What draws you to SGL?

[900SL]

The wit and repartee. 

Plus there's a lot if knowledgeable folks here who are kind and patient and skilled in the dark arts and willing to share same

@vlaiv, Olly, Onikkinen, to name just a few.

 

Edited February 21 by 900SL

[DaveG64]

Even though I have been a member for a while I don’t post much on here , but I love reading through the forums there are quite a few comedians on here . When I have asked for advice or whatever though I have always got positive feedback even if my questions have been basic or silly . I’m in the process off building a rig and trying to save hard to get what I want so hopefully soon will get some images to post on here for critique and advice 

[900SL]

Then there's Astrolavista and the Google auto caption. I laughed out loud when this scrolled up. Must be the accent  @Chris

 

My entry for the SGL comedy caption of the month competition, I think it's a clear winner! 

 

Edited February 22 by 900SL

[The60mmKid]

1 hour ago, Ags said:

Lay off CN! It's a great forum and resource. Honestly, I have never seen a cultural difference between the two forums... SGL has far better software though.

Is it so bad to poke a little fun every now as long as we don't get personal? ☺️ As someone who grew up in the US and now lives in the UK, I find the cultural differences glaring and entertaining. For example, while recently looking for information on the TV102 refractor, I stumbled upon this gem of a thread 🤣

Life is short, and it's good to laugh at what can be laughed at as long as we don't devolve into meanness. But isn't that part of what's great about SGL...? We tend not to devolve into meanness 😊

We can all remember to keep it light and keep it respectful.

Edited February 21 by The60mmKid

[Ratlet]

I also keep coming back in the hope for an update on the Teak Table Tung Oil Tribulations.

[MalcolmM]

Friendly advice. Lots of invaluable advice and tips about equipment and observing (and obscure and niche intetests like imaging - it'll never catch on 🙂 ).

But there is a problem ... before joining, I was quite happy with my Startravel 102 with stock eyepieces. Now, thanks to various members here, (I'll not name them but they know who they are!), I have as many telescopes as there are days in the week and very nearly as many eyepieces as there are weeks in the year! God bless you all 🙂

Malcolm 

[badhex]

I've never had the opportunity to be part of a regular AS apart from the Amateur Telescope Makers of London, which is less observing and more making as you might imagine. I also don't have any astronomy friends with whom to discuss astro topics in any detail. 

SGL mostly services that need in all but the in-person part. I joined originally more than ten years ago then later took a several year hiatus from astronomy, and came back with a vengeance some years ago, and it felt like the same place it was previously, which is definitely a good thing. 

Everyone is super friendly, helpful, and as well as still needing plenty of help and advice myself, I'm also able to pay it forward and give a little advice to others. 

Very few topics are off the table apart from the obvious ones, and I get to indulge my silly ideas like trying to find Enceladus with the smallest scope possible and other nonsense. Plus, all the kit threads and observing threads mean there's always something good to read even when you can't observe yourself! 

11/10

[josefk]

4 minutes ago, badhex said:

and I get to indulge my silly ideas like trying to find Enceladus with the smallest scope possible

EXACTLY the kind of thing i enjoy here Joe, and @Nik271's similar NGC 604 in a small scope thread and some similar ones on Jupiter moon events - little bits and bobs that catch the imagination and to swap notes over the next day. Brings a little bit of a social dimension to an essentially loner hobby (in my case). Diverting and educational. I never saw Enceladus with 85mm but was smiling while trying and i still haven't seen NGC 604 but i learnt that star field at the edge of M33 really well so i'm genuinely better prepared next time i try!

[doublevodka]

I found SGL after a brief stint on the other forum and I love how mostly positive and helpful this place is. It really seems to be full of like-minded people who want to help each other out and I've learned a huge amount about various interesting topics which really appeals to my inner geek 🤣

The only problem, my kit wish list now far exceeds my budget 🤣

[JOC]

I like the fact that most people here are interested in science in some way and somehow I can engage in intelligent conversation online with many of you even if we are not talking about the night sky.  I also like the fact that the mods do a really good job in keeping us all on the straight and narrow subject wise and due to this threads don't deteriorate into 'mud slinging'.  I was raised to be polite and to try and not cause offence (you read some other forums and really wonder about the nurturing origins of some folks) and I like interacting with an online crowd of people that behave similarly and respect those others online.

[LaurenceT]

I came to this forum during lockdown when I abandoned wildlife photography in favour of a photography related hobby I could do in my garden.

Being of advanced years the learning curve has been steep for my diminishing faculties and this forum has been an absolute anchor for me.

There has been one standout and that has been the ethic of there being no stupid questions only stupid answers. I've never been afraid of asking about anything that has bamboozled me.

The forum the other side of the pond is also useful but sometimes more acerbic in it's replies but so far nothing that has had me sobbing into my pillow 😅.

[Vallantho]

I came for the community. The last few years I’ve come to realise how important that is for my mental wellbeing. 

I’d been wanting to get into Astrophotography for a long while. It got to a point where I had the money available and I was looking around to see what I would buy to get me into the hobby. But around that time my dad died unexpectedly. Unfortunately he was the main carer for my mum who had recently been diagnosed with Fronto Temporal Dementia. I basically had to give up my whole life, move back home, change jobs and forget about any plans I might have had.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me.  I didn’t realise until I removed myself from my old life how much I hated it and how miserable it made me. Most of my time not spent at work was spent on my own. I thought I liked it that way. But I was wrong about that.

Anyway dad used to take mum to a dementia group in the local community centre so I started doing the same. Keep up the routine. I hated it. Hated being around people. But six years later I can’t be without it, and other groups we are a part of. There’s a singing group and a water aid coffee morning. I did these things for mums sake. But in the end it’s me who’s benefited most by integrating myself into a close community of people.

Well one day I was taking some rubbish to the dump and while rooting around I found a discarded telescope.  A Celestron astromaster 130eq. They let me take it. I cleaned it all up and set it up in the garden. One quick look at the moon and I knew this was never gonna be enough for me. I didn’t really have the disposable money to go diving into Astrophotography the way I originally intended, and thank goodness. I would have made all the wrong decisions.  But slowly over time buying second hand when money would allow I’ve gotten to where I wanted to be.

The whole time I learned most of what I’ve needed to know from reading SGL. And through reading and learning a lot I found that this was a community of people I wanted to be a part of. Mum’s condition has progressed to the point where she can no longer communicate.  If it wasn’t for community I would be very isolated and that’s not a good way to live. So with all the things I’m now part of that’s what I’m there for. Community.

[Stu]

12 minutes ago, Vallantho said:

I came for the community. The last few years I’ve come to realise how important that is for my mental wellbeing. 

I’d been wanting to get into Astrophotography for a long while. It got to a point where I had the money available and I was looking around to see what I would buy to get me into the hobby. But around that time my dad died unexpectedly. Unfortunately he was the main carer for my mum who had recently been diagnosed with Fronto Temporal Dementia. I basically had to give up my whole life, move back home, change jobs and forget about any plans I might have had.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me.  I didn’t realise until I removed myself from my old life how much I hated it and how miserable it made me. Most of my time not spent at work was spent on my own. I thought I liked it that way. But I was wrong about that.

Anyway dad used to take mum to a dementia group in the local community centre so I started doing the same. Keep up the routine. I hated it. Hated being around people. But six years later I can’t be without it, and other groups we are a part of. There’s a singing group and a water aid coffee morning. I did these things for mums sake. But in the end it’s me who’s benefited most by integrating myself into a close community of people.

Well one day I was taking some rubbish to the dump and while rooting around I found a discarded telescope.  A Celestron astromaster 130eq. They let me take it. I cleaned it all up and set it up in the garden. One quick look at the moon and I knew this was never gonna be enough for me. I didn’t really have the disposable money to go diving into Astrophotography the way I originally intended, and thank goodness. I would have made all the wrong decisions.  But slowly over time buying second hand when money would allow I’ve gotten to where I wanted to be.

The whole time I learned most of what I’ve needed to know from reading SGL. And through reading and learning a lot I found that this was a community of people I wanted to be a part of. Mum’s condition has progressed to the point where she can no longer communicate.  If it wasn’t for community I would be very isolated and that’s not a good way to live. So with all the things I’m now part of that’s what I’m there for. Community.

Thanks for telling us a little bit about your story @Vallantho. That really is what SGL is all about, and it is so good to hear that it provides such a strong sense of community to you. I think a lot of us feel the same; some of the people I value and trust most (outside family) are ‘virtual’ friends I have on here!

[JOC]

It is always worth remembering that for some people an online community can provide a similar level of support to having day to day friends in real life (well that is what I find).  I am lucky to now belong to a couple of clubs, but still don't have the level of personal friend that I can go out to coffee/shop/holiday with.   However, I like to think that I could enjoy a coffee and chat with many of my fellow SGL posters if I ever got the chance to meet them.

[andrew s]

Obviously, the subject matter is of interest giving both a chance to learn and contribute. 

However, with some long past exceptions (one when I was reported for abuse) it is the civility of the discussions, the good humour (and bad jokes) that keep me coming back. 

This is in stark contrast to say the RSPB community which I recently joined.One where I had expected the same friendly behaviour as at their sites. However, some of the replies just make me wince and reluctant to post.

Regards Andrew 

[JOC]

1 hour ago, andrew s said:

This is in stark contrast to say the RSPB community which I recently joined.One where I had expected the same friendly behaviour as at their sites. However, some of the replies just make me wince and reluctant to post.

What is it about the anonymity of posting online that makes people feel they can say things to someone in an internet post that, you have to hope a lot of the time, they wouldn't dream of saying to someone in person?

[Carbon Brush]

4 hours ago, MalcolmM said:

I have as many telescopes as there are days in the week

Is that all? I assume you are still building your collection😂

[Paul M]

3 hours ago, Vallantho said:

I came for the community...

An important message well shared!

SGL is a wealth of technical information, knowledge and experience. That's what attracted me, returning to active astronomy after the life/balance hiatus. The landscape had changed a lot in my absence. It's been 10 or so years and I'm still here. The life/stuff hadn't ended though. My in-laws health became a big feature in our lives and becoming foster carers on top of working full time. It's been busier than ever with the MIL's recent sudden decline in health and then death just last week and the FIL's death 3 years ago. My wife asked just yesterday, "what will I do with my time?", referring to the hole left by her mother. As if she/we aren't still overloaded!!

So with the weather, and all, astronomy (or imaging, as it is for me now) has been getting pushed out. But it's still nice to pop in and see what's going on, share my very few imaging efforts, and maybe tell my own story. Like pubs of old, when folk used to pop out for a pint quite frequently, there would always be a familiar face to chat to and even let off the steam of the day.

SGL's social function, I feel, outweighs it's technical function for many and perhaps most members. 

Edited February 21 by Paul M

[JOC]

38 minutes ago, Paul M said:

SGL's social function, I feel, outweighs it's technical function for many and perhaps most members. 

I suspect many like me are drawn by a question (often - I feel I want to buy a scope, but which one?) and then we stay once we discover that 'community' aspect.  In fact there is a lot of discussion about meeting up for star parties which are difficult to organise, but I bet just as many would gather for a SGL summer BBQ just to meet up with all those online names.

[Vallantho]

16 minutes ago, JOC said:

I suspect many like me are drawn by a question (often - I feel I want to buy a scope, but which one?) and then we stay once we discover that 'community' aspect.  In fact there is a lot of discussion about meeting up for star parties which are difficult to organise, but I bet just as many would gather for a SGL summer BBQ just to meet up with all those online names.

Do a meet up in a planetarium. Guaranteed clear skies 😂😂

[carastro]

It is difficult to speak on behalf of another, but I know Gina (bless her soul), found SGL a life line especially during the Pandemic, and for people living alone it is just that. 

Edited February 21 by carastro

[JOC]

12 minutes ago, Vallantho said:

Do a meet up in a planetarium

I've actually never visited a planetarium - all the ones I've ever looked at were closed when I was there - they sound interesting places.

[MalcolmM]

1 hour ago, Carbon Brush said:

Is that all? I assume you are still building your collection😂

Absolutely not ... for now 🙂 I'm already a gibbering wreck wondering which combination of scope and eyepiece to use on a particular night. And that's before I wonder should I break out the binoviewers!

Malcolm 

[Paul M]

37 minutes ago, Vallantho said:

Do a meet up in a planetarium. Guaranteed clear skies 😂😂

That's true, but I'm sure the projector software would be hung up on a Windows update on the day of my visit!

[Guest]

Hmmm, maybe I haven't found a place here after all.  I see two members here obliquely referring to me and this kind of behind the back criticism does not sit well with me.  If someone has an issue with what I say or how I say it please say so directly to me.  Being civilized does not mean talking behind someone's back.  Just saying.

I am passionate sometimes and may say things that get misinterpreted as offensive.  I already apologized to Olly once for giving him the wrong impression about something I said.  Maybe I should be more there is a heightened sensitivity here to anything that would be interpreted as offensive?  I don't know.

I think for now I'll just sit out and maybe just watch.

I did enjoy sharing what knowledge I have and trying to help here and there.  This is the main reason I was on CN and the main reason I'm here.  But I'll definitely go away if I'm not welcome, I have no skin in this game.

Peace.