Some encouragement required!

[Franklin]

5 hours ago, Jules Tohpipi said:

stand up and step out the door. You'll be in a much better mood for grabbing the kit then.

Yes! Even just with some 7x50's laid back in a deckchair.

[Franklin]

18 minutes ago, Franklin said:

The stars are always there!😁

Behind the clouds!

[Roy Challen]

I've been observing for 20 years now, and on average have 40-50 sessions per year - about once a week. Some years are better, some are worse. So what? If anything, I do more now than I did in my first 10 years.

I certainly agree with those who advise lightweight setups. Those threads recommending a huge dob for beginners are all wrong! Don't bother, get a Tak FS60-CB on a manual alt-az mount instead!

I think also people need to be realistic with their expectations. Viewing/imaging faint objects from city/town centre back gardens is always going to be a challenge even at the best of times. Personally, DSOs hold no interest for me, they're just grey smudges that never change appearance. So I concentrate on things that are easy to see and are constantly changing; moon (it's not there to annoy imagers, it's the second best object in the entire sky😉), Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mars, and the occasional comet. Some may say that I am limiting my list. Maybe, but that's fine with me.

Work with the weather. It is often (not always, mind) clear in the early hours. Most of my sessions take place between 2am - 4am. The seeing and peace and quiet are far better than in the evenings, whatever time of year.

Get a solar scope! Whether it's white light or hydrogen alpha, you'll double your chances of doing astronomy. If I could keep just one telescope, it would definitely be my Daystar.

Lastly, don't sell anything just because you haven't used it for a few months. You'll only regret it when an observing opportunity does arise, then go out and spend more money on stuff that also won't get used because it's clouded over again for a while. Do something else you're interested in for that time instead. Don't be the kid who cries when they can't play outside because it's raining. Put on a rain jacket and play something else, metaphorically of course!

Remember, the stars are there forever, or as good as 😀.

[Moonshed]

4 hours ago, Franklin said:

Ditto, it was never great but this is pants!

True. Not sure if it’s due to climate change or more people that keep on buying new gear!

[Moonshed]

Some good advice there from @Roy Challen

[Saganite]

I have loved Astronomy since the age of eight and now in my seventies, nothing has changed. I too have known plenty of observing droughts but the thirst for the next session just becomes more intense. My first telescope didn't arrive until I was in my mid twenties, so I would never part with my kit. A good observing session will come and you will be ready for it.  We cannot change the weather so taking the opportunity when it comes is the thing and at least with a fixed pier you have a head start.

 

Don't give up...Good luck

[Moonshed]

Lots of good advice given. Two that particularly resonate with me are as follows:

1) From @NGC 1502  “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!”

2) And from @pbyrne  “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.”

From my own perspective I find spending half an hour every now and then observing the Milky Way and favourite constellations through my trusty bins is extremely rewarding and really charges up my batteries again.

Edited October 7, 2023 by Moonshed

[Saganite]

Dan

Write your observing notes on loose A4 pages and stick them in a folder. After five years decide to write them up neatly with diagrams into a nice leather bound folder.  You will have forgotten most of the great sessions that you enjoyed, the delights you have seen , at their best, and this will fire up your enthusiasm.   You may always remain five years behind , I have , but then I am lazy when it comes to writing. It keeps you in touch during those long droughts....

[Moonshed]

1 hour ago, Saganite said:

Dan

Write your observing notes on loose A4 pages and stick them in a folder. After five years decide to write them up neatly with diagrams into a nice leather bound folder.  You will have forgotten most of the great sessions that you enjoyed, the delights you have seen , at their best, and this will fire up your enthusiasm.   You may always remain five years behind , I have , but then I am lazy when it comes to writing. It keeps you in touch during those long droughts....

Totally agree. When I first got my 8” Celestron back in 1991 (I still have it) I would write up my observing sessions in a small note book. This was my first serious scope and I had been desperate to get one for many years so I was dead keen to use it at every opportunity. Following your comment I dug the book out and had a read. What comes across is how little I knew about observing, but more than that the excitement I had just looking through the scope. The final sentence, although a little embarrassing now, sums up all that excitement, and awe! 

“...one of the moons in transit (Jupiter). Will have to look up which one. It was a God’s eye view, breathtaking to take it all in”

There are many more similar entries and reading through them certainly made me determined to get back out there. Here are a couple of photos from the book, the entries were made in January 1992 in east Glasgow.

 

My writing was, and still is, appalling. 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Moonshed

[wookie1965]

I must be the only one not saying get a small set up. 

Not sure if you know I have and am still having serious medical problems including arthritis in my spine and 3 collapsed discs. My Son carries my mount out for me but like you I have always wanted a big scope.

A few months back I picked up a 10" celestron starsense quite a few pounds to shift but I bought some really sturdy wheels which have brakes on them, I can wheel it out and be viewing in minutes I dont tend to do that I roll it out and let it cool down for half an hour.

On occasion I have just rolled it out put the smartphone in and gone ok at the beginning the views are not as good but I am out and viewing objects, if the weather turns takes 2 minutes roll back in.

[Moonshed]

1 hour ago, wookie1965 said:

I must be the only one not saying get a small set up. 

Not sure if you know I have and am still having serious medical problems including arthritis in my spine and 3 collapsed discs. My Son carries my mount out for me but like you I have always wanted a big scope.

A few months back I picked up a 10" celestron starsense quite a few pounds to shift but I bought some really sturdy wheels which have brakes on them, I can wheel it out and be viewing in minutes I dont tend to do that I roll it out and let it cool down for half an hour.

On occasion I have just rolled it out put the smartphone in and gone ok at the beginning the views are not as good but I am out and viewing objects, if the weather turns takes 2 minutes roll back in.

The only reason I am selling my Celestron and going for a small refractor is that due to my health problems, not so different from yours, I can no longer manage to lift my gear in and out of the shed. That plus all the hassle of setting up. With a small refractor I will be able to lift it easily and set it up in minutes, meaning I will be doing a lot more observing than I have been. It also means I will be able to take advantage of a small break in the clouds, something that is currently not at all practical.

I have stopped lusting after a larger aperture and instead I’m  looking forward to using a scope that I can enjoy.

[Coolhand1988]

12 hours ago, Franklin said:

The stars are always there!😁

Lol. I bet Barnard's star has moved a couple of arc minutes since 1995?