How old were you when you got your first telescope?

[h0ughy (David)]

Ahh this one should be interesting, to see who had a life before they met their other half!

I know I had my first scope well before I got married, she who must be obeyed had no real idea what I did in my spare time. Mind you things haven't changed that much!

[iceman (Mike)]

29, ie: last year

I wasn't into astronomy that much before about 2 years ago.. I wish i'd got into it earlier, but now is a great time for amateur astronomy because equipment is so much cheaper (and better quality) than it was several years ago.

[BC]

While I'm quite the newbie of late, I started out under 10 years old (still have the original Orion 60mm, made in Japan. I just had a very big break of 3 decades. As I was going through my old astronomy stuff recently, I found a large National Geographic moon poster which outlined the details of the upcoming moon mission 1969 - pretty cool bit of history I thought.

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

I actually bought my first scope about 10yrs ago, what a mistake that was Tasco 60mm 402 refractor? I use the word refractor losely, I think a coke bottle would be better.

Before that the earliest sort of scope I can remember is a zoom type refractor my parents bought me it was only a toy, but gave me my first look at the heavens, that was around the time of Halley.

[ving (David)]

about 10 i guess...it was a 50mm refractor froma dept store

[mch62 (Mark)]

First scope was for my seventh B/D and was a White Tasco 40mm refractor table tripode with 15-45 x zoom eyepiece thingy.
Still have the lens from it.
Can't beleave that i can remember it that well.

Have had about 7-8 DIY's and commercial scopes since then.
Some Commercial scopes better off forgeting about.
Had a break for about 5 years after my last nightmare.

Mark

[Starkler (Geoff)]

I got the Tasco 50mm 15x-50x zoom scope also at about age 8.
After melting its innards by pointing it at the sun attempting eyepiece projection, I hadnt bothered with scopes again until three years ago.

[Ganymede]

I was 42. Used to fly aeroplanes for a hobby but had to give that up a few years ago when it all got too expensive!

[toetoe (Peter)]

Always wanted one but never got one until my birthday earlier this year. Now that my eq mount is broken it is like not having one all over again as i can't use it until the new mount arives.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

I was 10 when I got my first scope, a Tasco 60mm 15-60X refractor. That was 32 years ago.

I still use the steel tripod of that old scope with a barn door tracker mounted on top. The tube assembly is used as a guide scope.

But I think what sparked my interest in astronomy more than the actual telescope was the book I got with it. An old 1973 edition of Atlas of the Universe. I still use it's star charts today.

[dhumpie]

My first scope was a orange Celestron Cometron 40mm f/20 refactor and I still have it today. That was back during the Halley's Comet craze in the mid 80's! This was my first and only "apo" (its f/20 so there is no false color to speak of at all)

Darren

[Daring Dave]

My 1st was an el cheapo 60mm refractor....I thought it was fantastic.....

That was until I bought my 8" dob....

I was mid 30's I think...

Dave

Lets see now, fashioned my first objective lens and eyepiece from polished toenails and jammed them in to a section of Mum's umbilical cord for an OTA. The image was murky but I'm not sure if it was the crude lenses or the amniotic fluid.

[Daring Dave]

Originally Posted by Nightshift

Lets see now, fashioned my first objective lens and eyepiece from polished toenails and jammed them in to a section of Mum's umbilical cord for an OTA. The image was murky but I'm not sure if it was the crude lenses or the amniotic fluid.

Perhaps the womb needed to be colimated ??

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

I was 27. I have been a stargazer my whole life and I remember, about 8-10 y.o. wishing I had a telescope to see all the wonderful things up close.

Well it took a looooong time to eventually get one and I was wrapped. It was a Home-made reflector.

PVC sewerage tube and lots of bits of junk, and I bought the 4.25" Mirror& cell, R&P focuser, Spider & secondary from a shop in Melbourne for $799!!!!

21 years later and I finally got my 12" Dobbie. Slow progress but I'm still enjoying every bit of viewing I do.

[Sausageman (Mike Boggan)]

I was still in the womb.
People were taking pics of me, so I ordered one to get back at them.
I got it from Gallileo. He sold his first one to me after he made the second.



I'm nearly joking....LOL

Mike

[Dave47tuc (David)]

I was about 7 I think maybe 8 It was some time ago (I'm now 41)

So I have been observing for a while

[asimov (John)]

Originally Posted by mhodson

First scope was for my seventh B/D and was a White Tasco 40mm refractor table tripode with 15-45 x zoom eyepiece thingy.
Still have the lens from it.
Can't beleave that i can remember it that well.
Mark

My first scope was the same one, lol. The zoom thingy was you could pull the draw-tube out 3 clicks. Those were the days!

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Tasco 60mm, 15-60X zoom. Xmas pressy when I was about 12. Had it until about 18months ago when it blew off the front verandah. That's what got this madness started. Still have the lens though Trying to work out how to convert it to a guide scope now.

[Mick (Michael)]

10 years old, 60mm Tasco for Christmas.