rory Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 okay,ive had my astromaster eq90mm refractor for about 8 weeks or so now,and im loving the new hobby. ive been thinking about visiting a local astronomy club ,but.now the thing is im lets say not the most academic of folk. im no good at numbers and taking in lots of info at a time( perhaps a nice way of saying im a little thick)maybe im being naive,but i suppose im thinking of loads of men and women with brains the size of basketballs talking quantum physics and talking focal ratios of things ive no idea about.so ... has anyone really dreaded meeting in a simlar circumstances . love to here your stories, beginers or veterans. maybe will give me confidence to go for it.or... on the other hand back up my nightmare thoughts:eek:,thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Smith Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I don't think you need to worry. I only have the experience of one club (CPAC in Essex) and we have members of all sorts of ability or lack of it, but we do have one thing in common and that is the enjoyment of astronomy. Amateur astronomers just love to explain their hobby to others (as you can see on this forum) so you should fit in anywhere. Go for it.Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NGC404 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Go for it. I,m sure they,ll make you feel welcome.I was terrified when I went to an astro society for the first time (probably more to to with the fact I was the guest speaker ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbyrne Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Hi RoryI am a member of a couple of clubs and I have never come across anything intimidating with the people I have met. Of course I was nervous when I went o my first meeting, but the greeting that I received instantly put those nerves to rest, everyone was helpful and no one ever talked down to me.It is understood that there are people of many different levels and talking to other members, and listening to what they have to say, is a fantastic way to learn.Speaking personally, if I heard a fellow member talk in a derogatory way to a new member I would quickly let him know my feelings, with the possible use of colourful language.In the end what I'm saying is GO FOR IT, it's a decision that you will never regret, it's also a great way to see a wide range of equipment, very handy when aperture fever strikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horus Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 You can't beat a club as there is wealth of knowledge and people are only to willing to explain things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onesmallstep Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 You'll find all interests and knowledge levels covered in most clubs. This is Star Party season so check out clubs near you to see if they are holding public astronomy sessions. I turned up to one in 2005 and joined there and then - best thing I've ever done!Type 'fedastro' into search engines, this is the Federation of Astronomical Societies, click on the clubs link and search by county.Good luck and clear skies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigdaddyjeff Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Hi Rory..... I'm waiting to get to my first local club meet and i will openly admit i'm also a lil nervous about going ...but the way I look at it is this.....every member was a new member at some point...so the next time you go..there may possibly be another new member that night thinking exactly right you now....and like Dave says, you will all have one thing in common... Get yourself there mate and enjoy GazP.S- apparently my local club has a bar too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rory Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 thanks all. maybe i'll take the plunge. im a very underconfident type,but such is my intersest in this game now ,i might just throw caution to the wind.( you watch now, some one will comment on the terrible time they had )!clear skies all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rory Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 P.S- apparently my local club has a bar too!! ahhhh, well theres a membership puller eh . thanks for input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigdaddyjeff Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 :D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snarks Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 You don't have to join at the first meeting you go to. I went as a non-member for £2 then joined at the next meeting. Since the membership year runs from August, I didn't need to pay a full year's membership either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningMajor Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I went to my first beginners meeting at my local club - Newbury - the other week, and despite slight misgivings beforehand (I don't really think of myself as a "club" sort of person) I realy enjoyed it - There were talks on Saturn and webcam imaging as well as "what's up" info delivered by members who really knew what they were talking about - I will definitely go next month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rory Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollypenrice Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I'm not a 'club' person either, really, but I get plenty of clubs visiting me and they are, without exception, great company and from an interesting mix of backgrounds. Everythng from post doctoral string theorists to ... things nothing like post doctoral string theorists!!!Olly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bat Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 From the experience of hosting our Stargazing Live public events earlier this year, I would say we had more than a few people turn up who said they were interested in astronomy but hadn't known where to go for advice, and some admitted that they had been afraid of coming to a meeting for fear that we were all super-brainy astrophysicist boffins. They were pleasantly surprised to find that we are actually all very nice people who just have a common interest. We were able to explain that we welcomed people with all levels of interest. We have members who are complete novices and others that did physics degrees, but nobody laughs at anybody for their lack of knowledge. Instead, the more experienced members are only too happy to help out anyone who wants to learn more. Go ahead, take the plunge. It will afford you the chance to chat to like-minded people; you will learn, and you will gain access to different sorts of equipment. And hopefully you will make new friends. Joining my society was one of the best things I have ever done.Rachel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rory Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 thanks for reply's all. will keep ya posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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