Yet another newbie

[Jim]

Hi guys,
I had a huge interest in astronomy for many years that was originally sparked and encouraged by my Grandfather who took me to club meetings in the UK in the 80's.
You might say my family has a keen interest in all things space and physics, my uncle's charity owns and operates the Herstmonceaux observatory and science centre (http://www.the-observatory.org/).
Life, women and motorcycles along with other sundry hobbies got in the way, and now in my mid 30's I find myself (moved last year) in a remote location with uninhibited, unpolluted skies and a 20 month old son who is infatuated with the planets and stars.
So this brings me here; I'll be looking for a scope shortly, even if just for my son to see the moon in the eyepiece.
But for now I am more than content to relax on my rug, gaze skyward, and rediscover all the things I had forgotten.
I look forward to participating in the forum.
Regards,
Jim

[Liz]

Welcome Jim. :welcome:
Its great you can just ease on in, many jump in and buy huge scopes and cameras, associated with the worry and stresses, and perhaps lose some of the enjoyment.
Settle back and enjoy the wonders of the night skies.
Will be a couple more years before your little tacker can look through an EP, but a 6" Dob is a popular start. :)

[Jim]

Yeah, I was looking at an 8"+ dob.
We'll see how the funding pans out, I seem to have a propensity for picking the most expensive pastimes I can.

[erick]

Nope, a telescope that will give years of enjoyment is nothing near the purchase and running costs of a jet ski! And if you decided to be a wine buff!

Maybe chess is cheaper?

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Jim,

Great to have you around!

Patience when browsing the Ice Trades often pays off in spades. I have had a number of times where I jumped too soon and bought a new item only to have one appear at 3/4 or 1/2 the price as soon as I turn around.

No doubt, there will be the perfect beginner's scope appearing shortly for you on the classifieds, enjoy the hunt for now.

Cheers

Chris

[Suzy]

Hi Jim, and :welcome:
Isn't this a fabulous hobby- when we get lazy, we don't need to bother with our scopes, we can just laze on a blanket as you said, (with our without binoculars) and just look up and enjoy, and all the time, being very aware of how humble we feel by the sheer vastness and beauty of the universe. It's unfortunate that we are such a small number of people that actually look up and appreciate the night sky. Thankfully however with scopes becoming much more affordable these days, more of us are able to appreciate the beauty on show.

[veejo]

Jim,
it was my son (3 year old) that this year got me to take up something I had only thought of in earlier years (astronomy). He used to ask about the moon phases, so we got a used refractor and a new entry level (cheap) wide view eye piece with good eye relief and a filter. Your child is 20 months ...... so you have a little while to go.

We made the most of this winter so he could have a look at the moon before it got too far past his bed-time, so during summer, no obersving for him.

Definitely keep an eye on the used gear in the forum if you're not in a hurry, it has enabled us to keep the hobby affordable and end up with better gear on our budget then we normally would have.