New to IIS and Astronomy (Hello!)

[Jabba]

Hello all,

My name is Keenan Thomas, im from Western Sydney and I am new to astronomy and find I have a great interest in it.
I want to learn as much as I can about it all, see spectacular things, and meet new people :)

I have no equipment as of yet, but I am looking to invest in my very first telescope quite soon.
My ideal budget at the moment would be around $500... that said, I dont really have an idea of what prices I will be looking at.

Any suggestions for a beginner in the field, wanting to view celestial not really terrestrial... something easy enough to use, but also something that will last a while once I do become more experienced in the field.

Appreciate any help and advice from anyone! :thumbsup:

[erick]

Hello to you Keenan! :welcome:

Three words - "Eight Inch Dobsonian". That will get you well under way and learning!

[DavidU]

Welcome Keenan ! There is lot's to learn from the friendly folks here.
Are you into planets or deep space?

[mental4astro]

Hi Jabba, welcome to IIS, :hi:, & thanks for the invitation to spend your money, ;) :lol:.



I second this sentiment.

But before you do your money, try to get yourself to one or two star parties & check out what is out there. Ask questions! Most important. That way you will make the best purchase to suit YOU.

Check out the 'Star Parties' forum & the various club listings under 'Our Community'. If you can make it this Friday 23'rd, a few of us will be at Randwick Girls's High School, (see thread in 'star parties', 'sydney astronomers' or something like that.

Mental

[Jabba]

Thanks for a warm welcome and quite a rapid response!

I would like to venture both deep space and local planets, but for now I would like to start with just local planets etc..

I would love to check out a star party if thats what there called. I hope there are clubs out my way... anyone know of any clubs/star parties' in western sydney?

cheers!

[multiweb]

Hi Jabba, welcome to IIS .Best thing to do is to join an astro group first, have a night out, look at the gear, talk to people. Then you'll know exactly what you want to do and what you need to buy to do it. I'm also in western sydney in Liverpool area. There's a number of astro clubs around: MAS in campbeltown and the ASNSW who have a site at bowen mountain.

[Lumen Miner]

:welcome: :welcome: :welcome:

[Manav]

Hi Jabba,

Your profile indicates you are not that far away from my place. :)

Welcome to IIS and hope you enjoy your space adventures.

TC

[Jabba]

hihi!

I live in Toongabbie Yugant :)

Could anybody recommend any good amatuer astronomy books for someone who is just learning and isnt too good with all the technical terms?

[Manav]

There is a book review section in IIS. I use Hartungs Astronomical objects for the southern telescopes. Great book! Regarded by many as astronomy bible. Tough to locate however several online sites have it but they are all overseas.

[erick]

Here is a good one:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=43362

[Rod66]

Hi Keenan,

welcome to the forum. I just bought my first telescope earlier this year, after being a binocular astronomer for many many years. For my first scope I had a budget of $500 and picked up a very nice 8 inch dobsonian from myastroshop along with some eypieces and things. I thoroughly enjoy the hobby and always encourage others.
That said though, before you part with your hard earned cash, consider getting a pair of binoculars and become familiar with the heavens first. You can see so much with a good pair of 10x50 or 15x70 bino's - planets, nebulas, galaxies etc..
The reason I suggest this is sometimes people can be a little disappointed with telescopes a) the pictures in books are NOT what you see in a telescope - colourful pictures take special cameras and hours of work to produce and b) if you are unfamiliar with the skies, using a telescope can be a bit awkward at first - upside down, narrow field of view etc...

So just some friendly advice and definitely get along to a club meet or star party - you will learn heaps.

cheers

Rod

[jjjnettie]

Welcome to IIS!
If you're interested in the planets, I can highly recommend Steve Massey's "The Night Sky". A guide to observing the Sun, Moon and Planets.
Excellent reading. It was the first Astro Book I bought.

[Jabba]

Great I will check those books out... I need a new book to read for my train rides to work :@!

[ngcles]

Hi Jabba & All,

Welcome to amateur astronomy Jabba!

Advice has already been given about joining an astronomical society. These are two clubs approximately in your area:

Western Sydney (meets near Penrith) :

http://wsaag.org/index.php

And Macarthur (meets near Campbelltown) :

http://www.macastro.org.au/home/

where you will be more than welome.

Get along to a few meetings and try out some other people's telescopes and get a heap of advice before you buy. They will undoubtedly have viewing nights you can go to (star parties).


Best,

Les D

[dpastern]

Hi Keenan,

My first suggestion is to grab the local Sky and Telescope version on a monthly basis, and a pair of binoculars. Learn the night sky first, it won't take long. Then get the 8" dob.

Dave

[Jabba]

Thank you all for the tips and advice.

I went to my local book store to check out what they had, which wasnt much... but I managed to find this book called 'The Southern Sky Guide: second edition' which I have found very informative as it gives in depth information about starting out.
I also picked up a copy of the latest Sky and Telescope magazine which was pretty cool.

Anyway ive decided not to dive into just buying any telescope but rather view and learn as much as I can about the sky without any instruments first, then maybe head towards either some binoculars or a cheap little telescope.

wsaag is probably my closest astro society to me, so il prob head to the next meet up there :)

cheers! :)

[mswhin63]

Hi Jabba,

Welcome from me, excellent idea, best not to rush as you may find other things out there better spent although DOB is a good starting point.

Good luck with the beginning.