Being a complete newb to Astronomy I am looking for a few people in the Gold Coast/Brisbane area that might be interested in meeting up and showing me their equipment I am deciding to purchase my first scope and would love to be able to get some hands on with a few different models and speak to some experienced people before I hand over the cash.
Anyone out there living in my area willing to show a newbie the ropes?
I have a few very busy weeks coming up, but if the timing is right you can count me in - unfortunately my prime scope is not one of the commercial scopes going around, so may not help you decide what you want (apart from aperture)
Last edited by astro_south; 18-04-2005 at 04:40 PM.
Tony the Star Fest is on hold for this year, unforunately, for a variety of reasons. But there is nothing stopping us from having a get together for whatever reason.
The best dark nights after May 7th/8th(when I'm in NZ) are from 4th June to 11th June. After that its the weekends of July 2nd to the 9th. I'm looking forward to this weekend anyway as all the visible planets will be in the sky at some point during the night, plus there is a really close conjunction between Mercury, Venus and Saturn from the 25th June to 5th July in the early evening. They will be almost sitting on top of each other.
So lets start planning.
Sorry Bazooka, I've sort of taken off on a tangent here and haven't really helped you for a star night to view some telescopes soon. i'm sure those closer to you will be having a get together sooner than I'm planning.
If you're heading up this way at all send me a PM and we'll try to arrange a time for you check out my gear and look at the Mapleton Observatory. Or check out the website http://www.mapletonss.qld.edu.au/obs.../indexpage.htm
Pity this weekend is the full moon. I have several newbie's (some totally ignorant of astronomy) that I might bring up to Mount Cootha sometime soon for a quick session. I usually just bring my Orion 80ST and show them the brighter stuff so this might not be for you. It is my version of "sidewalk astronomy 101". But check with Andrew as he usually organized trips out to Mark's place at the Lockyer Valley. They just had one last Friday. I was going to go but got caught up in some last minute experiments.
Why don't you get in touch wth the southern astronomical society
SAS they have a contact number in the phone book or go to google and dial SAS for there website, you will find someone to help you out. Ron
You could try contacting Star Optics (close to Pacific Fair) and see if they have a open night. Most of these scope shops have open nights where they allow you to try out some scopes. I know York Optical here in Brissie has them. Maybe they can help. Other than that I second astroron in contacting SAS. I am sure old Kev will give you a hint or two. Here are the web sites:
Thanks guys. I sent an email to SAS but havent heard anything back. Might have to find a phone number. Didnt think of Star Optics, might give them a try too.
I am deciding to purchase my first scope and would love to be able to get some hands on with a few different models and speak to some experienced people before I hand over the cash.
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