Your First Time - Page 2

kustard (Simon) · #21 30-09-2009, 12:59 PM

The first thing I ever looked through with my first scope (C8) was 47 Tuc and it blew me away. The second thing was Saturn

The first thing I looked through with my new C925 was Jupiter.

UK1 (Rob) · #22 30-09-2009, 01:03 PM

Disappointing only seen Moon, Jupiter and Saturn
still disappointed still not seen a good DSO no matter how I try, have all the equipment needed been at it almost 9 months now

DavidU (Dave) · #23 30-09-2009, 01:06 PM

Late 60's with a 60mm Towa may have been Tasco. looked at the moon and Saturn for hours. Ruined for life

AdrianF (Adrian) · #24 30-09-2009, 03:05 PM

My first scope was a 50mm leather(?) bound retractable scope, fully extended was about 400mm bought at a school jumble sale about 1968 at a place called Mooroolbark. I thought it was a fantastic scope and would allow me to see color on the moon, since finding out it was CA. I lost the scope at some stage during the trip to qld in 1969 and only picked up the hobby again 12 months ago.

Adrian

erick (Eric) · #25 30-09-2009, 03:27 PM

I pointed my very old 7x50 binos at Jupiter in late 2006 and saw the moons! Then I found the Jewel Box cluster that my father had raved about. Hooked since then.

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #26 30-09-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toryglen-boy

That had nothing to do with Astronomy though JJJ, that was because your not right in the head !!

You say the sweetest things.

kustard (Simon) · #27 30-09-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erick

I pointed my very old 7x50 binos at Jupiter in late 2006 and saw the moons! Then I found the Jewel Box cluster that my father had raved about. Hooked since then.

NGC4755 is definitely one of my favourites.

AstralTraveller (David) · #28 30-09-2009, 05:24 PM

I can't remember what I first saw through a scope but I do know which scope it was. The astronomy club used to have a home-made 10" f/8, which was a very big scope in '72 or '73. It had been made as a club project because individuals just couldn't afford such 'big' scopes when it was made in the late '60s. The mirror was ground from plate glass, the tube was 2m long supported by a massive fork mount (3-4 people to carry the fork alone) and the motor drive had a gear wheel about 1m in diameter. Unfortunately the mount was powered by a 1/4hp washing machine motor connected to the gearbox with a fan belt. The vibration was so bad that it was better to leave the drive off. Looking back I also doubt it ever reached thermal equilibrium. But the views must have impressed me because I built my own 10" a couple of years later and have been into the hobby - to a greater or lesser extent - ever since.

Matt Wastell (Matt) · #29 30-09-2009, 07:13 PM

Good thread - I forgot about mine until now.
I received a scope that had to be assembled when I was 10ish - it was orange and angular. It took me ages to see through it, focus was awful and the 'plastics' truly sucked - it was a genuine toy - but I could see things far away. I never looked at the moon but it was a start.
My first real scope was a 4" Newtonian - that was cool!

AlexN · #30 30-09-2009, 07:31 PM

a year an a half ago,

8" F/6 Skywatcher newtonian pointed at saturn... I was actually looking through the 25mm eyepiece and just scanning around the sky aimlessly, all of a sudden, a super bright relatively small odd shaped object... I swapped out the 25mm for a 10mm and a 2x barlow. After doing that, I was blown away... I quicky ran inside, got everyone to come out side and made them look... everyone thought it was a trick of some sort... that some how I was deceiving them.. I was just as gobsmacked... I could not believe it... I was seeing another planet with my own eye...

Amazing experience.. Absolutely amazing...

Suffice to say, I've been hooked in astronomy since day one.

dannat (Daniel) · #31 30-09-2009, 07:40 PM

it was a 60mm celestron/aust geographic refractor on a wobbly fork mount..we didn't see much excpet for the moon which was an inspiring sight..we ddn't use the refractor much more but traded up..once or twice with the tripod was enough

Astro78 · #32 30-09-2009, 10:10 PM

Was nervous as anything, she was slendor, long legged and beautiful...Japanese I believe.

While my instincts were to be gentle, it was clear that this scope had done plenty of viewing before. My confidence was sky high, having had studied a variety of videos, I knew how it should be done.

The eyepiece wouldn't go straight in, it was too dark and I had no previous experience. But I was ready to view and the atmosphere was just right.

Suddenly it hit me, what if i drop the eyepiece? it could be all over before its begun.

By now the sheer moisture on the scope caught me by suprise.....*delete*

Mesmorised for hours (I swear

) it was AWESOME.

Orion Neb

- hope no offense caused here -

Glenhuon (Bill) · #33 30-09-2009, 10:52 PM

My first look through a scope was a 60mm F15 of japanese make and indeterminate age on a GEM that I bought from the recycling yard at the local tip for $10. No eyepieces or tripod legs and a few knobs and bits missing from the mount. Addition of an old surveyors tripod and some salvaged bits fixed those problems, but the eyepiece was a bit more difficult. Found a front lens from an 8mm cine projector that with a mil turned off the barrel fitted the focuser. Saw my first views of M42, Saturn, and the host of stars in the milky way with that lovely littlle instrument. Still have it, been modified a bit over the years (must be over 20 now), won't part with it, still gets an airing now and then even though I have moved on to bigger apertures. Planning to finally make it a proper Jarrah tripod for its 40th? birthday.

Bill

MrB (Simon) · #34 30-09-2009, 11:35 PM

I was about 12 or something, mid to late 80's and my mum was visiting one of her friends and I had to sit there bored while they talked for what seemed like hours on end.
At some stage I had ended up in the lounge of the house watching TV and one of mums friends kids(follow that?) had dragged out their dad's binoculars(which they were never allowed to touch) and was laying on the floor hiding behind a large chair looking at the moon thru the lounge window. The binoculars were at some stage handed to me.

The view of the moon had me gobsmacked, I had never seen anything so amazing before... needless to say I was hooked in seconds and did not want to give the bino's back!
Don't remember what the bino's were, but to kid me they seemed huge. They were probably only 7x50's.

Baddad (Marty) · #35 01-10-2009, 08:58 AM

Hi All,

1996
I was in York Op. purchasing binos to view the AFL games.

There were large scopes, Dobs. My attention went to these big scopes. "What can ya' see with that one?" I asked.

"See those photos? That is what you can view."

"Wow. How 'bout Moon craters?" I asked.

"Yeah, just like that photo."

"How much?"
"$539"

"Hmm," thinking. "I'll see if my son, Andrew, wants one for his birthday"

Andrew, surprisingly said no. Nothing more happened for 13 years.

So in Apr 09 I treated myself to a Celestron 8" SCT.

Focused on Venus. Wow. Set up again in the dark to look at a bright star. "OMG its got rings, its Saturn.

I found it by sheer coincidence.

Now I don't get enough time to view as I would like.

Cheers Marty

White Rabbit · #36 01-10-2009, 09:07 AM

My first look though a telescope was my just before 12th Xmas.

I had been raiding my parents cupboards looking for xmas presents and found my telescope. I took it out of the box and had to to my eye looking out of thier bedroom window just as my mother walked in and sprung me.

Lol hehhe.

Sandy

seanliddelow (Sean) · #37 01-10-2009, 08:48 PM

My first expierence with a telescope was when I found my self walking around the local shopping center. I went into jerry gibbs camera house and I instantly feasted my eyes on a lovely 12" dob. That was earlier this year.
I saved up my pocket money (Being a kid) and eventually brought it for 1200 dollars. Since then I have been to dark skies only once

but with spring coming I will be doing more observing with my babie ( The telescope). After an extremely embarrasing incident I left my dust cap on so I was observing with a 50mm for 2 months

.

DavidU (Dave) · #38 01-10-2009, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanliddelow

After an extremely embarrasing incident I left my dust cap on so I was observing with a 50mm for 2 months

.

seanliddelow (Sean) · #39 01-10-2009, 11:02 PM

Bloody Hillarious!
I was wondering why omega centuari was so faint under dark skies!
I basically had 2 finder scopes!

Matt Wastell (Matt) · #40 02-10-2009, 10:49 AM

... everyone thought it was a trick of some sort... that some how I was deceiving them.. I was just as gobsmacked... I could not believe it... I was seeing another planet with my own eye...

Amazing experience.. Absolutely amazing...

Suffice to say, I've been hooked in astronomy since day one.[/QUOTE]

I remember showing Saturn to a guy in a park and he refused to believe it to be true - he kept going around to the front of the scope expecting to see a 'stick on' Saturn - not enough people look up!