What was the first thing you bought when you got into astronomy?

[el_draco (Rom)]

I got a 40mm Tasco refractor for christmas when I was about 12. I was so enthralled with what I saw, I got a job and bought a 60mm a few months later... Never stopped!

[drylander (Peter)]

A 'do not disturb sign' for the bedroom during the day.
Pete

[erick (Eric)]

12 x 60 binos

[OzEclipse (Joe Cali)]

In 1978 still at high school, a 6" reflector cost US650. Average adult weekly earnings in 1978 was about $200. My holiday jobs paid nowhere near this. So I bought an astro optics 6" mirror grinding kit for $25. Little did I know what I was letting myself in for. Two years and hundreds of hours later, I had a polished mirror and hand made telescope built through the fantastic mentoring of Cliff Duncan and the ATM club of Queensland.

After the mirror was ground, next came lap pitch and polishing powder.

Later, aluminium ingots, zinc ingots, brass rod and tube. The ATM club had a furnace and moulds for casting aluminium mounting and tube components and casting zinc counterweights. A trip to a binocular repairer and for $5 I acquired a pair of 7x 50mm binoculars with one broken lens. I removed one eyepiece and the remaining objective. With some PVC tube and cast aluminium brackets, it became a finderscope.


Joe

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Originally Posted by drylander

A 'do not disturb sign' for the bedroom during the day.
Pete

That's so funny because it's so true!!

Camouflage for the tent will serve a similar purpose on weekends away.

[kittenshark (Cheryl-Ann Tan)]

Originally Posted by drylander

A 'do not disturb sign' for the bedroom during the day.
Pete

Brilliant!

[kittenshark (Cheryl-Ann Tan)]

Originally Posted by OzEclipse

In 1978 still at high school, a 6" reflector cost US650. Average adult weekly earnings in 1978 was about $200. My holiday jobs paid nowhere near this. So I bought an astro optics 6" mirror grinding kit for $25. Little did I know what I was letting myself in for. Two years and hundreds of hours later, I had a polished mirror and hand made telescope built through the fantastic mentoring of Cliff Duncan and the ATM club of Queensland.

After the mirror was ground, next came lap pitch and polishing powder.

Later, aluminium ingots, zinc ingots, brass rod and tube. The ATM club had a furnace and moulds for casting aluminium mounting and tube components and casting zinc counterweights. A trip to a binocular repairer and for $5 I acquired a pair of 7x 50mm binoculars with one broken lens. I removed one eyepiece and the remaining objective. With some PVC tube and cast aluminium brackets, it became a finderscope.


Joe

We're so spoilt for cheap and good mass market scopes these days that ATM seems to be a bit of a lost art!

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Originally Posted by kittenshark

We're so spoilt for cheap and good mass market scopes these days that ATM seems to be a bit of a lost art!

I don't believe so. It's just different. ATM (Amateur Telescope Making) used to mean grinding your own 6-8" mirror (10" if you were really ambitious) and building a scope around it. Nowadays amateurs can aim higher and actually do science if they want to.

But if you mean mirror making: yep it's dead for amateurs. But to complain about it is to deny millions of people their Chinese mass produced windows on the Cosmos.

[blink138 (Pat)]

Originally Posted by PCH

PG Tips Pat. I still have the full set in the album along with many other sets from years before.

If I remember correctly, one of the last few cards depicted was an artists impression of the proposed manned flight to Mars in 1981 (which was at that time a decade or so in the future).

good call paul! pg tips it was............. very funny adverts on the telly for pg tips too haha (can you ride tandem?)
i do not know where my book went now paul but it was very well worn and read, and i think you are right about that last card!
i think the dinosaur cards followed the space ones which i loved and also collected with great fervour
pat

[ZeroID (Brent)]

I'd been collecting all the rocket, NASA, satellite clippings from newspapers ( still got them !! ) when I first became interested. So I bought a 6" glass disk, grinding materials and a tool and had a go at grinding. Never got finished. too hard and no support in those days..

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

11 years old , mowed lawns , cut firewood , washed cars for an eternity to buy a pair of 8x40 bino's at the local hard wear shop ,,,
I stole my older sisters painting easel and mounted them on it ( worked very well actually ) , I saw Saturn's rings for the first time in this set up and the rest is history as they say . Had these for many years and should never have sold them as they were excellent optically and mechanically .

Brian.

[N1 (Mirko)]

Originally Posted by brian nordstrom

11 years old , mowed lawns , cut firewood , washed cars for an eternity to buy a pair of 8x40 bino's at the local hard wear shop ,,,
I stole my older sisters painting easel and mounted them on it ( worked very well actually ) , I saw Saturn's rings for the first time in this set up and the rest is history as they say . Had these for many years and should never have sold them as they were excellent optically and mechanically .

Brian.

Saturn's rings at 8x that's good eyesight Brian!

[The_bluester (Paul)]

When I was in year 7 (1984) I was allowed to take home the telescope that my school owned (As far as I know that only person who ever did, it was an old Meade 4.5" newt on an EQ mount with a HEAVY base) A weekend of random point and shoot netted Saturn and the rest is history.

The first thing I actually bought was a superficially similar Meade on an EQ mount that fits the "Wobbletronic" description perfectly. Somehow my interest survived that mount (As did another IIS member's when I replaced it and gave it to him)

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

When I was about 13-14 I wrote to NASA and they sent me a whole bunch of freebies about space ( in those days probably better funded!),
I bought a small pocket scope from the local pharmacist with my part time job money at the same time- it was terrible.
My first major purchase was a TAL IM clockwork RA drive scope from the back of the Sunday papers. Was quite good actually- that gave me my first Saturn views and also Jupiter. And started the slippery slope...

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

More like little bumps either side , , but when you know what you are looking at mm WOAW !!!
Brian.

Originally Posted by N1

Saturn's rings at 8x that's good eyesight Brian!

[FlashDrive (Poppy)]

... A Scope

[Davi5678 (Dave)]

Insomnia, and an iPhone with Starwalk led to a pair of 20x80 binos and it only got worse from there...

[markbakovic]

a tripod adapter for my dad's old knockoff-soviet-era 7x30s for to project the transit of venus on his loungeroom wall. He kinda couldn't believe it when the little shadow appeared as scheduled AND I didn't set fire to anything. He asked me where I read how to do that. I told him I didn't, I just guessed. He looked at me as if I might be the postman's.

[kittenshark (Cheryl-Ann Tan)]

I just keep remembering more and more things now that someone mentioned an app...

I stumbled on a very pretty astronomy app (can't remember the name) that was on sale and got really excited that I could identify all the constellations and planets in the sky.

Till this day I still do not personally own a scope!! I just keep borrowing and I still can't decide on one. Variety is the spice of life?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Originally Posted by N1

Saturn's rings at 8x that's good eyesight Brian!

He did say he was 11 at the time and also had the good sense to steal his sister's easel. That's a great way to start.