Starry-eyed Melbourne newbie finally joins !

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #1 25-04-2013, 11:14 PM

Hello all !

Well, seems I have finally plucked up the courage to join this wonderful forum. Here goes...
Just a little intro here - will try to keep it fairly brief. (mmm, wishful thinking)

I have managed to connect with several IIS members here, on Facebook and have had lots of great encouragement to join up here - big thank you to Suzy

, Colin Legg and also to Mike Salway. (I popped the IIS sticker on my car a while ago) I'm also one of those 'lurkers' hovering in the background but found it a bit tricky in getting up the courage to join.

From an Astronomy perspective I am fairly 'green', (read - very),but unashamedly admit to being a big fan for many years - it is only fairly recently, as I have gotten, ahem, a bit older, the passion for the hobby has increased quite substantially. I am hugely keen and want to learn so much in so little time, lol. (not happening fast enough)
Aiming to get my first scope later this year/early 2014, when we move from the suburbs to the beautiful countryside..so looking forward very much to upgrading from a miserly level 5 sky to a nice level 2, from a dark sky perspective. (so have held off in getting the scope for that reason, the darn light pollution.)

Wanting to get an 8-10" Dob so will be scouring the forums here for some advice, am sure there's plenty of that here. Initially, my interest lies primarily in just observing and getting to know the night sky & where things are 'up there'. (constellations & the like) The infinite beauty of the Southern night sky is incredible, so I will be perfectly content to just sit back and observe for a while.

As much as I adore ogling other ppl's fantastic astrophotography, I probably will remain as such with posting the obligatory 'Wow!' on their pics and not actually getting into imaging myself as such. (but who knows?..) Nightscapes interest me however, probably a tad 'easier' perhaps and a bit less cost involved.

A memorable moment for me when I was only about 10 years old, was seeing a meteor streak across the sky, was in the car with my Mum heading away from our (then) house in Long Forest Road. (near Bacchus Marsh) Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street' was on the radio..ah, it was magic. The beauty of that moment in time remains vividly in my mind to this day...it certainly had the 'Wow factor'

I had an epiphany that night & became hooked in the wonders of our Universe from that moment I think. My brother joined a while back, he's 'TinyBlueDot', pretty knowledgeable in astronomy & has been a big influence on me in that regard. (thanks JD) Big fan of Carl Sagan's, reading Cosmos at present. I have much to learn but they say the fun is to be had in the journey along the way and not in reaching the destination, so here's to my own astro journey!

Anyway, think I've rambled on for long enough now..sorry it took long for just an intro.! (just blurted out everything I've been carrying round for months) I don't always get a lot of time to be on here but will certainly try my best to contribute when I can..

Bye for now..

Amanda.

Larryp (Laurie) · #2 25-04-2013, 11:26 PM

Welcome, Amanda! I'm sure you will get plenty of help and advice here.

byronpaul (Paul) · #3 26-04-2013, 12:40 AM

to this very addictive activity

Lots of fun and interesting times ahead.

Ask lots of questions as there are plenty of people on here who have been there and done that, and are only too happy to pass on their wisdom

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #4 26-04-2013, 06:38 AM

Thank you very much Laurie and Paul ! So happy to (finally) be here, almost feels as though I have come 'home'..

You make me feel most welcome.

ZeroID (Brent) · #5 26-04-2013, 09:02 AM

Hi Amanda and

of course. A very contemplative intro, glad you finally plucked up the courage to sign in. Plenty of people willing to give good advice on here but you seem to be starting the right way. I'd suggest you get Stellarium (if you haven't already got it ) on your PC and start exploring from there. Even to walk outside with a pair of Binocs or just plain eyeballs and compare what it shows and what you can see in a light polluted suburban view will gain you valuable experience in being able to learn your way around the skies. ie don't put off starting till you get to the country.
We expect lots of questions and you'll get lots of varied answers so full steam ahead, you've got some catching up to do.

Cheers
Brent

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #6 26-04-2013, 11:20 AM

Thank you Brent! Yes, certainly lots to learn isn't there?

Gee, am suitably impressed by the list of equipment you guys have under your names - wow!! (if I could only get half that..)

Yep, Stellarium is on my PC, just trying to navigate my way round it..

I have a pair of Celestron Skywatcher 15 x 70's and was SO thrilled to see Jupiter and 4 moons for the first time!! I know you guys have probably 'been there, done that' many times in that regard but it's still quite exciting for me in any case.

I try my best to Google most of my 'silly questions', it could be, ahem, slightly embarrassing otherwise, lol.

Really wanted to get my hands on a copy of Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes, but just saw the price on Amazon...

Umm, time to execute plan B and look around for something else instead...

Thanks for the nice welcome.

colinmlegg (Colin) · #7 26-04-2013, 10:45 PM

Welcome Amanda. Enjoy the ride to the stars

brian nordstrom (As avatar) · #8 26-04-2013, 11:55 PM

Welcome Amanda , good choice of scope you are looking at and your Bino's aint bad either

a lifetimes worth of viewing just there .
On the 'Been there' comment , mate you never see the night sky the same way twice

, true its a constantly changing thing .
Only tonight I saw the moon in my scope better than I have ever seen it in any scope , period ( using 2 eyes ) .
And its full! , normally thats a bit of a curse but not tonight .
So

from me as well and please post away as the community here is the best .
Brian.

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #9 27-04-2013, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colinmlegg

Welcome Amanda. Enjoy the ride to the stars

...Thank you so much Colin - appreciate your nice comment

And what a ride it will be...

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #10 27-04-2013, 10:56 AM

Thanks Brian for the lovely welcome ! Gee are you the same Brian who had your gear pinched? I read your posts recently and was so very saddened & angry, to say the least, to hear about that..

I really hope that you can recover what you have lost..must have been devastating for you!..You're in my thoughts. Will keep an eye out on eBay just in case.

Appreciate the warm welcome.

Nice to be here.

Amanda.

brian nordstrom (As avatar) · #11 27-04-2013, 11:06 AM

Yep thats me , still no luck finding it Amanda and thanks for your concerns , but hey , life goes on and I will just have to start again ,,,,

if they dont turn up .
Hows the weather down there ?
Its awsome up here . The dry season is here with a vengence !
Brian.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThinBlueLine

Thanks Brian for the lovely welcome ! Gee are you the same Brian who had your gear pinched? I read your posts recently and was so very saddened & angry, to say the least, to hear about that..

I really hope that you can recover what you have lost..must have been devastating for you!..You're in my thoughts. Will keep an eye out on eBay just in case.

Appreciate the warm welcome.

Nice to be here.

Amanda.

Kunama · #12 27-04-2013, 11:34 AM

Welcome Amanda, epiphany indeed, whether its a meteor streaking across the heavens on a country road or as for me, the dance of the Aurora Borealis above us every winter in childhood Finland, these are pivotal moments that sometimes lie dormant inside us only to surface later and open our eyes to the wonders above us. Unfortunately for them, most of the inhabitants of this beautiful tiny blue dot never look up or if they do they don't see what we see.
Look up and Live !

Nico13 (Ken) · #13 27-04-2013, 11:48 AM

Hi Amanda and another warm welcome

Yes its a very enjoyable ride to the stars and the learning is exciting as you go.
With the excellent work done by IIS'ers to enjoy and the leaps and bounds in the professional world to follow as well just makes it all the more interesting.
As for your binocs you will find there are many who keep theirs handy even though they have an array of telescopes to look through so no need to feel humbled by what you use to observe the night sky.

Enjoy

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #14 27-04-2013, 01:43 PM

Brian, weather down here in outer eastern Melbourne 'burbs is very much like a Spring day..warm & pretty windy. Has been a bit cold of late so nice to see a bit of sun today! Love Autumn though, my fav season. Need more rain tho'..

Matt, thank you for your welcome! Gee, lucky you growing up in Finland - one of my biggest wishes in life is to see the incredible beauty of an Aurora! What an experience for you.
Yes, it is a little sad that so many ppl in this world don't/won't appreciate our lovely night skies..Am developing a permanent crick in my neck as am looking up ALL the time!! (love clouds & thunderstorms so painkillers are a staple in my cupboard due to constant sore neck, lol)

Such an amazing & beautiful Universe we have and to see where we are in the Galaxy is nothing short of mind-blowing - a tiny, pale blue dot hovering on the edge of the Milky Way! Astounding stuff.

Ken, also a big thank for your message too..yes, I agree, the IIS site here is excellent - such a wealth of info, very little else gets done in my house!! Love my Binos, they are pretty handy, a tad heavy so my biceps get a good workout.

Such a great place this IIS.

Amanda.

Suzy · #15 27-04-2013, 06:35 PM

Amanda!!!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee! You've joined!!!!

ooops nearly forgot one lol ---------------->

Ooooh I'm so happy you finally joined the forum, and now we have another astro chick, yaaay, too few of us on here!

I was going to ask you if you had binos.

Wow... nice size too! We'd been chatting about all sorts of things and each time I completely forgot to ask you.

Laughed at your Hartungs story. I saw it going for $500 on e-bay a couple of years ago.

I have one proudly on my bookshelf and will never part with it no matter how much I can get for it. I paid next to nothing for it too, thanks to a fellow forum member who practically gifted it to me.

Start learning the 26 brightest stars- they will help you navigate the sky.

Also helpful in finding constellations is finding stars close together that move around the sky together. Such as Rigel & Alphard, Spica & Gamma Hydra, Avior & Miaplacidus. You can also use the stars to star hop to your objects. And then one day if you decide to get go-to where you have to find stars to align, that knowledge comes in very handy. Take your time- the sky's not going anywhere.

A particularly good book on how to star hop is, "A Walk Through The Southern Sky" by Milton D. Heifetz & Wil Tirion.

I find the nights when the moon is out very useful to learn as that's when I go learning stars and constellations naked eye. And then my moonless nights are for observing.

Instead of Hartungs (as a first book), I find a more practical book to start out with would be "Stars & Planets". It's my favourite book and my right hand. It keeps things fairly simple by giving out the objects that are pretty much do-able thru light pollution. And you will still find it very useful when you move to a dark site. I've done a mini review of the book along with some other helpful tips in this thread here (refer posts #19 & #20).

I've also done a list of objects for binoculars that are showpieces and very easy to find. See here. I've added more objects in post #11.

Just go the 10" dob.

If you can get someone (or if you're handy?) to attach wheels to the bottom of the base like I have, it makes it very easy to move around. I physically cannot life the tube, but the hubby does that for me if the need arises. Most women don't seem to have much trouble lifting it though- I'm just a weakling.

And you were nervous to join

- sheesh look at all the responses you've gotten so far already.

Great bunch of guys here- forever helpful and friendly. Don't ever be scared to ask a question- there is no "stupid question". We all had to go through the learning curve.

Errrr I think every astro session is forever a learning curve.

Welcome aboard my good buddy! xoxo

P.S. Join me in finding Les D's bino target (M3) when the moon goes away.

Map here. You'll need to find where Arcturus is if don't already know. It's one of the stars on the 26 brightest list. Sits north- very orange and very big and bright- hard to miss. I'll catch you up on fb about it if you're interested.

astroron (Ron) · #16 27-04-2013, 06:52 PM

Amanda and Welcome

Great to see another Astro Chick here on iceinspace.

As you have already noted there are lots of members willing to
help in any questions you need answered

Get the 10" scope Dob as it will give the best magnification
for the dollar, and as Suzy said stick some wheels on it and it will be a piece of cake to move around

I look forward to being part of your Journey into Astronomy

Cheers

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #17 28-04-2013, 10:16 AM

Ahhh, Suzy - what CAN I say to a welcome like that??!! Except a big thank you.

Yep, another astro chick & a very happy one at that, to be here..

You are certainly 'one of a kind' and if aspire to be like any kind of role-model here on IIS, it would be you for sure, 10 times over!! Your enthusiasm, endless knowledge and infectious sense of humour are a true credit to the great person you are.

Hey, just had a brainwave - hows about a swap of your Hartung's for my shuttle USB??

It's ok - am only joking, you can pick yourself up off the floor now and sorry you banged your head, hehe!!!!! Seriously tho', thanks for the recommendations for other books in the more 'suitable' price range. Now on my shopping list.
I have a bad habit of always aiming for the top shelf without having considered the more down to earth options below, lol. (note to self, - stop showing off, you're still a newbie !

) Need to put a rein on myself sometimes...

Thanks for the encouragement & tips re 10" Dob, sounds the way to go! And I have to admit here, rather sheepishly, that I have never had the thrill of actually looking through a telescope...how sad is that? Itching to do so, saving madly as we speak!
Terry L also said the 10" would be a good size, he has the next one up and still finds it a bit big size wise. (and he's over 6ft)

Looking for the M3 sounds good, need to get myself one of those you-beaut Cloudbusting machines like in Kate Bush's video of the same name, to blast those pesky clouds right out of the sky. (however I think it was a rain-making machine from memory!)

Thanks once again Suzy - you are a true inspiration!! ((hugs))

See you around..

Amanda.

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #18 28-04-2013, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroron

Amanda and Welcome

Great to see another Astro Chick here on iceinspace.

As you have already noted there are lots of members willing to
help in any questions you need answered

Get the 10" scope Dob as it will give the best magnification
for the dollar, and as Suzy said stick some wheels on it and it will be a piece of cake to move around

I look forward to being part of your Journey into Astronomy

Cheers

Thanks so much Ron for the warm welcome - very happy to be here!

everyone has been very helpful already so appreciate that. The wheels on the Dob (go round and round

- sorry couldn't resist!) , sound like a great idea...we're looking to buy a new car soon and the main priority, well, one of them anyway, is that it has to have enough room in the back to transport the Dob, lol..Will mostly use it in the backyard but would also like to pop it in the car and take up a mountain nearby for an even better view.
Thanks again Ron!

p.s - had to laugh at Suzy's post re the Sombrero Galaxy story - you poor thing! (all part of the learning curve I guess, I'll try not to do the same thing but can't promise.

)

Amanda.

skytry (Peter) · #19 29-04-2013, 10:43 AM

hi Amanda,
Well written, you have seen heaps in your short time,

enjoy your experience here, and learn from others who are willing too
share their knowledge, as I am doing, there is always a question
unanswered,

regards,
Peter

ThinBlueLine (Amanda) · #20 29-04-2013, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skytry

hi Amanda,
Well written, you have seen heaps in your short time,

enjoy your experience here, and learn from others who are willing too
share their knowledge, as I am doing, there is always a question
unanswered,

regards,
Peter

Thank you Peter! It's such a fun and interesting place to learn and boy, there's so much to learn I don't know where to start

Hope you are enjoying your time here too - they are a great bunch here aren't they?
All the best to you too..

Amanda.