Astronomy....and Parenting

[andrew s]

I always reassure new parents that the first 28 years are the worst 🙃

Grandchildren are so much easier,  you can hand them back.

Regards Andrew 

[Vroobel]

2 minutes ago, andrew s said:

I always reassure new parents that the first 28 years are the worst 🙃

Grandchildren are so much easier,  you can hand them back.

Regards Andrew 

 

Can the 14 and 13 just summarise to get 27? It would be so close... 😂

[WolfieGlos]

17 hours ago, Mal22 said:

Wonderful! Such a special moment captured forever.

Certainly is, I love that one.

15 hours ago, tomato said:

I think the UK weather trend will likely limit your image output more than anything your daughter can do…

When my youngest daughter was seven I  dug out my old scope from the loft for an out reach event at her primary school. Man that was a scary evening, I’d never done visual with it and my star hopping skills were minimal, talk about pressure with a group of excited children gathered around the scope, eager to see something.

😆 so true about the weather.

Oh wow, no pressure there then lol. I’ve yet to do any visual so I’ll remember to dampen their enthusiasm if I haven’t tried by then haha.

12 hours ago, maw lod qan said:

Seeing that photo brings tears to my old eyes!

It's amazing how having just come into this world they know!

It's as if she is saying,  "hi dad, I'm ready to get started now!"

I know, it’s amazing how they just have this instinct. 

11 hours ago, Vroobel said:

Congratulations from me too. 😍

I experienced it twice, 17 months of difference. Sometimes I felt like I have three, not two... 😁 Now they are 14 and 13 years old and I cannot wait when they are responsible and self-sufficient enough to let me spend night under sky darker than Bortle 9. 🤔😉

Thanks Vroobel! I can’t even contemplate her at that age right now 😬 I’d never have guessed you image under bortle 9, wow fair play to you. I’m lucky being bortle 4, so I like to try and make the most of it if possible!

7 hours ago, andrew s said:

I always reassure new parents that the first 28 years are the worst 🙃

Grandchildren are so much easier,  you can hand them back.

Regards Andrew 

Haha, thanks Andrew for the encouragement! 

[Paul M]

There is a regular theme that pops up here, particularly with new members.

They have a life long love of astronomy but at that certain age, life/work/family got in the way and astronomy went on the back burner.

Then as life settles down again, people return to astronomy and introduce themselves on SGL.

I was one of those!  Our son became independent, i was no longer running a business and I started looking at a new telescope in 2013. 

Three years later, we became foster carers and currently have 3 long term inmates.

I've managed to avoid putting astronomy back on the shelf but the return to a very busy home life has taken its toll!

To the OP, I'd say don't sweat it. The sky will still be there in 30 years, after the wedding(s) 🤣

Oh, and PS, the other common theme is how unrecognisable the hobby is to returnees. Sell the gear early...🙊😇

[John]

Congratulations on your new arrival ! 🙂

I basically stopped most active astronomy when our two children arrived. I didn't have a scope of any sort for nearly a decade. I kept my interest through the Astronomy Now magazine, watching The Sky at Night when I could, and using binoculars when I got a chance to get out. This was well before the advent of on-line forums !

A combination of family and work commitments would have intervened with any serious observing during that period I figured and I didn't want to add that stress into the challenges that we already had.

Once I did get a scope again, the children were old enough to enjoy using it as well so it was worth the wait and it was only a tiny blip in astronomical timescale terms of course🙂 

 

Edited June 3 by John

[Elp]

On 01/06/2024 at 14:12, ollypenrice said:

a permanent 'observatory' for it would be nothing more than a wooden box with a footprint of about a square metre

As rough as this sounds, a concrete base weighed down wheelie bin might make for an excellent compact obsy. Line the lid lip with rubber to form a waterproof seal, add a lock. It'll blend in with the furniture with the rest of the bins and no one will be the wiser of what's inside it. Simply position, open, PA and go. Shut and put away. Being upright it may however be wind affected rather than a squat wide setup.

[Xilman]

On 01/06/2024 at 02:02, WolfieGlos said:

I wonder also, going away from DSO imaging, whether similar issues present themselves for Lunar or Planetary imaging? What about solar imaging?

Or visual and observing? I can certainly see me getting into observing in the future, and it might even interest my daughter and if she can get involved, then that'll be great for us to do together on a clear, starry night.

Estimating variable stars, especially with binoculars, can be done in short periods, especially between gaps in clouds.

Many people find it very satisfying and you produce scientifically valuable data into the bargain.

If you fancy giving it a try there are a number of people who will be glad to help you, myself included.

 

[Mal22]

3 hours ago, Elp said:

As rough as this sounds, a concrete base weighed down wheelie bin might make for an excellent compact obsy. Line the lid lip with rubber to form a waterproof seal, add a lock. It'll blend in with the furniture with the rest of the bins and no one will be the wiser of what's inside it. Simply position, open, PA and go. Shut and put away. Being upright it may however be wind affected rather than a squat wide setup.

What about when a kind neighbour decides to help out the young couple with the newborn by putting the bins out for them on collection day? 😳 

[Elp]

9 minutes ago, Mal22 said:

What about when a kind neighbour decides to help out the young couple with the newborn by putting the bins out for them on collection day? 😳 

A, you'd never leave it out front, B hence the lock, nothing will fall out. The pristine clean bin would also be a failsafe, or paint it a none standard colour. The heavy bottomed concrete would also be a put off. If it's not easy, it won't be done, don't worry, the equipment will be safe.

[PatientObserver]

Like you I became a father to a daughter at the age of 38. Unlike you I bought my first scope a couple years later after my son was born. One of the reasons I started researching astronomy was that I suffered from insomnia before the kids were born and wanted something to do when sleep refused to come. I figured I would have more sleepless nights in the future, and have a hobby I could share with my kids once they were older.

I currently only do visual. With the limited available time due to fatherhood, ease of setup is important to me. If the weather is good I will setup the scopes (a Takahashi FOA-60Q and μ-180 on a Rowan AZ75). If the night is uncertain, I use binoculars instead.

My two year old daughter started getting interested in my binoculars when she saw me unboxing one. She also had an interest in the moon, pointing it out whenever she saw it. After she was able to hold my Nikon AE 8x40, I bought a kid friendly binocular (Oberwerk 6.5x32 LW) for her.

I figured that even if she could not use it now she would grow into it. I found that she would look at things horizontally, but never vertically. Then it dawned on me that I could lock the altitude of my Nikon AE 7x50 on my Orion Paragon-Plus binocular mount.

This worked better than I had hoped. The first time she saw Luna, she started yelling to my wife, "Mommy, Mommy! The moooooon!" The moon was elongated (the cow jumped over the moon after all).

Although my observation sessions are often time limited, I find great joy in the time I can spend under the stars; whether alone or with my daughter.

[WolfieGlos]

On 03/06/2024 at 01:05, Paul M said:

They have a life long love of astronomy but at that certain age, life/work/family got in the way and astronomy went on the back burner.

I've managed to avoid putting astronomy back on the shelf but the return to a very busy home life has taken its toll!

To the OP, I'd say don't sweat it. The sky will still be there in 30 years, after the wedding(s) 🤣

 

Thanks Paul, weddings, oh dear. One thing at a time please 😆 And plural? Hmmm, don't give the wife ideas 😆

On 03/06/2024 at 10:29, John said:

Congratulations on your new arrival ! 🙂

I basically stopped most active astronomy when our two children arrived. I didn't have a scope of any sort for nearly a decade. I kept my interest through the Astronomy Now magazine, watching The Sky at Night when I could, and using binoculars when I got a chance to get out. This was well before the advent of on-line forums !

A combination of family and work commitments would have intervened with any serious observing during that period I figured and I didn't want to add that stress into the challenges that we already had.

Once I did get a scope again, the children were old enough to enjoy using it as well so it was worth the wait and it was only a tiny blip in astronomical timescale terms of course🙂 

 

Thanks John! I suppose all of those scopes you've had since have been making up for the 10 years lost...

On 03/06/2024 at 16:40, Elp said:

As rough as this sounds, a concrete base weighed down wheelie bin might make for an excellent compact obsy. Line the lid lip with rubber to form a waterproof seal, add a lock. It'll blend in with the furniture with the rest of the bins and no one will be the wiser of what's inside it. Simply position, open, PA and go. Shut and put away. Being upright it may however be wind affected rather than a squat wide setup.

That's an interesting idea! I suppose you could always ramp it up into the shed for high wind periods, and being clever, you could even add stabilisers to the bin if you're worried about the upright nature of it on the windy nights.

On 03/06/2024 at 21:52, PatientObserver said:

Like you I became a father to a daughter at the age of 38. Unlike you I bought my first scope a couple years later after my son was born. One of the reasons I started researching astronomy was that I suffered from insomnia before the kids were born and wanted something to do when sleep refused to come. I figured I would have more sleepless nights in the future, and have a hobby I could share with my kids once they were older.

I currently only do visual. With the limited available time due to fatherhood, ease of setup is important to me. If the weather is good I will setup the scopes (a Takahashi FOA-60Q and μ-180 on a Rowan AZ75). If the night is uncertain, I use binoculars instead.

This worked better than I had hoped. The first time she saw Luna, she started yelling to my wife, "Mommy, Mommy! The moooooon!" The moon was elongated (the cow jumped over the moon after all).

Although my observation sessions are often time limited, I find great joy in the time I can spend under the stars; whether alone or with my daughter.

That's a great idea with the bino's, and the setup of that is great! What a nice thing to do, and I imagine that is very rewarding time to spend with her. I have a Celestron 10x50, so I'll keep this one in mind. Thanks.