[Crater101 (Warren)]

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.