Thankyou IIS!

[Pat (Patrick)]

I'd like to say a big thankyou to all members of IIS. I've read through countless threads to get a start and this has made my introduction to astronomy very easy and filled with acheivement! Without this forum getting to this stage would of been alot more frustrating and time consuming.

Tonight I had time to take a good peak and have now seen detail on the Moon I never thought was there. The infinite black that fills the small creaters is amazing, and the tiny, little white specks that pop out along the shadows edge... I can only imagine great, raw mountain peaks.

I also saw Jupiter and her four Galilean moons.

WOW!!!

Jupiter is such a huge disk, and the moons are tiny specks, the closest took a while to see, but it was there...

My sightings of the Moon and Jupiter give something TV and books never have- that we are so so so so so small in comparision to almost everything, and I have almost seen it with my own eyes.


So far I have seen-

NGC6231
Omega Centauri
The Jewlbox
Eta Carinae
M6
M7
M8
Jupiter + 4 moons

All thanks to advice from IIS.

[GTB_an_Owl (Geoff)]

now that your hooked

i guess we will see you at the pony club in the near future


geoff

[iceman (Mike)]

Great to hear, Pat! Sounds like you're having a great time out!

Hope to see you at IISAC2009!

[Dennis]

Originally Posted by Pat

>snip
I also saw Jupiter and her four Galilean moons.
>snip

Hi Pat

Welcome to the Forum, it surely is a great resource for amateur astronomy and the folks are friendly and helpful too.

Cheers

Dennis

PS – I think that Jupiter is a bloke!

[mozzie (Peter)]

welcome pat
the addiction has begun it only gets more expencive from her on there is so much for you to see and learn
mozzie

[Jen]

Hi Pat good to see you are enjoying using that scope of yours
Thanks for sharing your thoughts cheers

[Morepower (Craig)]

I remember the first time I saw Jupiter in a scope and it changed the way I viewed the night sky completely from that night on. I had seen pics in books and on TV too, but when I saw it myself first hand, as you say, with it's tiny moons looking like a minature Solar System, it hits home that it IS really just there in the night sky. The same night sky you've been looking at in the past without giving a second thought to the "big bright stars" actually being Planets with moons, etc. So I know what you mean Pat.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

It's a smorgasbord of delights up there. Just waiting for you feast upon it.

Jupiter is what go me hooked on this hobby too. At the beginning of my observing sessions, back when I was using my wobbly little 60mm refractor, I'd sketch the positions of the moons, then during the night, come back and sketch again, noting how far they've moved in just an hour or so. And to know that I'm watching not just another planet, but it's moons!!! Mind blowing to say the least.

[Rod66 (Rod)]

Hi Pat,

well done on seeing those objects, they are some of the best our sky has to offer for straight viewing. When you're ready for a challenge, try for the Sombrero Galaxy. Its right above us right now so you can get really good views.

Have fun

Rod

[DavidU (Dave)]

I dunno about you but I just love reading a post like this. A whole new world up there and they just love it.