Why invest in a hobby that doesn't return the investment. n

[Bigwings]

It's been a year since my considerable investment in astronomy has returned an ounce of pleasure. 

I work one night per week as a care worker. 

The cloud and poor seeing has deprived me of a decent night at the Eyepiece. 

Im getting to the stage where I struggle to remember how to work my mount. 

Perhaps it's time to sell up and invest the £4K released on a big screen tele to watch YouTube video of clear skies and....... Oh damn can't even remember what they are. 

 

[saac]

Well that is the hard decision we all face with any activity. But if you really have not had one once of pleasure then I think the answer is that you need to find something else. Sorry that may not be what you want to hear but I wonder if in your heart you have already decided that is the case. Balancing this with full time work/family live is difficult at best even before factoring in the limited weather windows.

Jim 

Edited July 17 by saac

[Swoop1]

Just like supporting England, with astronomy, it is the hope that kills you.

[saac]

Just now, Swoop1 said:

Just like supporting England, with astronomy, it is the hope that kills you.

You should try supporting Scotland  

JIm 

[John]

If you are not getting anything rewarding from it, it's time to sell the gear.

You can get enjoyment from astronomy without owning equipment. Lots of folks in my astro society don't own a scope but are still very interested in the subject.

 

[W0nderste]

I echo what John said.  
The weather has been absolutely terrible here in Cambridgeshire.  I've maybe had my scope out 3-4 times this year.  But I'm now involved in a local astronomy club, which is interesting and keeps me interested in the hobby.  We also have a club solar scope, so that has been interesting using also

[RobertI]

I feel for you, it’s a frustrating hobby indeed. Personally I have found that my astronomy activity has waxed and waned over the years depending on the weather or my personal circumstances, and I have been glad that I have held on to my various scopes and mounts. If it’s bothering you, perhaps downsize or simplify your kit in order to realise some cash and still have something to use. Who knows, the next twelve months might be amazing for clear nights! 

Edited July 17 by RobertI

[CheshireChris]

8 hours ago, Bigwings said:

It's been a year since my considerable investment in astronomy has returned an ounce of pleasure. 

I work one night per week as a care worker. 

The cloud and poor seeing has deprived me of a decent night at the Eyepiece. 

Im getting to the stage where I struggle to remember how to work my mount. 

Perhaps it's time to sell up and invest the £4K released on a big screen tele to watch YouTube video of clear skies and....... Oh damn can't even remember what they are. 

 

 

I am feeling the same. I have just started out on the astroimaging journey and have yet to take any images except when testing the kit so managed some darks and flats- it's very frustrating. Not even had an opportunity to get my mount aligned. I'll stick with it though. I also run 4 meteor detection cameras and the number of cloudy nights so far this summer is equally frustrating.

Chris

 

[seven_legs]

I know what you mean. I've been watching YouTube of people using my scope, that's the closest I get to observing lol

[alacant]

16 hours ago, Bigwings said:

cloud and poor seeing

Idea: take your stuff to somewhere where there are better conditions and share it with someone there on the ground? You control it from wherever and they get use of the stuff in return for hosting. An INDI server at the telescope would only add €100 or so. Works well. 

Cheap new-moon-flight weekends away too:).
Cheers

Edited July 18 by alacant

[Elp]

Autumn/Winter is generally better for clear skies especially for long imaging sessions. But then you have to contend with the cold. You'd think summer would bring nice comfortable conditions, but it doesn't, only during heatwaves you might be lucky to get a few clear cloud less skies in a week, then it's back to unsteady conditions. In spring it rains too much, and has typically been very windy, so again cloud. Last year and this year have been very poor.

Visual it's different as you can take out and use your stuff quickly between clouds, but again weathers been uncooperative.

It is not a hobby for the impatient.

Edited July 18 by Elp

[Shimrod]

Consider changing how you observe. I've not been out with any scope for a year - cloud, and the length of time it takes to set up have been the frustrations. I am going to solve the latter by purchasing a new mount (harmonic drive to remove counterweights and have a lighter package) - in the meantime I bought some image stabilised binoculars which let me take advantage of small breaks in the cloud to do some casual observing. It means spending a bit more money, but still let's me explore the sky when I can't (be bothered) to invest t he e 40mins or so to set up the full kit 

[PeterStudz]

Nice, clear and sunny here if a bit too warm. However, my solar observation has been put on hold due to big, thick swarms of flying ants! 

[niallk]

12 hours ago, saac said:

You should try supporting Scotland  

JIm 

Ireland didn't even qualify... 🙈

[niallk]

13 hours ago, Bigwings said:

It's been a year since my considerable investment in astronomy has returned an ounce of pleasure. 

I know how you feel - the way I look at it, my kit has shown me stuff with my very own eyes which most people never see / even know exists in their lives.

I'm not getting out as much as I would like, but every once in a while is still worth it for me 🙂

 

[saac]

6 minutes ago, niallk said:

Ireland didn't even qualify... 🙈

Look on the bright side - unlike us you weren't convinced that you were going to win then. We did sing well though  

Jim

Edited July 18 by saac

[MonsterMagnet]

3 hours ago, Elp said:

Autumn/Winter is generally better for clear skies especially for long imaging sessions. But then you have to contend with the cold. You'd think summer would bring nice comfortable conditions, but it doesn't, only during heatwaves you might be lucky to get a few clear cloud less skies in a week, then it's back to unsteady conditions. In spring it rains too much, and has typically been very windy, so again cloud. Last year and this year have been very poor.

Visual it's different as you can take out and use your stuff quickly between clouds, but again weathers been uncooperative.

It is not a hobby for the impatient.

This is where things like the Seestar come into their own.  It's not going to be anything like one's main setup but if you have an hour between the clouds it's still a lot of fun.

MM

[Elp]

30 minutes ago, MonsterMagnet said:

This is where things like the Seestar come into their own.  It's not going to be anything like one's main setup but if you have an hour between the clouds it's still a lot of fun.

MM

I know. I'm waiting to see what the next version is like first. It doesn't really take me long to setup say a single camera setup, but it's a lot more things to take outside. A one device solution is certainly more convenient.

[saac]

9 minutes ago, Elp said:

I know. I'm waiting to see what the next version is like first. It doesn't really take me long to setup say a single camera setup, but it's a lot more things to take outside. A one device solution is certainly more convenient.

I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of a Dwarf3 around about September for this very reason. 

Jim 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

This is why, despite having some astrophotography equipment, I have leaned more towards a grab-and-go visual setup.  I work full-time (admittedly from home) and am frequently knackered but because there are so few clear nights I need to be able to grab the telescope and get it set up as quickly as possible, with the absolute minimum of faff.  This is where something like an 8" Dobsonian or a small refractor or SCT on a manual alt-az mount comes into its own.  There's nothing to lose by getting the equipment out, even if the seeing is marginal and it takes just a few seconds to pack it away again.

My setup can be out of the door, into the middle of the garden and ready to go in about 30 seconds.  I grab the tripod with my telescope(s) mounted to it (usually a 70 ED refractor but I've just got a dual-saddle setup and put my C5 on the other arm), plonk it into the middle of the garden and then grab my stool.  My most used eyepieces hang from a bag tied to the tripod and there's a head torch in there too.  Other eyepieces are in a box that is easily accessible.

The total time to pack away is also approximately 30 seconds.  Low stakes and it means I can take whatever opportunity arises, even if it's only for 20 minutes.

Edited July 18 by GrumpiusMaximus

[Elp]

5 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

grab-and-go

This helps, but for me I generally have nowhere to store the setup fully assembled so unless it's two days on the trot, it's usually a 30-60min setup time for me imaging, so I only use it when it's absolutely a clear forecast for miles around. Like this, in 2021/22 I was doing it once or twice a month at least even if it was a short planetary session. 2023/24, not a chance, it's been so weatherly unstable.

Edited July 18 by Elp

[saac]

2 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

This is why, despite having some astrophotography equipment, I have leaned more towards a grab-and-go visual setup.  I work full-time (admittedly from home) and am frequently knackered but because there are so few clear nights I need to be able to grab the telescope and get it set up as quickly as possible, with the absolute minimum of faff.  This is where something like an 8" Dobsonian or a small refractor or SCT on a manual alt-az mount comes into its own.  There's nothing to lose by getting the equipment out, even if the seeing is marginal and it takes just a few seconds to pack it away again.

My setup can be out of the door, into the middle of the garden and ready to go in about 30 seconds.  I grab the tripod with my telescope(s) mounted to it (usually a 70 ED refractor but I've just got a dual-saddle setup and put my C5 on the other arm), plonk it into the middle of the garden and then grab my stool.  My most used eyepieces hang from a bag tied to the tripod and there's a head torch in there too.  Other eyepieces are in a box that is easily accessible.

The total time to pack away is also approximately 30 seconds.  Low stakes and it means I can take whatever opportunity arises, even if it's only for 20 minutes.

I think you have hit the nail on the head here for amateur astronomy in the UK at least. If I did not have a permanent setup and a observatory I can't see that I would still be engaged in imaging. No longer are the limiting factors seeing conditions, dew, or wind but rather favourable weather windows (cloud free).  The increasingly low frequency of clear nights means that we have to accept this is an opportunistic activity.  There is no point getting frustrated about it we just have to adapt to it and find out what works for us.  For those folks who image without permanent setups I'm simply amazed at what you can produce, it belies the dedication and effort to achieve the final output.

Jim 

[Paz]

I've still got all my gear but have made a conscious decision to have a single grab and go set up ready to go with everything on the tripod and in bags hanging off the tripod so one trip out and one back.

This has proven to work really well and I've had loads of observing sessions, daytime and nighttime, but they are often very short and often I'm observing targets in between the clouds or observing through clouds.

It will be fun to try a big scope again sometime, having got so used to small apertures.

[Gerr]

I got into Astrophotography in 2019 / 2020 when there were lots of clear nights with Orion in Winter looking so bright above my garden that I just had to get a telescope!! 

Looking back now I realise the weather conned me into thinking it would often be like this!! Alas, the clouds have got thicker and more persistent ever-since!!! Maybe its cyclical - I hope so -maybe every 5 years it gets good again!! Here's wishing for a great 2025!!

So I won't upgrade my set-up till then (prices should drop and the second hand market??) and I definitely will never go for a mono set-up  whilst I live here in rainy Wales!!

However, I've since moved into a portable widefield set-up which I can take on holiday with me.  I really like landscape astrophotography  and this is far more achievable than  static deep sky imaging.

This diversification has helped keep me interested in this fickle hobby and is far more versatile!!!

Here's wishing for better weather and no rusting mount legs!!!

www.gr-astro.com

 

 

[VNA]

22 hours ago, Swoop1 said:

Just like supporting England, with astronomy, it is the hope that kills you.

 

No today it is China where the vast majority of our gears are from!  ;- )

So many of our hobbies loose money: cars, boats, cameras,  bicycles, of course astronomy gears, etc.
Real estate is one of the very few good investments.
Stock market only in the long run with a lot of patience.