What was your biggest hurdle?

Crater101 (Warren) · #1 19-11-2022, 02:23 PM

Folks;

I think most would agree that this is a hobby with a steep learning curve. Even after being a reasonably seasoned observer for some time, taking the first steps into the astrophotgraphy side of things has been daunting. And as I've been trying to get it all working and banging my head on the desk in between attempts, I wondered what issues people had experienced when they first got started.

There's a wealth of videos and tutorials out there, but some of them offer conflicting information, and others aren't very well presented. And forums like this provide lots of helpful advice. There's plenty out there on guiding, refractors vs. SCT's vs. Dobs, the best camera for planets or deep sky, and much more. But sometimes the simpler things get overlooked.

The biggest hurdle to get over at the start for me may seem really basic, but it was...which cable goes where?

Take for example a guide camera. Does it get plugged into the mount, the laptop, the ASI Air...where? And while I've (now) figured most of these things out, in going back over some of my notes and videos, there are a lot of things that aren't always obvious.

For that, and so much more, I am grateful for the many posts and advice on this forum.

Did anyone else have a particular speed bump that slowed them down at the start? If so, what was it? And how did you overcome it?

Cheers.

RB (Andrew) · #2 19-11-2022, 02:35 PM

My wife.

Crater101 (Warren) · #3 19-11-2022, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RB

My wife.

Can't argue with that one...

Rerouter (Ryan) · #4 19-11-2022, 06:51 PM

By far polar alignment, it wasnt until my third mount that it even came with a polar scope and by then I had learned my lesson, but some of the drift alignment methods rely on you having a nice motorised mount to begin with

not what I started with

Nikolas (Nik) · #5 19-11-2022, 07:42 PM

This right here is definitely my biggest hurdle due to its scarcity.

mura_gadi (Steve) · #6 19-11-2022, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikolas

This right here is definitely my biggest hurdle due to its scarcity.

Yeap, these dreams need a second job... also, finding a good balance between aperture and weight.

****************************

"As for the financial side, it's the same as any other hobby. It all comes down to how much you're willing to spend. I do archery, and just spent a bit over $300 on a dozen arrows. "

***********

When we got a 90 pound recurve and fibreglass arrow shafts as a little kid, the people in the know pointed out that the feathers can launch while the tip stays stationary and leaving you with a forearm that looks like a porcupine... that's an image that has stayed with me for life...

How true that is I have no idea, but we got aluminium shafts pretty quickly after hearing it.

AstroViking (Steve) · #7 19-11-2022, 08:16 PM

Hey Warren,

I never really had an issue with cables or the component side of things.

It was more the understanding of all the pieces of the puzzle and how they fit together. How do I PA? What the hell is "platesolving"? Why is my guiding not working? What's gain and offset?

I'll agree with Ryan's speed bump - getting a good polar alignment is difficult / daunting for beginners. I lost track of how long it took me to find the blasted Octans 'bowl' in the sky and then within the Star Adventurer polar scope before the HEQ5 and PoleMaster Yes, you can call a PoleMaster "cheating", but given the choice between a PoleMaster and a polar scope, it's a no-brainer.

As for the financial side, it's the same as any other hobby. It all comes down to how much you're willing to spend. I do archery, and just spent a bit over $300 on a dozen arrows.

How much is your happiness and mental health worth?

On the positive side - getting an image of something mind-bogglingly far away that you can't see with your naked eye still gives me a huge thrill.

Cheers,
V

BuyoTheAstroCat · #8 19-11-2022, 08:43 PM

Trying to do PA to the SCP.

AdamJL · #9 19-11-2022, 09:05 PM

2 years into this hobby now, and the beginning was the hardest thing. So much technical jargon to stay on top of, and this was really just as the YouTubers were taking off. I guess I'm from a generation that learns better from video than reading forum posts, so that was a god-send. I couldn't have done it if I had to read stuff.

But the biggest hurdle is not having a permanent place to shoot from. My last house had a small corner that I could setup in but I could only shoot for a few hours before trees and houses got in the way.
My current house has zilch view of the sky (thanks trees), so it's always a camping trip away or a trip to an AirB&B, which bumps up the cost of this hobby a lot.

leon · #10 20-11-2022, 06:17 AM

Although I did finally got there with reasonable results and was lucky to have a small roll off roof Observatory, I reckon the hardest was motivation some times.

One might have this fantastic rig sitting in the backyard, the sky is clear and I know I should really take advantage of that, But I say "bugger it I will do some tomorrow" and then tomorrow passes and so on.

Alignment wasn't much fun either.

Leon

Crater101 (Warren) · #11 20-11-2022, 09:29 AM

It's good to know that I wasn't alone in hitting a few hurdles at the start. There does seem to be a leap from beginner to the next step up, with the jargon and technical terminology being a bit of an early barrier to get over. And I think everyone could have something to say on getting a good polar alignment.

As someone who has been a photographer in another life, I agree that getting a good sharp image of something that's many light years away, moving, and taken in the dark, has a large amount of satisfaction. Costs aside...

Thanks folks. Do keep your thoughts coming.

(Steve - I was into archery as a younger fellow. I understand.

)

Camissa (Ecki) · #12 20-11-2022, 07:55 PM

When I started I had to assemble my rig at the beginning of the evening and pack it all up in the morning. I ran into every possible problem under the sky.

"It worked yesterday, why is it not working today?" was the regular question at the beginning of the night. I learned that kikuyu lawn will make my telescope sink in messing up my polar alignment. Too much heating will make my images bad, too little too. The list is long. Now with a backyard observatory it is a lot easier.

The hardest problem for me was and is fixing backfocus and tilt. F/4.5 with a fullframe sensor and tiny 3.76 µm pixels reveals every error in my imaging train.

Crater101 (Warren) · #13 22-11-2022, 06:48 AM

"The hardest problem for me was and is fixing backfocus and tilt. F/4.5 with a fullframe sensor and tiny 3.76 µm pixels reveals every error in my imaging train"

Oh, how I can relate to that one! Cheers!

xelasnave · #14 23-11-2022, 08:30 AM

My biggest hurdle was spending the money. I like value for money and in astro so many things just seem outrageous price wise...It is not about affording it or not having the cash but I just do not like paying thru the nose.

However I went from one extreme to the other such that now if I need it astro wise I just buy it and try not to consider the value for money aspect...
Alex

Crater101 (Warren) · #15 23-11-2022, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xelasnave

My biggest hurdle was spending the money. I like value for money and in astro so many things just seem outrageous price wise...It is not about affording it or not having the cash but I just do not like paying thru the nose.

However I went from one extreme to the other such that now if I need it astro wise I just buy it and try not to consider the value for money aspect...
Alex

Again, I can relate to this to a degree. 'Scopes and mounts and the like I can fully understand, for but some things - like cables - I can agree with you wholeheartedly.

N1 (Mirko) · #16 24-11-2022, 11:16 AM

To me: the weather, by far. Followed by nights that are too short, even in June.

Crater101 (Warren) · #17 24-11-2022, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N1

To me: the weather, by far. Followed by nights that are too short, even in June.

I know what you mean...

Doubledark (Steve) · #18 23-03-2023, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camissa

assemble my rig at the beginning of the evening and pack it all up in the morning. I ran into every possible problem under the sky.

I like Cuiv, the lazy geek's approach - leave it out and protect it with a decent cover.

SeanB (Sean) · #19 29-03-2023, 02:59 PM

Trees that get in the way of the sky.... Cut them all down I say... At ground level...

stefang (Stefan) · #20 31-03-2023, 04:01 PM

"A rich man buys once, a poor man buys many times"

As a previous poster commented, this hobby has a high learning curve.

I have been fortunate that I have bought & sold enough gear to last 2 lifetimes. Whilst it was a huge learning curve, it was incredibly informative, as I learned what I liked, and didnt like, around usability, function and performance.

For example, I bought and sold 3 mounts, and did 3 years of research before I invested in my 10Micron GM3000 HPS. Yes it was expensive, but based on use and testing of previous mounts, i soon realised it would probably be the last mount I ever buy. Telecopes, Eyepieces, Filters, Cameras etc etc etc are no different.

m2c
Stefan