses I have. Not many other things in life achieve that, nor would looking at images on a monitor!

I don’t do imaging, because I spend all my working hours in front of a laptop, and would find the IT challenges of imaging far too stressful! Each to their own of course, but you either ‘get’ observing or you don’t. Some people think imaging is more advanced than, or a natural progression from observing. I don’t see it that way, you can build observing skills and knowledge over the years in a way that can make it a lifetime hobby, as it is for me.

[AllanK]

https://youtu.be/LFrdqQZ8FFc

For some reason this post reminds me of this scene.

[KevinPSJ]

Based on my experience of sharing this wonderful hobby with others and hearing the "Wow" reaction, I suggest as a really simple first step get yourself a pair of reasonable binoculars - 10x50s are always popular. Then point them at the moon, the 7 sisters (Pleiades), the Andromeda galaxy or even jupiter and it's moons (if you have a steady hand). I defy anyone who has not done it before to not have a "wow" reaction the first time they view something like the moon for themselves. 

The advantage of binoculars is that if you lose interest (hopefully not, but it does happen) you still have something that's portable and useful in lots of other situations/hobbies. On the other hand, if you keep going, then binoculars are a great way to experience some amazing sights and start to learn your way around without really needing much more than patience, interest and a warm coat. Telescopes allow you to achieve much more but they are like musical instruments - if you don't know what your doing they can be very frustrating and there's a bit of "tuning/learning scales" kind of stuff that you can't avoid.

The other really easy way to dip your toes in is naked eye star gazing: just go somewhere really dark near you in the summer time and if you stay up until midnight you'll witness the wonder of the milky way in all it's glory. There's nothing to beat that sense of wonder of being under a sky sprinkled from horizon to horizon with stars! With some patience and luck you can spot a galaxy (M31), a nebula (M42) and all the bright planets (I still recall the excitement the first time I spotted mercury with naked eye).

[Corncrake]

I have edited my earlier post to ask what it is you think you might want to see ! Your question is a little difficult to answer !!!

Edited May 1, 2021 by Corncrake

[AstroNebulee]

13 hours ago, CloudMagnet said:

It is a point that you can just look online at any number of pictures, but for me most of the fun is seeing it with your own eyes, or for astrophotography, taking a picture in your garden with your own equipment and hard work.

I personally get more excited with seeing the GRS on Jupiter, Saturn's rings or craters on the moon in my own garden than looking at anything done with a multi billion pound space telescope run by hundreds of people. I suppose I think of it as "good honest work" by learning how telescopes work, setting everything up correctly and the endless pit of complexity that is astrophotography to produce something over time myself than an quick evening on google images.

I second this, once you've seen any astro object with your own eyes the bug will bite. Looking at images online isn't the same thing, someone else did that and there's no better satisfaction than when you've seen this with your own eyes, your own equipment and own viewung/imaging spot. The cold nights in winter (and other nights when it's not cold) can be put up with when you see any dso, planet moon features, conjunctions etc. They will blow your mind and you'll bitten. Go get that setup. 😊👍Clear skies 

Edited May 1, 2021 by AstroNebulee

[Dave61]

Many years ago I was looking through a pair of binoculars at my all time favourite Orion, and when I saw some of the nebula as a cloud it totally blew me away and from then on I always wanted a telescope.  Now many years later I have two and can't wait to get them set up just right.

[CloudMagnet]

29 minutes ago, AstroNebulee said:

I second this, once you've seen any astro object with your own eyes the bug will bite. Looking at images online isn't the same thing, someone else did that and there's no better satisfaction than when you've seen this with your own eyes, your own equipment and own viewung/imaging spot. The cold nights in winter (and other nights when it's not cold) can be put up with when you see any dso, planet moon features, conjunctions etc. They will blow your mind and you'll bitten. Go get that setup. 😊👍Clear skies 

Yep, exactly Although where I live, the chances for this hobby are rare (see username for explanation) in some ways that what makes it more special. I still get nervous in a good way when a clear night is planned because I know how rewarding this can be when everything works. Then spending an entire night outside from dusk to seeing dawn knowing that I've captured an image from thousands/millions of light years away or seen detail on other planets cant be beaten. No other hobby can give the same.

[saac]

As others have said , for me it's about whether you want to be an active participant or a spectator.  I've seen thousands of photographs of the Mona Lisa but 2 years ago (pre Covid remember that) I stood in front of her in the Louvre and she smiled at me.      That's the image and feeling I'll  remember; all those others just don't come close and are as quickly forgotten as they were acquired.  So it really depends on what type of experience you are after I guess.

Jim  

Edited May 1, 2021 by saac

[ollypenrice]

Why leave the house at all? Pictures of the whole world can be seen on the internet.  Why?  Because looking at pictures (other than original works of art) is not an occasion.  Occasions are made when we go somewhere in real life and do something. Your garden out with your telescope will not be your garden as it has ever been before. It will be out in space. You will see the roll of the Earth with your own eyes. Space will be real and tangible and you will be in it. Seeing a deep space object will be an occasion you will never forget.

But hang on, am I not an astrophotographer?

Yes I am, and making my own photographs is not something I do primarily in order to look at the finished pictures.  In fact I look at them for a short while afterwards and then have increasingly little interest in them. This may seem odd, but does an amateur musician play an instrument in order to listen to a recording of themself later on? No, they play because they like to make music. I'm an astrophotographer because I like to make astrophotos.  The act of creation is both thrilling and satisfying. The act of creation.

Olly

[Corncrake]

13 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

The act of creation is both thrilling and satisfying. The act of creation.

No doubt, like me, you take a break every 7 days ? There was a brill SF novel about a world-builder apprentice to you-know-who, wish my memory was better, Asimov or Clark ?

 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Simply put, no picture of an object beyond earth has ever brought a tear to my eye and filled me with an overwhelming feeling of being part of an incomprehensibly huge universe.

The first time I observed Jupiter through a telescope, well say no more... 

[Voyager 3]

On 01/05/2021 at 02:31, Pixies said:

An Analogy (with tongue firmly in cheek)....

 

 

Visual Astronomy:

 

Electronically enhanced visual astronomy:

 

Astrophotography:

 

(puts on hard-hat and retires under rock.......)

 

EAA : 

If the mic was a real one fixed in front of the singer in the screen , I wouldn't have stopped laughing in my life 😂 .

[Voyager 3]

On 01/05/2021 at 02:31, Pixies said:

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by Voyager 3
Duplicate post 🥵

[RT65CB-SWL]

On 30/04/2021 at 21:32, Starslayer said:

 “ do what you like dear”…

My partner/lady-friend says the same thing to me when I wish to purchase a piece of astronomy related equipment/kit. 😜

On 30/04/2021 at 21:32, Starslayer said:

“ well that is very nice but surely you can see ALL these things in much better clarity etc etc if you go online on our 27” mac and look there. . ?  Is all this not online these days? “…

She says that as well! 🤪

 

I can think of nothing better and rewarding than actually viewing something through your own ‘scope and eyes rather than than looking at it via a LCD or CRT screen. 😁

[Stu1smartcookie]

Great thread .. of course we are ALL on your side here . 
what I would say is .. seeing a live event is  history in action .. seeing it via someone else’s eyes is a bit er second hand . 
Let me give you an analogy . I love live sport . I went to see my local team play in the FA cup once ... the game was on tv and I could have stayed home to watch it . But being there actually seeing something live , being part of something was 100% better than Viewing on a tv . Seeing a grey smudge through a scope and viewing little details from a planet that’s millions of miles away gives the viewer immense satisfaction . Those photons of light are aiming at YOU .. they’ve traveled a bloody long way and it’s taken them thousands if not millions of years to get to your eyes . We at least owe that distant object the courtesy to view it for ourselves . 

Edited May 8, 2021 by Stu1smartcookie

[wimvb]

On 30/04/2021 at 22:32, Starslayer said:

Does she have a point? 

Use the same argument next time she wants to go on vacation, just when you want to catch that solar eclipse, comet, etc. 😉

[mikeDnight]

On 30/04/2021 at 21:32, Starslayer said:

Ok. I have been lurking here a long time now although my time has not been misspent and I have researched widely.   I am 61 with a long standing interest in ‘all things astral’ but have never owned a telescope.  Money is not an issue. IF I go down the telescopical rabbit hole then it is my choice and my wife will have no issue even if she does not share the potential passion.  The spanner she has put in MY works is that having just declared a desire to purchase VERY soon, she has responded with the usual “ do what you like dear” but then also added, “ what do you want to look at?”.  Having given her a brief resume of my intentions and what I would like to see for starters at least, she responds with, “ well that is very nice but surely you can see ALL these things in much better clarity etc etc if you go online on our 27” mac and look there. . ?  Is all this not online these days? “.       Well,  that certainly took the wind out of my sails.   Can she be that right?  Help required please.  😉😂😇. Sitting out in the cold and dark with a few beers may not cut the mustard here guys.!  Does she have a point? 
 

 

The universe is dynamic and alive. When you look at Jupiter for only a few minutes you'll notice its rotation as new features come onto the disc. It's also wonderfully detailed and complex - ever changing, and is thrilling to watch. Looking at the Orion nebula and seeing the glorious clam shell gas cloud along with the subtle hint of pearlescent green is awe inspiring. The contrasting colours of many binary stars leaves many observers wowed. And now and then the majestic yet ghostly visit from the depths of space of a spectacular comet emblazens its image in your mind.  But for many of us, even the hunt for an elusive deep sky object is reward enough, and when we find it, what a thrill it gives us. Then there's the night itself, where the smells, freshness, and sounds, all adds to the over all experience. Many a time my companions have been two Tawny Owl's holding a conversation that I'm privileged to listen to. Or the sudden surprise as a sniffling Hedge Hog rising up as if with the hydraulic suspension of an old Citroen car and race across the lawn at high speed.  But for me it's the personal discoveries i make nearly every time i observe. Other men may have seen them before but that doesn't matter, as i now have the privilage to explore and discover things for myself, things they saw long ago.  It is true that the images in books and on line can be spectacular, and very few objects will match visually what big telescopes and CCD cameras can reveal, but there is something of the art of taxidermy in those images. They may be beautiful but they are dead. Take a look at a spectacular picture of the planet Saturn for example. It is awesome there is no doubt. But then look at Saturn through the eyepiece of even a small telescope and ask yourself which is better, the image or the view through the telescope?

[Chaz2b]

You mention beer! Well if your so inclined, you could make your own beer. Great satisfaction in producing something you both can enjoy. Or, you could carry on buying it from your local, the choice is yours. Looking at glossy coloured photos online is fine, but looking at the real deal? Live? The picture remains that, but things happen when you are gazing into space, comets, meteors, the planets getting closer for that tantalising gasp of….yes! Then there’s the Sun, when you look through a scope, it’s alive! Not a photo, but photons. It’s about getting that sense of being there, like going to a live performance rather than on a pair of headphones.

Yes get a pair of binos first if you haven’t already got one, look up what will suit your eyes though as pupil exit and all that will affect your enjoyment, after a dozen or so different binos I know now. But the best you can afford and let your dear wife enjoy them too.

chaz

[Neil27]

On 30/04/2021 at 21:32, Starslayer said:

Ok. I have been lurking here a long time now although my time has not been misspent and I have researched widely.   I am 61 with a long standing interest in ‘all things astral’ but have never owned a telescope.  Money is not an issue. IF I go down the telescopical rabbit hole then it is my choice and my wife will have no issue even if she does not share the potential passion.  The spanner she has put in MY works is that having just declared a desire to purchase VERY soon, she has responded with the usual “ do what you like dear” but then also added, “ what do you want to look at?”.  Having given her a brief resume of my intentions and what I would like to see for starters at least, she responds with, “ well that is very nice but surely you can see ALL these things in much better clarity etc etc if you go online on our 27” mac and look there. . ?  Is all this not online these days? “.       Well,  that certainly took the wind out of my sails.   Can she be that right?  Help required please.  😉😂😇. Sitting out in the cold and dark with a few beers may not cut the mustard here guys.!  Does she have a point? 
 

 

So you’ve lurked on here for awhile and then asked the question ‘Why do I need a telescope anyway?’, on an astronomy forum, what kind of answer did you expect 🤔😂

My suggestion and perhaps new question you should ask yourself would be ‘Is this the right hobby for me?’

Where your sanity is questioned by your partner when under your own free will you will spend many hours in the dark, cold night looking at faint objects in the night sky, or capturing light emitted from objects so far away it makes the mind boggle. On equipment that has probably cost a lot more than you care to admit (especially to your partner) and you possibly could have purchased a very nice family car with. Where you get excited because you look at the weather and you can see that for a precious 2 hours tonight you have no clouds and the air looks like it will be still.

If you have to ask your original question -  ‘Why do I need a telescope anyway?’ maybe this hobby isn’t for you and the person that needs convincing is not your wife.

[Alan64]

On 30/04/2021 at 15:32, Starslayer said:

Ok. I have been lurking here a long time now although my time has not been misspent and I have researched widely.   I am 61 with a long standing interest in ‘all things astral’ but have never owned a telescope.  Money is not an issue. IF I go down the telescopical rabbit hole then it is my choice and my wife will have no issue even if she does not share the potential passion.  The spanner she has put in MY works is that having just declared a desire to purchase VERY soon, she has responded with the usual “ do what you like dear” but then also added, “ what do you want to look at?”.  Having given her a brief resume of my intentions and what I would like to see for starters at least, she responds with, “ well that is very nice but surely you can see ALL these things in much better clarity etc etc if you go online on our 27” mac and look there. . ?  Is all this not online these days? “.       Well,  that certainly took the wind out of my sails.   Can she be that right?  Help required please.  😉😂😇. Sitting out in the cold and dark with a few beers may not cut the mustard here guys.!  Does she have a point? 
 

 

By all means, get yourself a telescope.  In that there is an appreciable amount of hesitation, take baby-steps in entering this, our hallowed pastime.  Start with a kit like this one...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-mercury-707-az-telescope.html

...and for little outlay, in the beginning.  Then, you can go from there.  I started out, at the age of eight or so, with this 60mm...

...albeit in direst need of restoration, and forthcoming.  I saw my very first object with that one, Saturn, and with my late father, side by side.

Indeed, it was that very telescope that got me hooked.

[Neil H]

Astronomy is a once in a life time thing if you don't your wonder for ever what have I missed I came back to the hobby last year and have never looked back just in time for a once in 7000 year comet , I still remember getting up at 2am to catch Jupiter and Saturn OMG what a WOW moment that was I was like a kid with a new toy 

I got a goto scope very soon after coming back to the hobby , yes its cheating letting the goto find targets but it finds more than I can , there are 21000 items in its memory some need a dark sky but that will keep me busy for a long time , members report the observations they have done so I write out there list and next time out I work through it  

What there is out there is amazing and nothing beats seeing it with your own eyes with your own scope , I do solar as well so I can get my fix day or night , go for it don't wait we never know what's around the corner we only get one go at life so live it to the full

[Anne S]

On 30/04/2021 at 22:15, Starslayer said:

Guys / gurls

I am overwhelmed by the immediate replies at this time.  Wife is not well so cannot dwell now but I thank you for your replies and will go from here.  I am thinking of going down a well tested route of Celestron SE for flexibility and convenience (weight /

portability)  sake.  Probably a 6 as I am concerned that the 8 is too big for standard mount and not too much more  efficient for what I want to look at.  Accessories needed to - powerbanks etc.   

I had a 8SE for quite a few years. In my garden I have seen the veil nebula without using any filters. Just a faint smudge but enough to know I was pointing at the correct place. An O3 filtered showed it clearly. The 8 inch was fine on the mount as long as it was balanced. There is a limit to the weight of eyepiece usable with it. I could use a 22mm Nagler but not my husband's 13mm Ethos. It was lovely for Saturn and the other planets. I've seen Uranus and Neptune though it, small dots though with a little colour. Vibrations can be an issue on hard ground but I always used vibration suppression feet with it. 
 

The 8 inch showed much more than our previous 105mm ETX but my husbands 10 inch LX90 showed even more but was too heavy for me. Aperture is everything for visual.

Latterly I moved the 8 inch to a Celestron Cg5 which was much more stable. Still with goto though. Only sold the setup because I wanted to switch to astrophotograpy with refractors.

[maw lod qan]

The sense of joy I feel when I see something through the eyepiece for the first time, or the hundredth time is hard to explain. The seeing was good this morning, but not the greatest. Still seeing Saturn, made me smile again.

And any chance I have to share with my wife, daughters or grandchildren are moments we will remember forever. 

All I can say is if you do get a telescope, enjoy it. If you decide to go the other route, that's your choice and I'm sure you will enjoy that as well.

But most of all, dont stop looking up at the night sky in awe. We live in an incredible universe!

[tomato]

Try swapping your 27” Mac for an 8” Mak, I’m sure you will enjoy the night sky way more on the second option for all the reasons so eloquently posted.

[tooth_dr]

On 01/05/2021 at 14:56, ollypenrice said:

making my own photographs is not something I do primarily in order to look at the finished pictures.  In fact I look at them for a short while afterwards and then have increasingly little interest in them. This may seem odd, but does an amateur musician play an instrument in order to listen to a recording of themself later on? No, they play because they like to make music. I'm an astrophotographer because I like to make astrophotos.  The act of creation is both thrilling and satisfying. The act of creation.

Nail on the head.

Additionally I personally dont place any value on images processed by people, where they have downloaded the data from another source be it chile, liverpool or hubble.  For me it's entirely the process of creating the images, from start to finish, going out to set up the gear, etc, to finally processing and posting online somewhere.  This is the same as observing images via the PC rather than a telescope.  Doing it yourself will yield 'inferior' results, but immeasurably more satisfaction.

I can remember the night I saw M57 through a 12", and saturns rings through a 4.5" scope, and other visual spectacles like the solar eclipse, comets, etc.  I totally get the visual observing aspect.  Both visual and AP can and should coexist.

Edited May 9, 2021 by tooth_dr