First views that got you "hooked"!

erick (Eric) · #1 06-08-2008, 11:41 AM

Probably been done before, but reading some beginners comments, I thought what were the first few things I saw (binos or scope) that had me hooked!

In no particular order:-

Moons of Jupiter
The Jewel Box
Omega Centauri
Orion Nebula
Rings of Saturn

This is probably a standard list!

What about you?

sheeny (Al) · #2 06-08-2008, 02:44 PM

Saturn
47 Tucanae
Omega Centauri
The moon

Later I discovered the Jewel Box, Jupiter's moons, etc

Al.

PS How could I forget M42???

vash (Ashley) · #3 06-08-2008, 03:16 PM

I can't remember what it was that got me really hooked.
I remember zipping around the sky and came across a yellow star when I looked through the eyepiece saw Saturn just floating there all majestic like.
Probably the views through the 10 dob where enough to keep me going then seeing that first shot that came up on the screen of the DSLR made me want to pursue the photography side more.

wavelandscott (Scott) · #4 06-08-2008, 03:25 PM

The hook for me was most likely the Apollo program and all things lunar...I am a child of Apollo, my Mother would wake me up to see/hear the different aspects of the launches/landings...

The first view that hooked me was when I was in Primary school and we took a trip to the planetarium...to "see" the constellations and hear the stories behind them. Relatedly of "Curious George" fame. HA Rey's book about the constellations.

My parents tried to get me a telescope (cheap department store type reflector) but we never got it to work right and it was very dis-heartening.

In High School I got to look through a "real telescope" for the first time...again the moon and Saturn did it for me.

Once I got my own telescope...well that is a mightly long list.

So for me the first views were all "naked sky" views (planetarium assisted)...

Striker (Tony) · #5 06-08-2008, 03:28 PM

Saturn then Omega then I had enough of visual...lol

Astrophotography was the only way to go for me....no offence.

Ric · #6 06-08-2008, 04:05 PM

The good old Moon is what got me started back in the 60's. I used to spend hours looking for the Apollo 11 lander with my Tasco 2.5".

I guess my parents never had the heart to tell me that I couldn't see it.

Matty P (Matt) · #7 06-08-2008, 05:24 PM

The objects that got me hooked were:

Saturn
Jupiter
The Moon
M42 - Orion Nebula
47 Tuc

Although the main object that got me hooked was Saturn. After seeing Saturn through my 70mm refractor, there was no turning back.

AlexN · #8 06-08-2008, 06:46 PM

Saturn, M42, Jupiter, Eta Car. NGC2070. - That was my first night of observing, and I was floored... even just looking into a seemingly empty section of sky, and seeing a wealth of stars, where to the naked eye there were none was facinating enough... but seeing nebs and planets for the first time was a real hoot!

Babalyon 5 · #9 06-08-2008, 07:10 PM

My wife & I had been armchair astronomers for years, eating up documentaries on television and newspapers etc. I am from rural SA with not a lot of money to spare, so never had a scope. Same as my wife, but she is a city girl. On a whim, she came home with a 60mm Tasco refractor that she had bought from BigW. We set it up and pointed it at this big bright star. It was Jupiter.

I remember the shock when I saw it and turned the scope around to look at the lens to see if it was a trick from the manufacturer. Even though the scope was crap, I'll never forget the off white colour of the planet and the two brown main bands, with 4 points of light next to it, the moons. Fantastic!!

leon · #10 06-08-2008, 07:34 PM

I reckon it would have to be Saturn, for me, I remember being blown away when I first spotted it in my just finished 200mm Reflector.

But now it is imaging only, don't do any visual stuff.

Leon

StarLane · #11 06-08-2008, 08:42 PM

For me,

Orion neb
Saturn
Carina neb
Omega Centauri
then,
LMC
SMC

That was all I needed to continue in the hobby.

Rodstar (Rod) · #12 06-08-2008, 08:46 PM

Jupiter and its four brightest moon.....that had me immediately hooked.

Shortly afterwoods, I was luckly enough to see a large scale projection of Omega Cent out at the Trunkey Creek Observatory. I think that was enought to hook me for life.

Kal (Andrew) · #13 07-08-2008, 03:09 PM

A decade ago I borrowed a friends (apomans) Meade ETX and when I took it out and used it for the first time I just so happened to catch one of jupiters moons transit the planet. I was so impressed with what a small 3.5" scope could deliver that I went out and bought my own ETX.

AdrianF (Adrian) · #14 07-08-2008, 04:55 PM

In this order
1 Moon
2 Jupiter
3 7 sisters
4 Orion

Adrian

mrsnipey · #15 07-08-2008, 05:31 PM

Jupiter, then the moon.
Now I can't wait for the moon to disappear.

Quark (Trevor) · #16 07-08-2008, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erick

Probably been done before, but reading some beginners comments, I thought what were the first few things I saw (binos or scope) that had me hooked!

In no particular order:-

Moons of Jupiter
The Jewel Box
Omega Centauri
Orion Nebula
Rings of Saturn

This is probably a standard list!

What about you?

Hi Eric,
Never underestimate the ramifications of letting someone look through your telescope.

About 25 yrs ago a young bloke gave me my first look through a scope, at Saturn, changed my life.

It just made such an impression on me, could not believe what I was seeing.

Regards
Trevor

Jen · #17 08-08-2008, 12:33 AM

orion nebula, orion nebula, and orion nebula
then i had to wait a month before i could see saturn and when i finally did it brought tears to my eyes it was a very special moment to me, then Jupiter and its moons and then of course our moon i guess lol
it just keeps getting better and better

Jone5y (Steve) · #18 08-08-2008, 12:57 PM

For me it was 47 Tuc.
It was the first DSO I stumbled upon during first light with a scope that had only been finished for an hour or two and I had no idea what I was looking at at the time. It is not the most spectacular thing in the sky but certainly 1 I will remember.

Craig.a.c (Craig) · #19 08-08-2008, 06:15 PM

Years ago, with no real interest in astronomy, I bought a second hand 4.5" reflector and pointed it towards saturn and M42 (thought it was just a fuzzy star at the time) and I was hooked. After some time though I lost interest in the hobby and sold the telescope. A few years later a friend of mine bought a 4.5" reflector and later decided that he didn't want it so I took it of his hands.
As soon as I realised there was so much more out there to see and a 4.5" wasn't going to cut it I decided to upgrade to my new 12" GSO dob, can't use it though (to many clouds)

glenc (Glen) · #20 08-08-2008, 06:20 PM

The galaxy NGC 253 from my backyard with my new K-Mart 4.5" reflector about 30 years ago.
It was "almost" like this http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...9&d=1218017592
The image is by Peter_4059