Some encouragement required!

[Concretedan]

Hi all,

As we know the weather this past two winters has been terrible (well for me anyway) for astronomy.  My gear has stayed packed away all that time and I'm really struggling to muster the enthusiasm to "get back into it".  I've got some great kit and a permanent steel pier in the garden but the two past seasons have really dampened my spirit for this hobby.  Anyone else feel like this?  If so, what did you do to rekindle the passion (for astronomy that is!)

Many thanks,

Dan

[Stuart1971]

14 minutes ago, Concretedan said:

Hi all,

As we know the weather this past two winters has been terrible (well for me anyway) for astronomy.  My gear has stayed packed away all that time and I'm really struggling to muster the enthusiasm to "get back into it".  I've got some great kit and a permanent steel pier in the garden but the two past seasons have really dampened my spirit for this hobby.  Anyone else feel like this?  If so, what did you do to rekindle the passion (for astronomy that is!)

Many thanks,

Dan

I have gone through this a couple of times and I get exactly where you are coming from, what worked for me was to make it a winter only hobby, I image from when the clocks go back to about the end of April, then I have other hobbies, mainly mountain biking that take over for the summer and I don’t touch my Astro kit, then by the time the late autumn / winter gets here, I am ready to get stuck in again….

[Mr Spock]

The weather is terrible regardless of whether it's winter or not. I've never known so much cloud. My last proper session was 3rd September.  Apart from half an hour with my new 8" a few weeks ago that's it. Total cloud. And so is the forecast for the next week.

It never used to be like this 

[Moonshed]

I know how you feel. I have lost my enthusiasm this year due to a number of factors, the weather being just one of them. My main problem is I have reached the age, and in poor health, where I am no longer wanting to lug my heavy kit in and out of the shed it lives in. Hence no observing or even the desire to try.

I have received some very good advice from members and it boils down to this. 1) Sell my heavy gear. 2) Buy a small quality refractor. I am in the process of writing up the add to sell my gear and looking at fracs. I can feel my usual enthusiasm for astronomy slowly retuning.

In your case though I would suggest give it a complete break, maybe until the new year, by which time the return of some of our favourite constellations being well placed could well tempt you into getting observing/photographing again.

I hope you find your enthusiasm, it’s not a good feeling when we discover we no longer have it.

All the best

Keith

 

[Andy ES]

Just buy more kit and then you can look forward to using it in the future, eventually...😂

[callisto]

Yeah, I feel the same ATM...I too have a permanent pier in the garden but have no mojo 😔

Thinking of selling up and buying all the designer clothes I want 😂 

Seriously though, I might wait a couple of months also and see what happens.

I might have some beautiful scenery were I live but the weather is pants 😞

[pbyrne]

Hi Dan

I can completely understand where you are coming from.  I have experienced this is in the past, where I could not be bothered to even set up the gear and when the local council switched over to LED lighting, this only exacerbated the problem as the light pollution increased terribly.  At one point I took a break from astronomy and took up bird watching.  Always in the background the astronomy bug was calling and I answered.  I had sold all my large equipment and went to binocular viewing and this dropped the set up time with larger binoculars to a minimum., handheld to nothing, duh!  The idea of not spending half an hour or more setting up is a definite plus.

Maybe taking a break for a short spell will help, get your mind onto something else and the passion may come back.

My light pollution is still awful, BTW.

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by pbyrne

[cloudsweeper]

8.5 years in and I'm feeling apathetic too!

Lousy weather, general inertia, and new neighbours who don't believe in curtains.

It has prompted a desire to scale down - the heavy mount and the Dob have gone, and the big frac is on sale.

But I'm not ready to sell up, and hope for more favourable circumstances.  

Doug.

 

[Paz]

I focus on other things and go through phases where I don't think about astronomy much and I do other things, sometimes because the weather is so bad for so long , and sometimes because I don't feel like it and I think the best antidote to that is don't try to do it, have a break from it. I remember the long spell of insanely clear skies at the start of the first Covid lockdown, the best spell I can recall in the 10 years I've been observing, but I didn't have the energy to do any observing at the time and clear night after clear night I passed on going out to observe. Recently it has been the other way around, I've been up for it but the weather has been no good!

[M40]

I think most of us understand where you are coming from and my answer is, in the words of Henry Cole, to do a bit of fettling to speed things up.

I see you have a permanent pier, how about building a small foot print enclosure for it so you can leave the mount out plus have a permanent power supply installed as speed of setup is of the escence. This gives you two positives, the first is its something to think about and the second, on completion of the project, you are up and running in about 15-20 minutes.

Looking back I see you had a few thoughts on eeva; by doing eeva, once setup you dont need to spend many hours on a single target,  in my case most of the targets I go for its maybe 10-15 minutes tops. I use an 85mm refractor with an asiair and I will not run out of targets anytime soon. Food for thought anyway so I hope it gives you a few things to think about. All the best. 

 

 

[scarp15]

1 hour ago, Concretedan said:

Anyone else feel like this?  If so, what did you do to rekindle the passion (for astronomy that is!)

Completely, having other activity interests such as cycling n' hiking, which logically is a day time pursuit and not so weather dependent, has entirely overshadowed any notion for getting out stargazing (the weather being typically poor in the evenings or usually when preceding a non work day). However I am not entirely sure that it is necessarily about rekindling a passion, as so much about pursuing an aspiration. Therefore this approaching winter, there are certain objectives that I shall endeavour to pursue and that retains if not a resounding passion, then at the very least an interest. 

[RobertI]

2 hours ago, Concretedan said:

Hi all,

As we know the weather this past two winters has been terrible (well for me anyway) for astronomy.  My gear has stayed packed away all that time and I'm really struggling to muster the enthusiasm to "get back into it".  I've got some great kit and a permanent steel pier in the garden but the two past seasons have really dampened my spirit for this hobby.  Anyone else feel like this?  If so, what did you do to rekindle the passion (for astronomy that is!)

Many thanks,

Dan

This is the thread that @Moonshed mentions, you may find it an interesting read. 

 

 

[Moonshed]

5 minutes ago, RobertI said:

This is the thread that @Moonshed mentions, you may find it an interesting read. 

At last, after all these years of longing, dreaming, yearning and waiting, my 15 minutes of fame has finally arrived.

I can go back to watching YouTube car crashes now.

[Jules Tohpipi]

I'm keen to get out there because trying some basic EAA (after years of visual only) has really sparked my interest. But my word, there's no let up with the clouds.

However, with any outdoor pursuit, the most difficult step is the first one out of the door. Once outside it changes your mindset and things flow from there.

So my simple tip for when in a lull is: stand up and step out the door. You'll be in a much better mood for grabbing the kit then.

[DirkSteele]

On the one or two occasions I have suffered the same feeling over the 30+ years I have been stargazing, I have found a break away from it really invigorates me to get back in to it. That might be as short as month, but there was one instance where it was nearly 6 months.

[Andy ES]

I’ve found that showing someone, who has never really experienced astronomy, some “wow” views from the scope is very invigorating and refreshes my enthusiasm.

 

 

[NGC 1502]

Lots of good advice above……

I.  Don’t have astronomy as your only interest!   Have another passion for when it’s cloudy, or freezing weather👍

2. An old saying with astronomy-  the best scope is the one that gets used!  If it’s too heavy, too complex and time consuming to set up…..that’s a hobby killer for sure!

3. If your scope is too heavy/complex/hassle……have a second much less hassle scope.

4. Be very wary of selling up…you’ll get much less than it cost, unless you bought it second hand for a good price.

5. If in spite of number 4 you do consider selling up…..wait a few weeks to make certain it’s the right decision.

6. Don’t forget that some folk who have astronomy as a passion don’t have a scope, their interest lies in a more academic direction, absolutely nothing wrong in that😊

I bought my first scope in 1979, I’ve been through all the above and I’m definitely not packing in!

Cheers from Ed, 75 and still loving it!

 

[Moonshed]

I have been into astronomy since I was 11 and bought my first (cheap) reflector at the age of 15. Over the years of observing, some 62 of them, I have had some ups and downs which is only to be expected. Long spells of bad weather can affect even the most dedicated amateurs and in the UK we do suffer poor weather and poor seeing. 

All I can say is hang on in there, take a complete break from it for a few months and try not to worry about it, it’s a hobby for great enjoyment, not something to stress over.

 

@NGC 1502 makes some very good points in his post immediately above this.

Cheers

Keith.

Edited October 6, 2023 by Moonshed

[mikeDnight]

5 hours ago, Concretedan said:

Hi all,

As we know the weather this past two winters has been terrible (well for me anyway) for astronomy.  My gear has stayed packed away all that time and I'm really struggling to muster the enthusiasm to "get back into it".  I've got some great kit and a permanent steel pier in the garden but the two past seasons have really dampened my spirit for this hobby.  Anyone else feel like this?  If so, what did you do to rekindle the passion (for astronomy that is!)

Many thanks,

Dan

What scope do you have and what is your field of interest if any?

[Concretedan]

Hi all,

Wow! So many words of encouragement and advice that I can't thank you all enough.  I bought my first telescope from my first ever wage packet when I was 16 so it's always been with me.  Even when I went through my 20's & 30's partying, getting married, buying a house and building a career I would always look up at the night sky wishing I had never sold that first scope!  Over the past four or five years I've got back into it and built up an awesome collection of gear which I won't ever sell again!  Maybe I'll take a break from it for a bit.  With that in my mind it will take the pressure off as well and I won't be moaning about the weather so much.  I have lots of other hobbies I enjoy (I'm just about to start building a model railway in my garage) and when the moment comes again I'll be ready for it!

Thanks again to you all.  A wealth of knowledge and wisdom I can only hope to achieve.

Dan

[Coolhand1988]

I had a break from this hobby when I started it 1982 to 1995.

Nearly 30 years later and a very soon well deserved early retirement, I'm getting back into it again. It's been so long, I can't even remember what happen to my 6" eq reflector and 60mm eq frac!

I've had quite a few hobby's since and it's amazing how your free time flies.

But I cannot wait to start observing again and catching up with what I have missed.

Thanks

 

[Franklin]

59 minutes ago, Coolhand1988 said:

But I cannot wait to start observing again and catching up with what I have missed.

The stars are always there!😁

[Franklin]

3 hours ago, Moonshed said:

All I can say is hang on in there, take a complete break from it for a few months and try not to worry about it, it’s a hobby for great enjoyment, not something to stress over

Sound advice👍

[Franklin]

8 hours ago, Concretedan said:

Anyone else feel like this? 

Absolutely but there will be a clear sky above at some point and you don't want to miss it! 😁

[Franklin]

7 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

I've never known so much cloud.

Ditto, it was never great but this is pants!