[Telstar (Tom)]

Hey everyone,

Many years ago, on a camping trip, my Dad told me that every star in the sky was a sun. He also told me that the milky way, shining brightly above, was not a cloud, or mist, but millions of stars packed together in the night sky. The arm of a spiral of stars that is our "Milky Way" galaxy. Just one of billions of galaxies in the universe.

I was awed by this information, as any kid is when they finally grasp the reality of it.

Back home, he piqued my interest with a few illustrated paperbacks. One about the solar system and another about the Apollo moon landings. I remember watching the Space Shuttle launch live on TV around this time.

A few years later, my Dad woke me up in the middle of the night, took me into the back yard with a pair of binoculars and pointed me in the direction of Halley's Comet - which I can still vividly recall seeing low on the horizon, with it's long illuminated tail.

I'm all grown up now. I've travelled the world extensively. I've been to places most people only ever read about (if they've heard of them at all) and have filled my life with numerous fulfilling interests and pastimes. And now I'm coming full circle, teaching my own kids about the wonders of the Cosmos, and reconnecting with that little kid on the camping trip all those years ago. My sense of awe when looking at the night sky has never left me. If anything, it is stronger now than it has ever been.

I've never owned a pair of binoculars, let alone a telescope. I'd be hard pressed pointing out more than two or three constellations. I've looked through a few different telescopes a handful of times, most of them very recent. To say I'm a newb is, well - a massive understatement. The language used, even in this beginners forum, is an entirely new vocabulary for me, whilst many of the beginner photos posted here have impressed me greatly.

I'm in no hurry. Time is on my side. This could be a hobby that, if all goes well, I can spend the rest of my life pursuing. For now I'm happy looking up every chance I get (I'm lucky to live a little way out of the city where the Milky Way that captured my imagination as a kid is still visible). I'm going to make an effort to learn my way around those stars a little better, finally put names to those shapes. I've begun bidding Jupiter and Saturn a good evening on my nightly walk home from the train station. Looking forward to saying hello to Mars & Venus when they pop their heads up.

I do plan to fetch a pair of binoculars soon and will be reading this forum for advice on this subject. All being well, I'll be asking plenty more about plenty else in due course.

Great to find this place, looks like a really positive and inspiring community.

Talk soon,

Telstar (Tom)