What got you into astronomy and what sustains your interest?

[Catanonia]

I was 9 when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and that really started my interest in space I guess.

A couple of years later I discovered we had an astronomy club at school which included a dome with an 8" skeleton tube newtonian and a shed with a small planetarium installed (this was in 1971). Best of all was an enthusistic local chap called Ken Ball who came along one evening a month to run the club and try and teach us unruly 11 year olds a little about the wonders of the universe. Well Ken - it worked for me

About the same time I borrowed a 60mm refractor from a friend and spend night after night with it poking out of my bedroom window drawing all the details I could see on Jupiter - I was really keen but lack of pocket money restricted my own equipment to 7x30 binoculars until I got my own 1960's vintage Tasco refactor in 1981. I stayed up until 3.00 am one morning and saw Saturn ........ that totally hooked me of course !

John

Absolutely lovely story, especially the teacher part

[SurfingNeil]

For me, I've spent years outside, and countless nights under the stars staring up without a clue but fascinated by the sheer numbers. I had 2 trips to Australia and new Zealand a couple of years apart and being literally hundreds of miles from any light pollution what I saw blew me away. I soon discovered this was the plain of the milky way and I wanted more! Last year I decided that was it for some reason it was the year I was going to learn more, I joined a local club and havn't looked back. I don't have the time I would like to dedicate as I have other commitments and activities I like to do but....... when things get on top and I start to take things a little to serious when I look up into the night sky I can't help but get some perspective on my life.

I want to get into imaging, planning to start with wide field then get a little more up close, and if anything makes me stare and wonder it's Orion!

Neil

[JamesK]

My interest kicked off when I was a toddler. My nan used to take me out to show me the Moon. Apparantly, I was obsessed with how it changed shape and often asked if it was the same Moon every time. Anyways, I got a solar system poster on my bedroom wall and somehow I got my hands on a copy of "Patrick Moore's beginner's guide to Astronomy", when I was about 5, and then amazed my teacher by randomly quoting the surface temperature of Mars...

I can't do that now!

I remeber my dad getting me out of bed the see Hale-Bopp, and my mum teaching me to recognize Orion and the Big Dipper.

So all in all, I grew up with space, but never really much more than a passive intrest from ages 7 to 13 (due to the stereotypes, having a 9 o'clock bedtime etc. ) and at 14 decided to do some stargazing - despite the stereotypes... but I pride myself on, if anything, never conforming to stereotypes. I now inform my friends of meteor showers and the like, in short I'm proud of what may be considered geeky! Then a few weeks ago I got my Revelation 15x70 after much saving up, my first serious piece of kit after the family binos and my eyes.

And now I'm getting obsessed with cloud and hoping it clears up in time for dark tonight!

[Brass n glass]

My father was an RAF navigator for much of WW2. That gave him the knowledge to teach me about the constellations. When I was 11, he gave me a little 20X35 Britex Fetherlite telescope. It was 1958, when Saturn's rings were at their widest, and I started my time in amateur astronomy by being caned.

I could see the shape of the rings clearly even with such a tiny uncoated objective, and was hooked for good. Unfortunately I was caught poking the telescope out of the washroom window after hours and was given what were still called "six of the best". Funny old world - Hugh

[astroscottie]

Back in 1972 when i was just about to start school my parents gave me 'The Hamlyn Children's Encyclopedia' Which had what i thought of at that time a fantastic in depth section on astronomy, so i wold say that this book was the first to get my interest. Then came two Ladybird books, 'The ladybird book of the Night Sky and Exploring Space a ladybirds achievements book. I remember wanting either a set of binoculars or a telescope but my Dad only assumed that i would look into peoples windows and not the sky.

I only bought my first telescope 12 years ago a russian Tal 5inch refractor, I later moved to a Celestron 9.25 GPS but did not enjoy the almost hands off approach and therefor have gone back to a fully manual scope.

At the moment i am trying to write a quiz book covering all aspects of astronomy in the form of a multiple choice book for all people with no prior knowledge or with years of understanding, this started out just for fun:icon_scratch: If anyone has a question that you think i could use please let me know the question, answer and three possible answers.

So as you can see my interest just keeps on going, the trouble is can I.

[SteveP]

Two things started it for me. Firstly a science encyclopedia which i bought in weekly instalments from my paper round money and which had great sections on astronomy, stars, solar system etc and secondly my great aunt giving me my great uncle's naval telescope - a wonder of brass and leather but no mount of course. I used to lie outside on my back in the garden with my knees up to support the scope. God knows what the neighbours thought - especially the girl who lived opposite! I've always been an outdoor sort of person and remember taking some cheapo bins with me on climbing weekends in the Lakes. I remeber just staring upwards at the incredibly dark sky after the pub had closed on unsteady legs mesmerised by the cosmos. And thinking what else is out there?

Then other things take on greater importance - women, careers, homes, family and so on and not forgetting the absence of any spare money! it's only in the last few years that I've been able to resume this wonderful hobby of ours. Now I want to know so much more about it and have decided that some formal education is necessary. So I'm about to start on an OU course in the autumn. That might kill the desire!

Steve

[Beulah]

Like many others, I was interested in stargazing from childhood.

I lived in a rural area where the skies were dark and the detail in the star dust clouds of the Milky Way were astonishing.

Patrick Moore came to my school in 1985 and did a lecture on amatuer astronomy, with the intent of inspiring our young minds to consider the world outside....he certainly did the job, although the lecture was a little long. The teachers treated the whole event like it was Royalty that visited!! Oh, how I would love to have a time machine...I would again listen to every word he said......but the result was that I found my interest was growing.

Life got busy and I always kept an eye out for various celestial events, during secondary school I used to use my pal's 2.5" refractor for lunar study and during University I recall watching Hale-Bopp, various lunar eclipses with some 10x50 bins, up until recently with the solar eclipse and the Perseids.

Father in Law bought us a cheapo 3" refractor for Christmas and I put it in the attic, because I was getting sleepless nights from nappy changing, etc! I was too tired to take up the hobby!

But late 2008 was different. I sorted out the attic and found a dusty grey case containing the telescope and knew it was the right time to take the interest seriously.

I was totally transfixed by the sublime beauty of Venus at sunset and spent many hour following her path through the sky through late Autum/Winter. At the same time I was studying the Moon through the telescope, and was unsatisfied by the achromatism of the high mag lenses and longed for better equipment!

The opportunity came earlier this year to own an 8" Dobsonian. Since then, I have had an absolute blast finding my way through the night sky and have a great interest in DSOs. Living in a rural area, the skies are fairly dark and am looking forward to discovering more and more objects - not only that, but getting to know them like old friends - studying them intensely and memorising the images so that I can recall them during a boring day at work!

What will sustain me though this hobby is further discovery and a long term project I am planning; to build my own 12" Dob from total scratch. Being a bit handy with wood and other related crafts, I am relishing the prospect of grinding my own glass, and building the tube. Yes, it's going to take years, but it is a refreshing departure from this "fast-food-have-it-now" society. Of course, it is well known that you can't just build one, and stop......

[Astro_Baby]

I suppose Dad got me interested plus when I was young everywhere you went there were spaceships, there were toys, sweets, ice lollies all in the shape of space ships, they fell out of cornflake boxes, came attached to bottles of bleach and even the teabags came with space ship collector cards. You couldnt get away from it. Plus there were the moonlandings - the sense of wonder has never left me since. It wasn't so much to do with what was happening but the refelections of that event onto people around me.

Dad and my elder brother were engineers of a sort and both pretty passionate about space and I suppose it rubbed off. When I was about 9 or 10 dad bought me a small refractor which never got use until one night when I was bored and decided to point it a bright star - it resolved into a crescent Venus and it kind of hooked me but I never did much about it. The scope was good wuality but too small to resolve much. Not much biger than the finder on my current scope.

Later in my 20s I had a boyfriend who bought me a small refelector (4.5") as a Valentines day present. He didnt last but the refelector did and I saw as much as you could probably ever see with a small scope with it back then. Big scopes though were out of my budget.

Then I got married, had kids and never had time for a hobby until last year when my current partner suggested that a) we get a telescope as a piece of furniture for the lounge and that I should find a hobby for myself. They had in mind something brassy, antique, ye olde telescope type thing but I decided I might as well take up astronomy again and see if it still had any interest. Went out and bought a SW 130P and within a few nights located Saturn. I was wowed all over again, partner even more so and and they bought me a Sky-Watcher 200 on an HEQ5 as a surpise present.

I dont get to use it as much as I'd like really. What sustains me ? The sense of wonder I think but also blumming mindedness. Half the time I have no idea what I am looking at. My technical skills arent matched by any great astrogation know how. But I do like the sights. Its also a slow enough hobby to keep me interested. Once I master anything I tend to lose interest quite quickly afterwards - I suspect that will be a long time coming with astronomy.

[vlebo]

Since I was a kid I always wanted to know what was out there

[Beulah]

This is a great thread.

[JamesK]

This is a great thread.

Aye. Much better than that Micheal Jackson one.

It's good to read about how we got into this hobby in varied, and some very interesting, ways.

[Earthshine]

On the same theme, a lady came to discuss Astronomy with me today. She said she would love to get 'into' the hobby but was afraid of all the technicalities. In response, I said you don't need to know the name of the lake, trees, flowers, rocks, mountains when you're enjoying the view at somewhere like the lake district! She appeared to like that analogy :-)

[Jayla]

I've always been a big fan of scifi, tv/films/books/games etc

I've wasted many hundreds of hours playing EVE online, so I figured, why do this in a fantasy world when I can explore the real thing (not literally, although it would be cool to have a spaceship)

The thing that drives me at the moment is imaging, I love some of the pics people are posting up and I'd love to capture my own someday

[Beulah]

I've always been a big fan of scifi, tv/films/books/games etc

I've wasted many hundreds of hours playing EVE online, so I figured, why do this in a fantasy world when I can explore the real thing (not literally, although it would be cool to have a spaceship)

The thing that drives me at the moment is imaging, I love some of the pics people are posting up and I'd love to capture my own someday

Funny that, I have been a Sci-Fi nut since I was six years old...I wonder if the two go hand in hand (Astronomy and Sci Fi)?

What gripped me about outer space was Arthur C. Clarke's work, some films that were out at the time (Close Encounters), Patrick Moore's enthusiasm, Star Trek (TOS at the time I suppose, the special effects were really convincing at the time!! ) and reading my Dad's copy of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos"....

[lulu57]

and reading my Dad's copy of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos"....

I remember the TV version of that!

"The mysteries of the universe unfold before your very eeeeyyyyyyes..." (in that extraordinary drawl of his).

[ashenlight]

his voice is like melting chocolate I love Cosmos... read the book on holiday last year. Think I might read it again actually!

I adore watching the clip on YouTube

- Sagan's voice is hypnotic... and it is very moving.

Great responses everyone really enjoying reading about your journeys into astronomy

[Whippy]

I've always been interested in general science including space but what really got me started was after we had moved out from London and settled, my wife wanted to buy a telescope so she could look at 'stuff'. So she had done a bit of research and plumped on a TAL 150P (good choice as it turned out!).

At the time our eldest was still a baby and out small back garden was severely limited in terms of viewable sky. So without not knowing a thing, stargazing was limited to some badly done views of the moon and planets.

We moved and I remember saying to my wife that the garden would be better for her telescope but she never really got into it so I fumbled my way around and slowly got the idea.

My previous passion was music and I had already sold my home studio before moving from London but was in the process of selling my record collection which dovetailed neatly into my now new found passion for stargazing so the money I made from the vinyl just got diverted into buying kit .

Tony..

[lulu57]

Wah, Whippy!

You only got into it because there's a constellation called Pisces.

[narrowbandpaul]

stephen hawking for the astrophysics part.

as for imaging, just the desire to record what i was observing. I then realised there is way more to imaging than stick a camera down the focusser.

what keeps me going is the wonderful images i see here and elsewhere, especially NB images

[Whippy]

Wah, Whippy!

You only got into it because there's a constellation called Pisces.

I had think about that for a moment!!!

Tony..

[acharris77]

I have always been interested in Astronomy from the age of 12. My parents bought me a 60mm tasco refractor and I got interested in the night sky, and also like a lot of people, my earliest recognised constellations were Ursa Major and Orion.

Orion still does hold a special place, as I remember reading about the mythology behind Orion when I was 13 or 14 and reading how the row of 3 stars was his belt and the stars going down were his sword with the M42 there. For a kid it was fascinating reading, and I still remember the mythology be heart of Orion.

My problem was that I could not really fully understand Astronomy and scopes, as back then in early 90's the internet was still in its infancy and not really for the home users, unless u had modems connected to bulletin boards and "traditional newsgroups", so not as much help and info was around like there is today.

Then like I said in my welcome thread, I drifted out of astronomy due to life and finding out about myself and what I wanted to do with my life, etc and of course girls took my interest. Then I was just casual looking and observing.

Then I got back into back last year with bino's, then I started my IYA course and this really sparked my interest again. Now I got a decent scope and am really enjoying it, more so than then and can now fully understand it, really due to hanging here at SGL.

[AstroTiger]

Strange thing with me is, i can recall when my interest in astronomy started, but not my interest in science as a whole, i think i was born that way.

For me my passion as an astronomer started its jorney when i was a lad of just turned 13, at 36 that seems a way ago now.

1986, many of you remember that year?

Strange how i never saw THAT comet but i what it left me with i think was as with mark twain, something which would last me for life.

I wanted a hobby to throw myself into and kept going from coins to stamps, back to coins. to be honest i could never really see much point in collecting these old relics, other than perhaps to sell and make money on later.

Anyhow, back to the comet, my mother went and bought one of the Argos 60mm refractors, the type PM often cursed. But to be honest it gave me my first taste of stargazing.

After i saw the Moon, Jupiter, Mars, and M42 i was completely hooked.

Sadly i had to leave that persuit for a number of years as colleage called, as much as i wanted it so, Astronomy was never going to be a career. For some reason i was permitted to read chemistry, no idea why.

Tried to be as interested in it as i could, once my degree was over i quickly realised there was no job there either.

long story short

I guess i seriously got back into astronomy in these last few years.

I went out and bought the kit i could only dream of as a kid, now just take any opportunity i can.

How has it influenced me now, how do i sustain it?

"Simples" Its in the blood now Amanda, it is how i am known. Alastair the Astronomer. I dont class myself as amateur not after 20 odd years in the field.

Also after several months now of having no full time job, i've decided to cut my losses and start a telescope business.

Plus i have been asked to give some talks on robotic astronomy later this year (AND GET PAID FOR THEM!)

It is strange how you ask this question Amanda, since i am just about to buy a small telescope for my nephew to have a play with. He is exactly the age i was when i took up astronomy.

I know there is a passion in him somewhere for it, perhaps this might be the greatest gift we ever give him.

[Dave]

I have always looked up and wondered since I can remember.

It all started properly at the age of nine when I finally "Discovered" the Plough.

Was very active learning loads as a teenager.

My activity waned quite a bit when I discovered girls and drinking.

My interest was rekindled as a young dad when Halley's comet returned and have been actively observing and imaging every since.

I tend to hibernate during the summer as I don't have the energy to stay up for the late nights (and you only get a couple of hours of observing/imaging friendly "darkish" skies).

All rareing to go for the coming season now though.

Can't wait for Kelling in September...

[kev 102 42]

I got into Astronomy after i was diagnosed with terminal Cancer,i wanted to see where im going after i kick the bucket..........Kev

[barkis]

I suppose it was Science Fiction books that propelled me into astronomy, but not immediately. A lot of books later.

Programme on the Radio called 'Journey into Space' with Jet Morgan and his crew.Another film, 'Rocketship XL5' I think it was called. And 'Destination Moon', all got me fired up.

How those films conjured up interplanetary travel in my mind.

In those early days, Light Pollution was quite minimal, and when you looked up at night, even close to the city centre, it was easy to see the stars.

It was years later before I got a scope, and it was an awful thing which could have put me off for life. Followed by a 60mm Tasco, which was a lot better, but only on the moon. Joined an Astronomy Society, and spurred on by an old mirror maker, I made my own 8"f6 Newtonian. Heady days.

Ron.