Hi from Inverness

[SzabiB]

Looks like I skipped the kind of introduction part and jumped straight in the deep water with my dummy questions a few days ago....

So lets try it now. So here is my life story.

Hi everyone ( I interacted with a few of you already, thank you for your patience, recent help and advice),

After 16 years living in London (I am originally from Hungary) and many years talking about moving to Scotland, finally we managed to pull it off. From 2nd of July 2022, we are officially residents of Inverness.

Happy days, we love outdoors (avid wild camper, long distance hiker, ultra light maniac, trail runner) and our rescue dog is having his best life ever.

As a kid (I am old now...ok, 40), I visited the planetarium in Budapest multiple time and I was fascinated. Never managed to progress further with any kind of astro related topic. 

Last year we visited Outer Hebrides for 3 weeks and after many clear sky nights, me and my wife started to grow some interest and decided to get a telescope. 1 year later, actually managed to get my first scope, which one drove me crazy in 3 days. 7 days later waiting for our first proper DOB from FLO.

So glad I found this forum and I can spend hours now, just reading about stuff (still managing to finish washing up and hoovering...)

If you live around Inverness and you could suggest some good dark sites in 20-30 minutes radius, I will owe you a pint....

Edited September 18, 2022 by SzabiB

[Mandy D]

4 minutes ago, SzabiB said:

If you live around Inverness and you could suggest some good dark sites in 20-30 minutes radius, I will owe you a pint....

I was going to suggest the Cairngorms National Park, then I thought I'd do a quick web search and found this:

https://www.visitscotland.com/blog/stargazing/inverness-highlands-stargazing/

I hope it helps.

I remember driving back through Glen Coe on New Year's Eve many years ago on a cloudless night. We stopped and stared up at Orion until it grew too cold to stand around any longer. I have never in my life seen so many stars in Orion! If you can get across there sometime or onto Skye it is well worth while!

[SzabiB]

3 minutes ago, Mandy D said:

I was going to suggest the Cairngorms National Park, then I thought I'd do a quick web search and found this:

https://www.visitscotland.com/blog/stargazing/inverness-highlands-stargazing/

I hope it helps.

I remember driving back through Glen Coe on New Year's Eve many years ago on a cloudless night. We stopped and stared up at Orion until it grew too cold to stand around any longer. I have never in my life seen so many stars in Orion! If you can get across there sometime or onto Skye it is well worth while!

The link is brill, thank you.

Actually we live 7 minutes drive from Loch Ness and 15 minutes from Culloden battlefield. 

 

[Mandy D]

1 minute ago, SzabiB said:

The link is brill, thank you.

Actually we live 7 minutes drive from Loch Ness and 15 minutes from Culloden battlefield. 

 

You're welcome. There used to be a nice restaurant on the shores of Loch Ness near Fort William, if memory serves me right. Lovely views over the loch and good food.

[Sunshine]

Welcome to SGL!

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL

[Floater]

Welcome. I hope you have lots of fun with the hobby and the forum. 🙂

…. And if you have difficulty finding dark skies close to home, we are all lost! - “we live 7 minutes drive from Loch Ness and 15 minutes from Culloden battlefield.” - says it all. The Highlands Astronomical Society have an observatory at Culloden! To be recommended. 

Enjoy. 👍

[saac]

Warm welcome SzabiB, living where you do I wouldn't have thought you have to travel 15 minutes in any direction to find a suitable dark sky. Enjoy. 

Jim 

[M40]

Hello SzabiB and welcome to the site 👍 

I don't know if you have found this, but it's always my goto...

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info

 

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi there and welcome. 

[MarsG76]

Hello and welcome to SGL...

[Astro_Dad]

Welcome to SGL. You’ll have some very impressive observing sites where you’re based now - look forward to hearing how things go for you under those dark skies! 

[bosun21]

Hi there 👋, welcome to SGL 

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome.

[SzabiB]

Thank you for the warm welcome, it is amazing to see a place without ego and snobbery... 

My wife is asking, when I am going to have access for the buy-sale section, so she knows when to pull the plug and hide the computer cable

Joke aside, how long do you need to be member before you can access? Possible,  I am after some different eyepieces (already....). 

[Space Hopper]

Think you have to have 50 'posts'

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire 🙂