I have been watching and learning from these forums for a while. I live in suburban Adelaide and from my back yard, i can only see the brightest stars and never the milky way or the Magellanic clouds.
Originally started with a celestron astromaster that my wife bought for me one birthday a few years back. Very good introductory scope and showed me quite a lot of clusters and the planets, but also didn't show me a lot of stuff.
Finally upgraded to a 10" Dobsonian and joined the Astronomical Society of SA. Learnt even more about what is possible to see from back yard and from dark sites. A lot of discussions on this site suggested more is better, but also harder to transport, so 10" seemed a good compromise. I have now seen a few galaxies from astronomy club dark sites.
In future, hoping to learn even more. On my wish list are lots more galaxies and any comets.
Hello Robin and welcome, its an amazing site with an impressive span of knowledge across the full spectrum of astronomy. I hope you enjoy it. There are quite a few members from Adelaide on here.
(I used to live in Nangwarry, Mt Burr, Elizabeth and Norwood between 1970 and 1977)
You've chosen well with the 10" Dob - it's a very good compromise between portability and aperture. It should serve you well, and hopefully delay the onset of aperture fever.
Hello Robin, thanks for dropping a note. There's no such thing as a beginner in astronomy. We've all been looking at the stars since we were born. Keep looking up!!
Peter
Or, from another perspective, we are all beginners, based on the principle that the more you know, the more aware you become of how much you don't know.
Hi Robin and welcome to one of the best supports for discovering astronomy! Great choice to join a club - hope you have lots of fun discovering lots of stuff!
Hi Robin and well done on the 10"
I frequently recommend that beginners use an 8" or 10" dob as a first scope for ease of use, portability and good aperture for the dollars.
Hope it gives you many years of pleasant viewing.
Just watch out for aperture fever!
Welcome to IIS
