The oldest person you know who still observes?

[StarryEyed]

11 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

I feel I may be one of the younger ones at 47, good thing is I feel like I’m 20, talk like I’m 16 and complain like I’m 10.

 I'm 55 feel like I'm 80 talk like I'm 16 and wish I was 10

[F15Rules]

A somewhat sobering thought..

If I had lived in the Arizona Desert, for example, at the age I am now, I would probably had at least 10x or more the number of clear nights than here in the UK..🥴🤪..each and every year!

Read...the thread below for some informal stats..and weep

I think that's why good 4" refractors are so popular..so light, so capable, so versatile and able to be whipped in and out before you can say "it's raining/cold/cloudy/foggy again" (you choose!)😂

Dave

Edited January 1, 2022 by F15Rules
Additional text info

[Stephen Green]

I am just coming up to 80 this year and still going on strongly and will keep doing it as long as I can 

[Mark at Beaufort]

6 minutes ago, Stephen Green said:

Pressed twice by miss take

Stephen your double post made me smile I was going to delete it. Stephen I hope we continue to meet at a SGL star party when they resume.

[xtreemchaos]

theres a old saying "ya as only as old as the telescope you use" well its not a old saying and i just thought of it but you get my drift eh.

Astronomy can be as easy on the body as we want to make it, i do 99% of mine through a s/w facing open window sat in a comfy chair., its about as easy as one can get .

happy new year . charl.

[Roy Challen]

46, had more observing sessions this year than any year since 2012, due mainly to buying a solar scope.

I was thinking that I got into this hobby in my twenties. Where are all the other 20 somethings or teenagers trying to get into astronomy? Is it really an older persons hobby?

[Saganite]

Just started my 70th year, and intend to carry on with the scopes that I have into my eighties and beyond if I am blessed. Like Dave (F15 Rules) I no longer have such good vision, in fact I cannot obtain sharp focus in my left eye any more ( epiretinal membrane )and only surgery might correct it.  I find that my love of binoviewing helps here , as my dominant right eye seems to compensate and  I still get acceptably good views.

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by Saganite

[F15Rules]

20 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Like Dave (F15 Rules) I no longer have such good vision,

..and if you need proof of both our sights not being what they once were..here's a picture of Steve casually holding my FS128 while I held his wonderfully restored AE Luton 4.5" F14.4 refractor for him..preparing, I'm sure, to do a runner!! (stopped him just in time, bless him!😂)

Dave

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by F15Rules
Photo added

[Laurieast]

At 67 and been an astronomer since I was 16, but I feel the cold/damp much more now and it can put you off going out there even if it's clear! especially if there is a wind chill 🥶 which is most of the time in Derbyshire.

Lifting things is still ok, I can get the AVX out the back one tripod leg at a time out of the patio doors, I get it that far easily as it lives on dolly wheels indoors.

One thing nobody has mentioned is the now impossibilty of using a polar scope, no chance! How can you bend down that low or get on your knees and manage to get up again 👨‍🦯

[Alien 13]

3 minutes ago, Laurieast said:

At 67 and been an astronomer since I was 16, but I feel the cold/damp much more now and it can put you off going out there even if it's clear! especially if there is a wind chill 🥶 which is most of the time in Derbyshire.

Lifting things is still ok, I can get the AVX out the back one tripod leg at a time out of the patio doors, I get it that far easily as it lives on dolly wheels indoors.

One thing nobody has mentioned is the now impossibilty of using a polar scope, no chance! How can you bend down that low or get on your knees and manage to get up again 👨‍🦯

The polarscope fix is easy, get hold of a DSLR RA viewfinder or one of the astro versions available now like this

Alan

[Saganite]

Casual Dave, casual.... pictures can be deceiving, I have a cast iron grip of that FS128, which sadly I had to hand over..

[mikeDnight]

2 hours ago, F15Rules said:

A somewhat sobering thought..

If I had lived in the Arizona Desert, for example, at the age I am now, I would probably had at least 10x or more the number of clear nights than here in the UK..🥴🤪..each and every year!

Read...the thread below for some informal stats..and weep

I think that's why good 4" refractors are so popular..so light, so capable, so versatile and able to be whipped in and out before you can say "it's raining/cold/cloudy/foggy again" (you choose!)😂

Dave

I think too many clear nights make you soft. Being tested through endurance due to seemingly perpetual cloud isn't a bad thing. View it as a refining process that proves you're the real deal. ☔🔭

 

[mikeDnight]

59 minutes ago, Laurieast said:

At 67 and been an astronomer since I was 16.

So do you think youre going to stick at the hobby then? 

[Saganite]

To be true to your opener Dave, I do know several Astronomers of more senior years than myself, very , very fine observers, who are not members of SGL , so far as I know, whose knowledge and passion for observing are undimmed by advancing years, members of my local Astro society. 

[Laurieast]

2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

So do you think youre going to stick at the hobby then? 

Yes! I throw the scope outside, set up, plug in, and start taking pictures from inside in the warm, slippers on .  I think once your into this it's for life, a never ending adventure. 

If I can't do that I will follow other's efforts here, and there are all the space telescope images to see, especially JWST. 

[F15Rules]

1 hour ago, Laurieast said:

How can you bend down that low or get on your knees and manage to get up again 👨‍🦯

I'll grant you Laurie, it's not easy..

tbh, I don't worry about a spot-on alignment with Polaris via the polar finder..unless I'm going to be doing some high mag planetary observing..for me that means Saturn and Mars (and Moon of  course), as I want my Tak driven eq mount to keep the target central in the fov for as long as I can.. note that I don't include Jupiter as I rarely find that more than c 150x or so adds anything to the view.

In practice I usually don't do anything other than a visual "line of sight" alignment..I know exactly where in the sky Polaris is relative to garden points of reference, eg trees..I just carry the assembled scope, mount and tripod out to my observing spot, place it down roughly on the spot I observe from, and then loosen off the Dec axis and so move the scope OTA so it's not in my line of sight with the body of the polar axis (which is pointing roughly at Polaris)..then, since the polar axis is already set permanently as close to my 53 deg north  latitude as I can get it, I know that if I just do a "line of sight" alignment by standing over the mount and adjusting the tripods' position slightly left or right, so I can judge when it looks to be "lined up" on Polaris, I know that the actual alignment will be plenty accurate enough for my visual only needs.. (I hope that makes sense?)

Dave

 

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by F15Rules

[mikeDnight]

2 hours ago, xtreemchaos said:

theres a old saying "ya as only as old as the telescope you use" well its not a old saying and i just thought of it but you get my drift eh.

Astronomy can be as easy on the body as we want to make it, i do 99% of mine through a s/w facing open window sat in a comfy chair., its about as easy as one can get .

happy new year . charl.

Nothing wrong with that if you enjoy it.  In 1983 George Alcock discovered his last comet - Iras Iraki Alcock - using a pair of binoculars, while looking through double glazing. And just recently I've been casually sweeping the north eastern sky with my 72ED  at 12X while looking through double glazing. The star images at such low power aren't too bad at all. 

[F15Rules]

4 minutes ago, Laurieast said:

If I can't do that I will follow other's efforts here, and there are all the space telescope images to see, especially JWST

..and I've really enjoyed reading your contributions on the JWST thread, Laurie..

You're clearly very knowledgeable on that subject: does that come from past working experience or just a general interest in the project?

Whichever it is, many thanks for your posts, they are very interesting 😊👍.

Dave

[Saganite]

1 hour ago, Laurieast said:

At 67 and been an astronomer since I was 16, but I feel the cold/damp much more now and it can put you off going out there even if it's clear! especially if there is a wind chill 🥶 which is most of the time in Derbyshire.

Lifting things is still ok, I can get the AVX out the back one tripod leg at a time out of the patio doors, I get it that far easily as it lives on dolly wheels indoors.

One thing nobody has mentioned is the now impossibilty of using a polar scope, no chance! How can you bend down that low or get on your knees and manage to get up again 👨‍🦯

This is what you need Laurie, a big pier, No need to bend at all...

Seriously though, I was beginning to struggle mounting my 5" f15 , having to climb a ladder holding the scope in one hand, but a change of mount, lowering everything, and I'm good for another decade.

The weather is another factor with advancing age and I admit that living south of Watford Gap has its advantages, but my clothing for winter observing is so good I can stay out for hours in sub zero temperature....

[John]

I know of a a few folks a good decade older than myself who are still regular observers. So well into their 70's and that is encouraging.

The best aid to astronomy as you get older though is, IMHO, retirement !

I was able to retire rather early over a decade ago and that has been just so helpful in easing the impact of late nights

I do find cold nights off putting as I'm getting older. If there is something special happening or I get an urge to track down a particular target, I'll make the effort and, usually, enjoy the session.  Either that or I track down and observe my quarry and then quickly scurry inside to warm up !

As many have said, having a quick to deploy / quick to tear down setup quickly becomes an important part of being able to fully enjoy the hobby as you get older, especially in the UK.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by John

[Rusted]

A nice, fat, down-filled jacket is your friend against the cold.
I gathered a few together from charity shops years ago.
It can cost hundreds to buy a proper, mountain climbing jacket.
Back then I was only paying about a £fiver equivalent.
Hand washed in the bath with proper down cleaner.

Add a pair of salopettes for a whole day imaging in the cold.
Kamik fur lined boots over thick, wool farmer's socks. A warm head adds greatly to your comfort.
I like the GripGrab "Aviator" medieval cap under a fleece or trapper hat. Adjust to comfort levels.
Double thickness, fleece gloves, with finger tips cut off, for the keyboard.

With two jackets layered I was good down to -23C one night. Only for about five minutes.
Before the eyepiece froze over from the moisture in my eye.
I had already taught myself to always breath away from the 'scope.

The main problem in winter is iron hard PVC cables. Particularly off an extension cable reel.
I had a giant yellow "coil spring" running right across the lawn for a week after one hard frost.
It only collapsed for safe handling after a thaw.

 

[Geoff Barnes]

The oldest person I know that still observes?

Hmmm, that would be me then!

I wouldn't say I'm old exactly, but I just don't know anyone else who observes! 😂

[mikeDnight]

6 hours ago, John said:

I know of a a few folks a good decade older than myself who are still regular observers. So well into their 70's and that is encouraging.

The best aid to astronomy as you get older though is, IMHO, retirement !

I was able to retire rather early over a decade ago and that has been just so helpful in easing the impact of late nights

I do find cold nights off putting as I'm getting older. If there is something special happening or I get an urge to track down a particular target, I'll make the effort and, usually, enjoy the session.  Either that or I track down and observe my quarry and then quickly scurry inside to warm up !

As many have said, having a quick to deploy / quick to tear down setup quickly becomes an important part of being able to fully enjoy the hobby as you get older, especially in the UK.

 

 

 

 

It sounds like the title of a book I'd like to read John - The Scurrying Astronomer. I find myself doing a fair bit of scurrying, especially in the colder months. That's in part due to having to observe through sucker holes in the clouds, and of course because of my lack of enthusiasm for cold and windy weather. Having said that, if while I'm out something grabs my attention, I'll often then lose track of time and temperature, and thoroughly enjoy myself. Just being able to grab my tripod and scope in one go, or if in my observatory, close the roof and bring the tube back into the house, makes everything much easier than having to make several journeys back and forth as I used to do. I do find myself more enthusiastic as the milder spring months approach, and the Moon high in the sky. The Moon was something I used to avoid, but over the last decade or so I've fallen more and more in love with it.

Edited January 2, 2022 by mikeDnight

[Laurieast]

14 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

So do you think youre going to stick at the hobby then? 

I missed that didn't I 🤦‍♂️

No I'm still undecided, but apparently dithering is a good thing!