Astronomy as a Hobby

[luvmysuper]

Let's just say a guy wanted to get into astronomy as a hobby.
Nothing serious like discovering new planetoids or anything, he just wants to look at some amazing views of the moon, or possibly view some upcoming events he has heard about that are to take place in the heavens.

Let's also say the guy has some disposable income, but he isn't rich.
His SWMBO has already been eyeing his ever growing collection of soaps, creams, brushes, DE's, straights, and Fountain Pens and the last thing he wants is to drop a bundle on start up equipment.

What would you astronomy gurus recommend he purchase in the way of Telescope, lenses, view finders, mounting equipment etc?

Is there a guide for a fellow unfamiliar with the more inticate constellations to be able to find his way around? What about motorized locators?

Just trying to get a conversation started here.

[brianw]

A dobsonian is probably one of the easiest to use. http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/.../1/c/12/13.uts

I wouldn't get anything smaller then a 8" reflector. and also get a 2x Barlow. The 8" Dob is easy to move around.

[DC_MPA]

I would recommend a good tripod and a 20x80 or 20x60 set of binoculars. I own a 20x60 Pentax binoculars that are incredible for everyday use and on a tripod, I have spent the past 2 nights jaw dropped looking at the rings of Saturn. I have been super pleased with owning binoculars as a entry level telescope and using them for my anytime sports or other outdoor activity.

[jamesspo]

Yep, Dobsonian is probably the way to go initially, if you want to get the most aperture for your coin. It's good for deep sky objects (nebular, galaxies, etc), and you can use them for planetary and lunar viewing as well. They're guided by hand, but that's not a big deal really. You'll quickly get oriented and be able to find things pretty easily with the included view finders. I'd just use some computer software like Starry Night, or some such, to make yourself star charts for your viewing times. Dobs aren't too great for imaging (photography), as they aren't guided generally, so if you ever want to get into that, you'll be looking for a new scope...but by then, you'll know what you want.

Full disclosure.. I don't own any scopes of my own.. I've been fortunate enough to have friends and family with lots-o-scopes, so I just mooch off their stuff. I am getting the itch for some viewing though..haven't done much in quite a while. I might try to get out to see my brother in Oregon this summer and go to the Oregon Star Party. Seriously dark skies there.

Edit: Oh, one other thing...you might consider checking out a local astronomy club. You can hook up with some folks that do this stuff all the time, and are usually very helpful and welcoming to beginners. You can maybe even go on an outing with them, and a check out a bunch of equipment hands on, before you go buy something.

[luvmysuper]

Oh, one other thing...you might consider checking out a local astronomy club. You can hook up with some folks that do this stuff all the time, and are usually very helpful and welcoming to beginners. You can maybe even go on an outing with them, and a check out a bunch of equipment hands on, before you go buy something.

I'm not much into the actual groups of people thing

Much easier to get my information on any possible subject from one central location: B&B

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

You can hook up with some folks that do this stuff all the time, and are usually very helpful and welcoming to beginners. You can maybe even go on an outing with them, and a check out a bunch of equipment hands on, before you go buy something.

Well you made a mistaken assumption there.

You see, Phil is only inquiring on behalf of his neighbor who is interested. Or was it a friend of Phil’s - no... no... AHHH!!! It was a relative of his who was interested in astronomy - that’s it!

[jamesspo]

I'm with you, Phil... truth is, there's a reasonable chance at least a few of them would clearly need better shave routines, and you'd be forced to evangelize about traditional shaving. Then, they would reject you as a weirdo (which is ironic since quite of few of them will be "weird"..trust me :) ). So , yeah, better off just sticking with B&B :) . If you run into more questions, fire away - I can channel some good knowledge from my astronomy pals.

I'm not much into the actual groups of people thing

Much easier to get my information on any possible subject from one central location: B&B

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Astronomy question!!!! (I didn't want to make a new thread):

What's the bright... uh... object in the sky right now. It's not the sun or the moon! Is it Venus?

[brianw]

Venus

[xraygun]

I've always wanted to get a setup, but man Bainbridge Island has to be the worst possible place to view from. No clear skies at night to speak of. I think retirement is going to require more remote location on hill in woods.

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Venus

Many thanks. It's spectacular.

[oc_in_fw]

I know you haven't done so, but don't pooh-pooh the binocular advice. I got a pair myself, and when I go to the Hill Country (the area west of Austin) where the skies are dark I use them. One day, though, I am going to spend a lot of money on a big honking 'scope.

[DC_MPA]

I've been viewing it with a set of 20x60 binoculars and a sturdy tripod. It's creepy in the sense that it has looked like our moon just tinier.

Many thanks. It's spectacular.

[DC_MPA]

Absolutely. Best thing I did was invest in a 12x50 Nikon and a 20x60 Pentax binoculars along with a Vanguard tripod. I spent an hour a night just staring at the rings of Saturn with my 20x60 binoculars. It made me appreciate learning the sky, makes for quick and easy portability and setup. It also saved money in the sense that now I don't see myself with a $3,000 12-inch Schmidt Cassegrain and now know that a 10-12 inch Dobsonian is more what I want and need.

I know you haven't done so, but don't pooh-pooh the binocular advice. I got a pair myself, and when I go to the Hill Country (the area west of Austin) where the skies are dark I use them. One day, though, I am going to spend a lot of money on a big honking 'scope.

[MoJoe]

I cannot recommend a telescope or other equipment but do have a recommendation of sorts. To get you up to speed on locating constellations/stars/planets you should pick up a smart phone app (provided you have one) like Star Walk. I've had that for a few years now and use it a couple of times per month and often with my kids. The great thing about it is that it tracks your movements and puts tags on the stars in your field of view. It's got a lot of other great features that you might find interesting or helpful when using a telescope.

[bones59]

Binocs are better than the naked eye, and will give nice views of the moon. You might have a pair in the house. I have a few pairs, I have a 36X spotting scope that will show the rings of Saturn nicely. I used to have a 10 inch Schmidt Cassegrain that was just too much trouble to take out to a dark area and set up to use, I sold it. As for the "go to" feature, it's nice but be aware you need a gps or gps enabled scope/mount and you have to align it with a few stars in the sky. There are several good books on the subject, as there are some good software too. Download a free planetarium program to see what’s up tonight. For great views nothing beats the internet, sites like NASA are great. The photos you will see can't be beat, I've seen views through a 17" dobsonian that were nice but could not compare with the NASA pictures you can see from the comfort of your home. I don't want to discourage you but viewing from a light polluted city is not much fun, and viewing the planets from a modest (8") scope doesn’t have much wow factor for me, and stars will look like dots. I would say get a good book, a planisphere, look online, and let your imagination fly. Have fun.

[PhiGam]

The best astronomy equipment is the stuff you will actually USE!!

I have a Dr. Sherrod tuned Meade ETX125, and I can set it up and power it with all the 'stuff' like dew strips and such for a night with a 12V car jumper pack. It all fits in one nice otter case, and II can be up and running n 20 minutes. The GPS and autostar are nice.

Purists would say learn star-hopping before Autostar. You can learn while using autostar, but there's no substitute for your own mind. Although, punching in 'tonight's best' and looking at the 10 coolest things is awesome....

That said, my 15 X 60 and 10 X 50 binocs are the best tools I have. Pleiades, the moon, and clusters look damn nice in those, and they take seconds to set up. no tripod necessary.

/i'd say buy some nice binos from orion telescope/binoculars (10 X 50 are easier to steady hand-hold), use those a few weeks, then decide what you want to look at. Nothing you see by eye will EVER look like pictures in books, but you will figure that out.

The second best purchase you can make is "Turn Left at Orion"--should be able to find it for $20. Get it. Seriously.

After that, you get to decide. Biggest light bucket for money will be a Dobsonian. If youd rather go with autostarr and guided watching,, a Meade or Celestron Makutsov-Cassegrain will be about $1500, plus some accessory equipment. Getting a nice Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain (LX200 or so) will be a few grand, but it will be a nice light bucket for a lifetime. Setup is a bit more involved, though.

Remember, the best equipment is stuff you will use. And, if you think ADs for shaving are bad--try eyepiece AD, starchart AD, laser AD, tripod AD, and aperture AD on for size...your wife will beg you to go back to razors!

Good luck, sipping a nice 10 year old scotch and looking at things that sent their light to us a thousand years ago is pretty damn awesome. And, like your first girl, you will never forget the first time you see the rings of Saturn yourself, nd the first time you show them to someone else. Addictive.

[Quigg]

The best astronomy equipment is the stuff you will actually USE!!

I have a Dr. Sherrod tuned Meade ETX125, and I can set it up and power it with all the 'stuff' like dew strips and such for a night with a 12V car jumper pack. It all fits in one nice otter case, and II can be up and running n 20 minutes. The GPS and autostar are nice.

Purists would say learn star-hopping before Autostar. You can learn while using autostar, but there's no substitute for your own mind. Although, punching in 'tonight's best' and looking at the 10 coolest things is awesome....

That said, my 15 X 60 and 10 X 50 binocs are the best tools I have. Pleiades, the moon, and clusters look damn nice in those, and they take seconds to set up. no tripod necessary.

/i'd say buy some nice binos from orion telescope/binoculars (10 X 50 are easier to steady hand-hold), use those a few weeks, then decide what you want to look at. Nothing you see by eye will EVER look like pictures in books, but you will figure that out.

The second best purchase you can make is "Turn Left at Orion"--should be able to find it for $20. Get it. Seriously.

After that, you get to decide. Biggest light bucket for money will be a Dobsonian. If youd rather go with autostarr and guided watching,, a Meade or Celestron Makutsov-Cassegrain will be about $1500, plus some accessory equipment. Getting a nice Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain (LX200 or so) will be a few grand, but it will be a nice light bucket for a lifetime. Setup is a bit more involved, though.

Remember, the best equipment is stuff you will use. And, if you think ADs for shaving are bad--try eyepiece AD, starchart AD, laser AD, tripod AD, and aperture AD on for size...your wife will beg you to go back to razors!

Good luck, sipping a nice 10 year old scotch and looking at things that sent their light to us a thousand years ago is pretty damn awesome. And, like your first girl, you will never forget the first time you see the rings of Saturn yourself, nd the first time you show them to someone else. Addictive.

+1 I joined a local astronomy group. After looking through some super scopes, I badly wanted to buy one. I researched and picked a ten-inch Dobsonian telescope. Fortunately, I received some great advice and followed it: Start with decent binoculars, like 10 x 50s, and a star chart or book to learn the constellations. Very portable and inexpensive way to find out if you really will stick with a potentially very expensive hobby. I never did buy that scope, but I still pull out my binoculars from time to time to check out the sky.