What's your area of particular interest in astronomy?

[AndyMac]

As you may have guessed, I like this poll feature!

Thought it would be interesting to start a thread to see what everyone's particular area of interest was. I apologise if anything has been left out of the options. Please post any other areas of interest in this thread & add any other comments that you may wish to make.

[AndyMac]

Well I've cast the first vote. I'm definitely a deep sky man. Finding, viewing & imaging that ghostly grey smudge of a nebula can be very rewarding - especially seeing it then turn bright red on my film. :shock:

[Rob]

I've not voted because its all of the above!!!... drifted from Imaging though as I found it to frustrating, and that it did tend to take away what (to me) the hobby is all about.... finding/seeing the delights of the night sky! (not being stuck behind a laptop!!) :roll:

Rob

[OXO]

Andy opened up the Poll again but had to reset the Poll count just yourself and Rob had engaged in the Poll so if you and Rob would be so kind as to cast your vote again that would be Great.

Hope you don't mind me opening it up again seemed like a great Poll and with so many more members now it will make the Poll even better too.

James

[OXO]

Made my vote PLANETARY observing/imaging i never fail to be impressed by our solar systems Gems whatever the Planet theres always something new to look at..

James :sunny:

[AndyMac]

Cor! You dug this one out of the archives, James! :shock: Vote recast. Must admit I've never been a great planetary observer. Only a casual glance every now & then.

Doesn't look as if we got much of a response when this poll was created back in June. Now we've a few more members, hopefully things will improve.

[OXO]

It's a Shame your not more into Planet's Andy as we could see some great Planetry images from you like your DSO images.

Funny thing is i was thinking up a Poll and remember you had started one ages ago along the lines i wanted to start so seemed only fair to get yours up and running.

James :sunny:

[FLO]

... drifted from Imaging though as I found it to frustrating, and that it did tend to take away what (to me) the hobby is all about.... finding/seeing the delights of the night sky! (not being stuck behind a laptop!!)  :roll:

Rob

I feel much the same way Rob.  IMHO, most beginners ought to put off astrophotography for a year or two and spend the time simply observing the sky at the eyepiece.  Simple observation can still be challenging and quietly viewing something like M13, Saturn, Orion nebula or the moon - without distraction - is an experience not to be missed. 

I have seen several good healthy astro hobbies crash on the runway from an early involvement in astrophotography. 

Perhaps some of the astrophotographers here will think different?

Steve

[OXO]

Steve,

You not wrong there i had been observing with a Telescope for many many years before even putting a camera near the telescope. This has given me the skills to find objects without charts and even the finderscope most of the time also aided with my observation skill's you know the old story one chap will say oh yes lovely wisp there on M51 and the guy standing next to him saying UH?! i don't see it...

James

[AndyMac]

It's a Shame your not more into Planet's Andy as we could see some great Planetry images from you like your DSO images.

James :sunny:

Thing is James, my film set up is not really best geared for planetary imaging, despite the size of my scope. Toucams & the like do far better jobs nowadays judging by what I have seen.

I totally agree that it's best to learn your way around the sky visually first before jumping in doing astrophotography. That way you get some experience of the night sky. However I guess that some people who see images like our Rog's are tempted to jump straight in with the thought 'I want to take something like that'. This can be a costly mistake!

[OXO]

Arm yourself with a cheap laptop and toucam Andy and you will be firing really good shots of the planets :)

In some ways it's a shame that imaging is taking over the observing side of astronomy at the moment at least. Not for me personally but the newbies to Astronomy and as you say Andy it can be costly if no guidance is given, esp if you consider the toucam's can be 30 quid and a starlight express 3000 quid, imagine if a newbie bought the starlight camera only to find the toucam better on planets :shock:

James

[daz]

As the resident beginner , I can confirm that your comments on what beginners expect to be able to do in a short space of time are spot on, and it takes some effort to slow yourself down.

Personally, I am learning the constellations so that I can walk through the night sky. This to me is a major part of the attraction of the hobby, and being able to point things out to others is also very rewarding, and as you say James, makes locating objects to view MUCH easier. However, everyone has their own reasons for taking up this hobby, and other beginners may disagree.

I have not spent very much on my camera equipment, specifically because I do not have the skills and knowledge to do much. But again, the fun in the hobby is learning. And for the moment, I am content to look at the superb pictures that you guys post up, and hope that one day I will be able to do something half as good. After all, the stars are not going anywhere - they'll still be there tomorrow!

Daz

[daz]

Oops, forgot to vote!

Gone for 'other' as I'm certainly interested in more than one thing

Daz

[russ]

Shame it's not a tick box vote so you could choose more than one area.

However, forced to go for Deep Sky in lou of a multi option. But Planetary, for me, gets an equal billing these days.

Russ

[Ant]

I've gone for DSO's as I've lost interest in the planets... Don't have a solar filter and the moon well....

For me visually - with the exception of the moon / main planets. One faint fuzzy blob is the same as the next. Open clusters are great even in small scopes, some plantetary Nebula's are nice visually globulat cluster are nice in small / medium scopes and galaxies IMO are a complete waste of time visually. One small fuzzy blob is the same as the next. It's not untill you start imaging that you actually get to see a little more.

Ant

[AndyMac]

In bigger scopes you can actually discern differences in the 'blobs', Ant. The likes of, say, M51 looks different when compared to M104 in Virgo. But as you say, it takes images to bring out the real differences.

[russ]

One small fuzzy blob is the same as the next. It's not untill you start imaging that you actually get to see a little more.

Ant, that's how i feel about open clusters. With the exception of M45, M44 and M11, I can't be naffed with open clusters, whether it be visually or photography.

Agree on the Sun and Moon. Great when you start out (you want to do everything then) but then the appeal fades. Although I did get a real buzz with the moon when i started the digital imaging in 2001.

Galaxies I get a real buzz from. Visually and photographically. They are so are so damn hard to find. You can see differences between the main ones as Andy said. The pairs (M81/M82, M65/M66, M95/M96 etc) are awesome visually, especially when they are contrasting types of galaxies. M81/M82 in the same field, in a suitably large scope are my all time fav sight through a scope.

Globs are superb visually.

Nebs not too fussed. M42 is great off course. But my camera doesn't fare well with those objects and neither do my skies.

Russ

[FLO]

Shame it's not a tick box vote so you could choose more than one area.

Russ

I agree.  If pushed, I would have to vote planetary when viewing from my light-polluted back garden with a 4" mak and DSO when under a dark sky at a friends with an 8" Newtonian and 10" dob'. 

Steve

[FLO]

In some ways it's a shame that imaging is taking over the observing side of astronomy at the moment at least... 

I haven't noticed that James, though there is an increased interest in imaging now that the equipment has become affordable.  No doubt Meade giving away the LPI imager with their ETX and LX range has played a part.  Binoviewers are expected to become much more popular as prices fall and people wake up to the fact that, being a million (?) year old species, we have evolved to use both eyes and if our brain is allowed to process info from both eyes, we see more. 

Something that is definitely here-and-now is the swing away from the sophisticated Catadioptric towards the simpler Newtonian.

Steve

[russ]

Something that is definitely here-and-now is the swing away from the sophisticated Catadioptric towards the simpler Newtonian.

I always like to buck the trend.

But it's hard to ignore the Newtonian when its such good value and every bit as good as an SCT performance wise. Just a shame there are so blumming cumbersome and awkward.

No doubt Meade giving away the LPI imager with their ETX and LX range has played a part.

Certainly a player but i don't think it was the main player. This huge interest in imaging really kicked off before the LPI was a twinkle in meade's eye. The Philips Vesta and Toucam are the cameras we have to thank. And not forgetting Steve Chambers with his Long Exposure mod of the Philips webcams (plus others). The LPI has certainly helped it along though.

Russ