When did it all start

[kustard (Simon)]

My dad had a pair of bino's that we used to use to look at the moon and Venus when I was around 10. The thing I remember the most was when he bought a huge astronomy book from Readers Digest and I bought an exercise book and copied a lot of the data and drawings from it so I could have my own copy. I also added in stuff from National Geographic when images from Pioneer and Voyager took them.

I wish I could remember the name of that book, I'd love to get a copy.

[TinyBlueDot (John)]

My first memory was the 1976 solar eclipse. I was in grade 6 at Bacchus Marsh - I saw it from home so it must have been on a Saturday, or after school?? I remember the darkening, and all going quiet, and then the birds started singing....eerie. I only wish I was older then, so to have appreciated the rarity of that event a bit more.

First look through a telescope was in 1981 at high school - we did astronomy as part of the physics curriculum, and looked at Jupiter, Saturn, Jewel Box, Coal Sack and a number of double stars through the 4.5 inch reflector scope the school had (and I'm still running a scope that size.....)

Halley's in 1985-86 was a fizzer to some, but the early morning time was best to see it, a little tail and all. Once I found it at a dark sky location, I was able to see it again - just - back in the city as well with the naked eye. McNaught in Jan 2007 was MUCH better - and the wife/kids now have such high standards as to what a comet should look like...

Last month a relative gave me a Tasco scope that someone didn't want when they moved into a new house, so that has to do me till something better comes along...Mewlon 210/250 or TSA 120 are on my list!!!

[xelasnave]

I started with binnos on a boat. Cruising the sky like cruising the water ways.
Been through building scopes, buying scopes, thru astro photography,heaps of reading etc and now really back to cruising the sky with binnos...star gazing ... I enjoy the 80mm binnos more now than the 12 inch or the hour long exposures on a particular object...but it is nice to have a closer look with the 12 inch or a get a long exposure.
alex

[Jen]

as far as i can remember i always loved looking up at he sky and trying to make my own constellation pictures but it was when comet mcnaught appeared thats what prompted me to purchase my first scope bad mistake (no not really only for my purse) aka hubbys wallet since then i have bought a bigger scope already and im sure there will be another scope down the track yep hooked for life now but loving every moment of it

[RickS (Rick)]

I was very interested in science in general as a kid. I bought myself a planisphere and star chart and then a particularly crappy little refractor. It was so bad that it put me off the whole idea of practical astronomy for years. If I'd known better I would have saved a bit more for a decent pair of binocs.

I took up visual astronomy in my thirties once my own kids were old enough to be interested. Their interest didn't last and life got busy again so I put astronomy on hold for a while. I did buy some nice books during this phase that seem to be quite rare now

Fast forward a couple of decades... a neighbour who is a teacher asked if he could borrow some astronomy books. That rekindled my interest a little so I did some web surfing and discovered that the state of the art in astro imaging was quite amazing! I read a bunch of stuff and started buying imaging gear, starting with a secondhand Tak FSQ-106ED. I think I'll stay with it this time. I finally have the right combination of disposable income and free time to enjoy the hobby that appealed to me so much as a child.

Cheers,
Rick.

[stephenb (Stephen)]

My interest started with a Tasco 60mm refractor for a Christmas present from my parents in 1983. I had a passing interest in science, space and spacecraft but the scope really knocked it up a notch. It was purchased from Astro Optical Supplies in Melbourne when they were in the Mid-City Arcade near the Hoyts Cinema. A guy by the name of Keith Bambury managed the store during the 1980's.

I still recall it was all white with black trims, and a table tripod. The 'finder' consisted of two brackets with holes in them, one at each end of the tube, but somehow it worked!

To this day I still cannot find a picture of it anywhere on the web. It ended up as a finder scope on my home made 6" Newtonian, then eventually was lost somewhere in one of my many house moves.

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

Like a few others I've always had an interest in science, astronomy and archaeology in particular. Was never able to afford a decent telescope, way down the list with a growing family, until one day a friend who ran the recycling at the local tip came up with a 60mm x 1000mm refractor and an equatorial mount. Cost me $10
It was incomplete, no tripod and knobs missing off the mount. I made most of the missing bits and cobbled up an "eyepiece" from a 8mm projector lens. First look at Saturn and Jupiter and I was hooked.
I used that scope for 20 years and only parted with it 18 months ago.

[Lismore Bloke (Paul)]

I got my first scope when I was about 9 or 10 (I'm 60 now), a wobblescope refractor with a 15-60 zoom eyepiece and loads of false colour - did I care, not a bit. I still remember standing in the front yard staring in wonder at the milky way. Much easier then when street lights were dim green things and light pollution was nothing like it is now. First decent scope was from Astro Optical, a Unitron 114 2.4" with a beaut lens. Following on from that was a 10" Newtonian with a home made GEM mount made from bits of old machinery. Currently I use a 12" GSO Dobsonian with Argo, which is excellent. Every visual observing session is still a personal voyage of discovery that is just as rewarding now as it ever was.