Winding down now

[PeterCPC]

Due to age, health issues but mainly the weather, I am on the slope to ending this hobby. I will carry on for now but will be looking to get rid of equipment gradually over the next year or so.

I find the challenge of dealing with our weather has really got to me recently and I can't see the point of carrying on much longer.

Anyway maybe some clear nights in the Autumn will help but based on the last few years, that's unlikely.

[Steve Ward]

Sorry to here this Peter .

I'd suggest maybe trying the daytime side of things and maybe do some solar observing , much more going on on a minute by minute basis to keep you amused and it's much more fun sitting out on a nice sunny day in the warm rather than the cold , dew covered nights you're used to ... 😉

[PeterCPC]

Thanks Steve but Solar observing has never appealed to me.

[andrew s]

Good luck with whatever you do next. Regards Andrew 

[Mr Spock]

I feel the same. However, I've spent so much on kit in the last year I can't afford to quit 

[Pete Presland]

Shame to hear that Peter, time catches up with all of us unfortunately.  My eyesight is certainly making imaging , especially processing harder these days.

Astronomy from the UK is not easy whether visual or imaging, so many obstacles for both. As i am getting older i certainly find it more challenging. 

I did spot Venus yesterday from a fishing lake at dinnertime, which did please me 🙂 I dont think that feeling will ever leave me, despite what the aging, weather and appalling light pollution throws at me.

Hopefully you can find something to replace the Astro bug, maybe nature watching ?

 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

That is such a bad situation but very understandable. The weather in UK has made me think many times if having all this money tied up in equipment is really worth it, and then the agony of looking at the clear kies app and seeing no green whatsoever is quite sole destroying at times. I think you are not the only one with the same feelings.

I do hope you will you keep looking in on SGL, or do you think that "ripping the plaster off" and a clean break from astro stuff is the only way to go ?

Steve

[Steve Ward]

1 hour ago, PeterCPC said:

Thanks Steve but Solar observing has never appealed to me.

It never did to me when I first got started with a telescope , but two completely grey nights/sunny days winters made me get a sheet of Baader film and I was hooked.

It's such a dynamic object that there's always something new to see , especially at the moment when it's so active , there's only so many times you can sit squinting at a faint blurry object that looks exactly the same as the last time you looked at it ... 😉

[Elp]

I think we all go through it thinking of getting rid of it all. A potential option for you if of interest is to condense it all into a ZWO Seestar or equivalent and just keep to a simple easy to setup EAA device, granted it will have its limits but it's not too much money tied into a single object and should be easy to sell on.

[M40]

How about this as a thought provoker. Have you considered a permanent pier? I leave my mount outside 24/7 with a tg cover and its made life so much quicker and lighter. Touch of metal paint later and the pier blends right in. I've enhanced it with a very small footprint enclosure with perspex panels that I simply pick up and move out of the way. From looking out of the window to looking through the eyepiece about 15 minutes. Ive also added an asiair which in my opinion is excellent and certainly adds to the hobby. Could be a nice project.

All the best.

[Stuart1971]

2 minutes ago, M40 said:

How about this as a thought provoker. Have you considered a permanent pier? I leave my mount outside 24/7 with a tg cover and its made life so much quicker and lighter. Touch of metal paint later and the pier blends right in. I've enhanced it with a very small footprint enclosure with perspex panels that I simply pick up and move out of the way. From looking out of the window to looking through the eyepiece about 15 minutes. Ive also added an asiair which in my opinion is excellent and certainly adds to the hobby. Could be a nice project.

All the best.

This was the best thing I ever did, and I did it a time when was getting fed up with UK weather….and almost gave up and sold it all, it re ignited my interest, and then 18 months later I built an obsy around my pier, and have never looked back, you can just grab a few hours here and there with no set up to worry about….👍🏻

[Guest]

Weather definitely throws a wrench in the works that is for sure.  I am lucky to get 20 nights a year, this year with all the smoke i might get a dozen nights between now and when the clouds roll in come November.  I just accept the fact that it is what it is and wait it out. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Mike Q

[Roy Challen]

21 hours ago, Steve Ward said:

 

It's such a dynamic object that there's always something new to see , especially at the moment when it's so active , there's only so many times you can sit squinting at a faint blurry object that looks exactly the same as the last time you looked at it ... 😉

Totally agree with this, if I were allowed to keep just one telescope it would be my Daystar 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Roy Challen

[jjohnson3803]

 Perhaps consider trying a subscription to a remote imaging site?  I had a basic SLOOH subscription and although weather could still get in the way, it kept me occupied on several cloudy nights.  Processing data is not necessary.  You can basically do EAA by watching images build up in realtime or just keep the "snapshots" of your targets.

Another option is a Seestar or other robotic scope as mentioned.  I'm seriously considering ordering one if real user reviews are favorable.  

Edited August 7, 2023 by jjohnson3803

[PeterCPC]

Although there have been some improvements, I am still unable to lift anything much. So I got myself a Seestar and it has been cloudy ever since. No change there then. 😒