unprecedented astro interest

[ythanpythan]

As a newbie myself I have to say I've been impressed by how helpful people are.

I can however understand why the longer term members are finding strings of questions from newbies tiresome, it is polite for those of us new to the game to spend a bit of time using the search functionality to look for answers to our queries prior to starting a new thread.

Thanks all, Ian

[John S]

Its indifference that I cant be bothered with. I will try to help others especially if I can help those new to the hobby who might otherwise be put off which is a loss to the hobby in my opinion.

John.

[Bigdaddyjeff]

I've just knocked up myself a dob mount out of a bit of plywood,a few screws and whatever else i could find .... so no elitist from me!!

I'm a newbie myself and when i first joined and nervously posted my first hello it was very warming and reassuring getting replies off members.

I do see AB's point about the sheer volume of new posts everyday and replying to them all would be a big big task and i also agree with Ian in regards to questions could be researched a lil before a new thread. I'm very appreciative of all the help i've received from members and no doubt i'll be in need of that experience and knowledge again soon but as for snobbery and elitism then if the people want to look at this hobby as a competition or a case of one upmanship on others then they're not getting the joy and fulfillment as much as a dedicated and enthusiastic stargazer with honest intentions

Just my tuppence worth anyhow

Gaz

[GeorgeB]

I don't think the denizens of Stargazers Lounge have anything to fear from the influx of "newbies". People attracted to astronomy are demonstrating inquisitiveness and an interest in science and nature - all positive attributes. To buy a telescope and observe with it requires a fairly steep learning curve. There are numerous frustrations to overcome and often a fair degree of persistence is required too. Those that get through this initial stage and are still participating on this forum after a couple of months are, in my view, people with the right attitude and unlikely to introduce any negative effect.

Regarding elitism, it undoubtedly exists here as it does in any community. A more experienced "newbie" should be allowed to provide advice to a less experienced "newbie" without fear of being shot down by the old lags. Often a simplistic, not 100% accurate explanation may be more helpful to an inexperienced beginner than a dry legally correct explanation regurgitated from an astrophysics textbook. Likewise, "newbies" should also have the courtesy of doing some basic research before posting, as often their question has been answered numerous times in previous threads. Tip: put site:stargazerslounge.com in the Google search box to find relevant threads e.g.: "best beginners telescope site:stargazerslounge.com". Where obvious errors need to be corrected, then most people are happy to be put right if it's done in a polite and constructive way. Blunt and forcefull criticism may have its place where there is a risk of injury or loss of life, but at the end of the day its just a hobby.

Finally, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to all you old lags for creating such a helpful and instructive community. You are ambassadors for astronomy and science in general and should be proud of yourselves- whether you like it or not!

[Celeste]

Being a newbie to astronomy, and also knowing little about the how's and why's, I came here seeking advice and help for both me and my son. And tell the truth, I found it here. Yes there are some who are very knowledgable, and can seem elitist, but that doesn't bother me at all. They must remember one thing, we all had to start somewhere I am doing this mostly for my 10 yo son, he will get better as he gets older. For me it's live and let live, in my other hobby, camping, there is alot of...rivalry shall I say? the snobby ones who have the most expensive tents just to lord it up over the next pitch who only has, say, a tesco value tent. They must have the best brand name, better everything than other campers. TBH, I don't care, my tent covers us, my cooker cooks, it's all the same to me. But on the flip side of that, you do get the....erm...I dare say it, loutish families who pitch up with car radios blasting, as soon as the tent is pitched out come the beers and they don't stop til they pass out at stupid o'clock in the morning. They kinda forget everyone else on the site can hear there drunken arguments and, ahem...other behaviour. As for astronomy, I haven't found anyone who 'lords' it up over anyone else, yes you have a better more expensive scope, but most will give advice and help out a newbie in need. That's what I like best about this forum, no matter the question, someone will answer you

[E621Keith]

SGL forum has a nice atmosphere. You don't get many snob or rivalry, unlike some of the America based forum. I don't know whether it's because they have a larger astro community or we'd rather spent our energy complaining about the cloudy weather or street lights. I think it may be the latter, because the forum was nearly dead last week when the weather was great.

We don't get many brand rivalry mostly because the low and mid market is completely dominated by Synta (Skywatcher) and its subsidiaries. The high end of the market don't get much attention because it's so expensive and people who uses those equipments are so few and far between. Yes, we have some threads reviewing high end eyepieces, but they are very calm compared to apo threads in the States or Canon v Nikon thread on photography site.

In beginner astrophotography threads, people who advice expensive equipments are not being elitist. Astrophotography is really very expensive due to the demand on mount precision and accuracy for long exposure. The minimum budget does approaches £1K. Along with underwater photography, astrophotography is one of the most expensive from of photography.