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Vintage Stargazing


TerraC

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I didn’t have any form of viewing the night sky other than with my mk1 eyeballs, not even a pair of binoculars! Those that did have them wouldn’t let you touch them.
Stargazing as a twelve year old in 1971, was spent lying on a massive metal sewerage pipe going across a field under dark skies. No real light pollution then, and the skies were filled with stars….and planets of course, but I was more into football and girls in those days,  we did get to burn our blazers, with a magnifying glass!

chaz

Edited by Chaz2b
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3 hours ago, Chaz2b said:

I didn’t have any form of viewing the night sky other than with my mk1 eyeballs, not even a pair of binoculars! Those that did have them wouldn’t let you touch them.
Stargazing as a twelve year old in 1971, was spent lying on a massive metal sewerage pipe going across a field under dark skies. No real light pollution then, and the skies were filled with stars….and planets of course, but I was more into football and girls in those days,  we did get to burn our blazers, with a magnifying glass!

chaz

My 2000 pupil comprehensive didn't have a single telescope. Looking back all the spare money probably went into arts and sports. The small, rather infamous (back then) town has spawned several famous actors, a pop band or two and footballers. Sadly if one couldn't act, play an instrument or kick a ball one was thrown to the lions! (Who would probably burn you with a magnifying glass... 🙄)

 

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I was very lucky in that my secondary school (a comprehensive) had a small dome with a nice 8.5 inch newtonian, a small planetarium in a shed and an active school astronomy club. So when I was 11 / 12 I was able to develop further the interest in space that the Apollo 11 mission coverage had kindled a couple of years earlier. I would have had a school blazer back then as well !.

Prior to using the school scope, my only optical aid was mum and dads 8x30 binoculars.

 

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1 hour ago, John said:

I was very lucky in that my secondary school (a comprehensive) had a small dome with a nice 8.5 inch newtonian, a small planetarium in a shed and an active school astronomy club. So when I was 11 / 12 I was able to develop further the interest in space that the Apollo 11 mission coverage had kindled a couple of years earlier. I would have had a school blazer back then as well !.

Prior to using the school scope, my only optical aid was mum and dads 8x30 binoculars.

 

That's great John. Our school despite the size of it, the ferocity of both students and the teachers (some of them were swines), did have a swimming pool in the grounds and its own outdoor pursuits centre in Ambleside, so not all bad.

Also plenty of flat playing fields for no holds barred massive fights with the Catholic boys school next door.

A very popular music & drama teacher was done for kiddie fiddlin' when I left so being talentless I dodged a bullet!

I only encountered posh kids once, during my five years in the Kings Regiment ACF during an inter unit competition we were billeted with Merchant Taylors (posh private school) CCF. They were scared to death of us rough uns from Kirkby AND we won the competition. 👍😁😉

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No telescopes in our school but regular trips to the west coast of Ireland in the summer to see family in the late seventies you didn't need one to see the universe in all it glory. The the number of stars you could see was overwhelming. The milky way was blazing to young eyes. The whole experience lifted your mind out of the dirt and filled it with countless questions. 

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