I really can't answer the question for myself, I don't know exactly what I was expecting, other than having always had a desire to own a telescope and to look at 'stuff'.
I have seen the trapezium of stars in the great nebulae, and looked at the moon a couple of times. I am still figuring out how to get a nice view of Jupiter, and how to get myself out of bed to look at Saturn.
However I am really curious as to which direction to head, why are people looking up into the air. Why focus the telescope in a given direction.
What is the point of looking at Jupiter more than once (with the same telescope), or looking at stars at all (why not just a star map, or use Stellarium)?
I am really curious as to what the main areas of focus (pardon the pun) are within this hobby. What is a beginner to do other than just swizzle the telescope around and look at random things? Is there a settling down into particular areas of interest within astronomy?
O.K Cassie, There are numerous reasons for pursuing this hobby, and each of them can send you down a different path within the hobby.
Astrophotography is growing in popularity since the advent of the
digital age made passable images much easier to obtain than in the days
of film, but it is a steep[ and expensive] learning curve if you want to produce top quality images. You just have to like photography to have a reason to pursue astrophotography. A whole new vista awaits.
Visual astronomy is wide ranging. The views of the moon, for instance,
are different every night, and many people learn the names of many of it's features. You need to grab your chance to observe the moon, as it is
moving away from the earth at 38mm per year..
On some of the planets you can see changes, such as sand storms, and
advancing and receding ice caps on Mars, brightening and fading of
details on Jupiter. The rings of Saturn change their appearance during the
year, and sometimes virtually disappear when they are edge on to us.
On very rare occasions you can see terrific things like comet Shoemaker/ Levy breaking into many pieces, and the pieces hitting Jupiter, and leaving black blemishes the size of the earth.[1994].
Some people like to try to split very close double stars/ and/ or take
measurements which can help professional astronomers.
Some people just enjoy the beauty of the night sky, and often the
company of like minded people. Just observe a galaxy for instance, and
try to imagine how far away it is.
Some people like to make/ mend/ tinker with all things optical and/ or
mechanical, and/or electrical.
Some people just like to observe, and also learn everything they can
about the universe.
Some people devote their time trying to see just how faint an
object their scope can show them.
Some people try and observe every object on various lists, such as
the Messier catalogue, or the Caldwell catalogue.
There are, no doubt, more avenues to explore; I expect someone
else will detail some of them for you.
raymo
Last edited by raymo; 31-12-2015 at 11:19 PM.
Reason: minor correction
It's only point now is educational - to show littlies learning basic science these things are real, by letting them see first hand and in high school or Uni, repeat fundamental experiments.
There's also some satisfaction in getting the maths right for something you have calculated by going out and observing it (lunar occultations, eclipses, comet orbits and so-on). A few people actually do this stuff (and write software for all to use) and it remains essential that observers occasionally check that it's right.
The days of amateurs making any real contribution of scientific value are long gone simply because the size and complexity of the equipment needed to do so are wel beyond any amateur.
Hi Cassie.
As with most hobbies, the reason people do it is because they enjoy it. The point being to learn what is there, looking at the bigger picture. After all we are part of the universe and we being a species that has evolved to learn. But what are you learning in Astronomy? Our Earth started from the life and death of former stars which provided the elements for our existence. But How? We ask a question, and try to find the answer.
The telescope, besides making an object look closer, is only showing you the image in light. Look at the Moon, and the light image is 1 second old. Look at the LMC, and you're seeing it as it was 180,000 years ago. Telescopes are a type of time machine, looking back into the past.
To see the Great nebulae in Orion, M42, as a cloud of dust and gas glowing from the formation of stars, and this shows us the beginning of new solar systems and planets.
There is a lot out there to look at, to enjoy its beauty.
Some like to record it and share with others.
Others learn all they can to better understand why this has happened.
And the great minds who design and build newer and more powerful ways to see and discover.
So we do look and wonder, ask ourselves????? and that's the point.
Cheers!
Based on over fifty years experience - I believe all amateurs begin their journey in astronomy by looking at everything available! (Nowadays probably trying in the first couple of months to photograph everything - with inappropriate equipment!)
After a while you start to wonder what else??
To me the classic quote is from Sir William Huggins:
"" I soon became a little dissatisfied with the routine character of ordinary astronomical work, and in a vague way sought about in my mind for the possibility of research upon the heavens in a new direction or by new methods....The news (of Kirchhoff interpretating the Fraunhofer lines) was to me like coming upon a spring of water in a dry and thirsty land....""
He worked in amateur spectroscopy for the next fifty years.
Real science can still be done by the amateur astronomer. In the field of spectroscopy there are many ProAm campaigns which result in published papers (the amateur contributors being recognised).
Similarly, photometry and variable stars contribute to our ongoing knowledge of stellar systems.
Onward and Upwards.
To learn is a frofitable pursuit.
The science of the sky is young and not only is there much to learn, there is much to contribute.
For me that is exciting and I feel I'm being useful as well as feeding my hunger for knowledge.
Astronomy is very much a mental and conceptual pursuit. If one hasn't considered the vastness of space, the time it takes to get anywhere, the forces acting across space or the history of the Universe, then objects within it may look a lot less awesome.
One fact that piqued my interest early on was when I first learned that an astronaut returning to Earth will have aged less than the people who stayed back on earth, due to the way time and space interact (travel faster and less time elapses relative to the point of origin) - how weird is that! So jogging is good for you
Watching Star Trek probably helped to develop an interest in space too
Then I get a kick out of thinking about optics and how light bends as it travels through different mediums (and different glasses in a refractor).
There's also the Mechano aspect, playing with and adjusting mechanical devices, and the Jewelery aspect - scopes and even mounts can be pretty to look at.
So like any other hobby it's what you make of it and there's no right or wrong way to enjoy it (or not, if it's not your thing). When I was younger I spent a lot of time on dirt bikes and hang gliders then family responsibilities made those less important and finally health issues brought the sedate hobby of astronomy to the fore.
Edit: forgot to add a big one, the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system or universe holds endless fascination
Many people have contributed great comments so I'll only add a few quick thoughts. When I first started out, I did visual work only and felt somewhat disappointed. I still struggle with the constellations, so at the time, finding different objects was tough. Then I started sketching what I could see and the objects came to life.
After a while I traded telescope and bought a computerised GoTo version that could handle low/mid quality photography (using just my mid level Canon DSLR). I no longer sketch, as now I can see more of the universe in a reasonably short period of time.
The other thing I like to do is watch the sun, so I bought a small filter for my telescope. I also bought some cheap eclipse glasses so I can grab a quick glance at the sun without taking the telescope out. I can see the disk and sun spots, however you can also buy better solar telescopes that enable you to see flares etc.
In short, 2 extra areas that many go into are: sketching & solar
PS. There's many enjoyable things to learn. Some of which, I've learnt, requires patience and practice. Also, the best telescope is the one you'll use the most. I wish I'd learnt that nugget of info a long time ago!
Last edited by Cimitar; 01-01-2016 at 10:55 AM.
Reason: Minor correction
I also often wonder is there more to astronomy than just looking through the telescope at the night sky objects? I am actually trying to think what else I can do in this hobby (not imaging, tried it but not for me).
Perhaps keep a journal of what you have viewed. Maybe make a list of some objects (possibly those you would really like to view) and read about them, view them and note some details in a journal. But then what purpose is the journal (strange)?
Up to now all I have ever done is view objects. One thing I have done is to learn the units of measurement used for astronomical distances and size. This helps with my fascination to think about the distances involved and the sizes of objects that I am looking at.
I recently ordered a video astronomy camera for live viewing, not imaging. This will possibly prompt some new purpose to my astronomy hobby.
Astronomy is my hobby - I don't think of myself as an astronomer. I certainly will not be adding anything to this field of science
Cassie
An excellent question and one that many of us have thought about. For me the most valuable thing I have done is start to record the objects I have observed. I now have 5 volumes of notebooks with over 1200 observations logged.
The point is that making record keeping part of my routine when I am outside really helps keep the hobby fresh for me. I have lots of observing guides that I can tick off objects and when I get new magazines with observing ideas (Sue French's column in S&T is often a good one) I can go through it and see if there are new objects I haven't yet nabbed and compare my notes to what others have seen.
Takes a little discipline but really helps to keep me interested. I really enjoy being able to look at my notebook after a good session and see a dozen or so new objects recorded.
Try setting yourself an observing challenge. Some ideas:
Track the moons of Jupiter, make a simple sketch of their positions, and come back an hour later and see how they have moved. Remember that it was discrepancies that early astronomers found in the orbit of Io that lead to the realisation that light has a speed and it's first approximate measurement.
Messier objects. most of these are easy to spot with a large number starting to wheel into view in the next few months. A really great guide to them is this book http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories...oductview.aspx which I can highly recommend. On the exxy side but one of the best introductory astronomy books out there. Has excellent hints, star hopping directions, history of the objects and much more.
Put me in the tinkering group that likes to tweak electronics and optics. Although I occasionally grab 20+ hours of light on a target - I think for the moment I like getting mid range gear to perform like really higher end equipment. Watching three scopes nail target after target, seeing amazing tracking and much better pointing than gear of my price range should achieve pleases me. I love to try and get gear to the set and forget perfect stage - which takes a lot of work. For me it's a long term learning curve so if I continue with the hobby into eventual retirement I will have learnt most of the necessary skills already and can then just apply my hobby with some ability. Once you master signal acquisition - you can start on the sizable task of learning how to best process your captured data set - a huge task in and of itself.
For everyone the journey should be different but the joy is undeniable!
It's only point now is educational - to show littlies learning basic science these things are real, by letting them see first hand and in high school or Uni, repeat fundamental experiments.
There's also some satisfaction in getting the maths right for something you have calculated by going out and observing it (lunar occultations, eclipses, comet orbits and so-on). A few people actually do this stuff (and write software for all to use) and it remains essential that observers occasionally check that it's right.
The days of amateurs making any real contribution of scientific value are long gone simply because the size and complexity of the equipment needed to do so are well beyond any amateur.
Try telling that to Strongman Mike, he found a Galaxy ..
Yeah, I know, not many do that but there are heaps of other amateurs adding to the knowledge by surveying star fields and measuring transits and spectro records.
Me, I enjoy the challenge and the learning I get personally. I'll likely never add anything to the grand sum of knowledge. But I have fun and as retirement approaches it's a fascinating hobby.
To me Amateur astronomy is like listening to good music....one listening is never enough just have to go back and listen/look more
As others have said there are many aspects to this hobby and the one I enjoy is making my own telescopes and mounts....lots of learning/enjoyment in the shed at my own pace.
BOSS.
Backyard observatory supernova search, a qld crew of amateur discover 2 or three supernovae a year (average)
Teryy lovejoy discovered q2.
Both these groups /individuals are members of my astronomy club.
Our club pres is a NASA rep.
We teach youngies we do outreach.
We foster interest.
How is that not altruistic?
Can't really believe you think we're of no consequence.
I spend quite a lot of time modding astronomyforum. 100, 000 -members.
Teaching or illustrating how to get more from their gear.
I'm not super knowledgeable but I can be a stepping stone for someone who may be.
At the end of a busy day spent with my little granddaughter, there is not much that betters sitting outside with a glass of Penfolds or d'Arenberg, a couple of eyepieces, an alt-az mount and an optical tube with some nice glass looking at the bright spots and fuzzy smudges that make it possible to surmise that there is life out there somewhere.......
The point of this hobby is to clean out your wallet of any cash, make you believe that the laws of physics change from one night to the next as you can't get your equipment to work, convince you that electronics manufacturers are on a mission to mess around with you and as an excellent upper thigh work out as you spend hours each night swapping between the finder scope and eyepiece searching for an object that you are sure should be there. BUT the views you get are yours and yours alone, you experience the universe and come to terms with its immensity. I literally get thrills when I am looking through an image I took, looking for the faintest galaxies, light from which left the stars there hundreds of millions of years ago.
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