Your First Time

picklesrules (Nicholas) · #1 30-09-2009, 12:02 AM

Your First Time Looking Through A Scope

What Was it?
Your Reaction?

Ill Start

I set my goto scope first one ever a 130slt dint know much about DSO's (know i do

) but the tour option and i choose Orion nebula

I was absolutely gob smaked the first time i saw it

Octane (Humayun) · #2 30-09-2009, 12:09 AM

8" LX90 LNT.

I couldn't wait for night fall. I set it up in my parents backyard about 2 hours before sunset in late December. The first object I saw was the Moon, and I was blown away. Just through the stock 26mm eyepiece that came with the system.

Regards,
Humayun

dpastern (Dave Pastern) · #3 30-09-2009, 07:26 AM

3" newtonian (cheapie) as a 10 year old. The moon. Gobsmacked. :-)

Dave

stephenb (Stephen) · #4 30-09-2009, 07:28 AM

Although I cannot recall my first views through my 60mm Tasco refractor in the early 1980's, I clearly recall my delight at seeing Saturn around 1986 in my newly-completed 6" home-made Newtonian. It was your typical "2-inch galv pipe fittings" mount and wooden tube, which everyone used to build befor the truss dob became popular.

The rings were clearly visible and I recall showing my other family members with delight.

Wavytone · #5 30-09-2009, 07:35 AM

4.5" Cooke f/15 refractor. In year 11 at high school we found this in pieces in the science lab cupboards, got permission to clean and re-assemble it, and spent the first night trawling through the Milky Way dreaming of all the other civilisations out there among the stars. The first sight of Jupiter and Saturn through this scope is something I'll remember forever as the optics were textbook perfect.

Carl Sagan's Cosmos was on the telly at that time, of course...

The scope was a beautiful brass antique, with Ramsden eyepieces and a phosphor bronze mount with a weight-driven clockwork drive that tracked very nicely, setting circles and slow motion, donated to the school by Mt Stromlo in the 1930's. We soon acquired some modern Kellners and enlisted the woodwork classes to construct a tripod, concrete slab and roll-off shed for it, this was in operation before I finished year 12.

Went on to make my own 4.5" f/4 "shoebox" Newtonian, 6" and 8" followed, then a 12".

PeterM · #6 30-09-2009, 08:12 AM

Honestly?
Ok this is true, was about 13 years old, my first 60mm Tasco refractor (66T) on a table top mount, first night aimed it straight across the road to a house where a girl I was keen on lived and THEN Saturn. Two heavenly views I will never forget.
PeterM.

BerrieK · #7 30-09-2009, 08:14 AM

8" f5 reflector, which I still have.

Absolutely transfixed in awe trawling arond the milky. I was hooked.

1st DSO for me we M42 - couldn't believe my eyes as I could see a bit of colour. Spent ages basking in its glow. Second was the Tarantula nebula which I stumbled across whist oohing and aahing the LMC. I still think it is absolutely beautiful.

Kerrie

TheDecepticon · #8 30-09-2009, 08:40 AM

Seems to be a common theme, 60mm Tasco refractor. Downloaded a very early version of Starry Night, found Jupiter, what a sight, with the two dark major belts standing out and the four moons.

I remember checking the objective to see if it was painted on there to trick me!

Next was Saturn, and the War Department and I were hooked.

pgc hunter · #9 30-09-2009, 08:49 AM

First time was around Christmas 1998 (or was it 97?) I was around 9 years old. I got a 60mm Tasco Refractor for christmas. I actually got up before dawn to see the moon and then placed the scope on the kitchen table so I could see over the neighbour's roof to Jupiter I was that excited! First time I saw the moon...wow I was stunned, I was flying above the surface

I also remembering graduating to a Meade 4.5" Newtonian in 1999 at the age of 11.....a BIG scope, that beautiful white tube looked impressive and above all BIG set up in the lounge room to an 11 year old kid

First light was Jupiter and wow there's the GRS plain as day!! THe LMC was wonderful...full of little clouds and knots, and I could see galaxies! Some memrable views I got were the Grus Quartet and the Flame Nebula from dark skies near Renmark. Still got that scope, it was my primary instrument until 2007 when I bought a 10 inch dob. now serves as my grab n go.

multiweb (Marc) · #10 30-09-2009, 08:51 AM

Through a 65mm Perl Vixen refractor in April 1986. Saw the moon, Orion Nebula, Andromeda galaxy, halley comet and hercules cluster. Sold the gear a year later but I was hooked. Only got back into it 2 years ago or so.

dugnsuz (Doug) · #11 30-09-2009, 09:10 AM

Tasco 4" reflector with the 0.965" EPs around 1990 - total piece of crap!
Still got me hooked enough to buy an 8" Celestron SCT on a Vixen mount - that's when things took off in a big way!
Views through that scope were so crisp and clear - loved it.
Doug

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #12 30-09-2009, 09:18 AM

50mm Tasco refractor, when i was about 12 ish (1982), then a pair of Carl Zeiss 50mm bino's .... i wish i still had them.

The moon was my first target, and what a site it was to ...

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #13 30-09-2009, 09:35 AM

It was in 2004 and the kids school had an Astronomer set up on the oval. I think it was a Meade LX200, 10"??
The first thing he showed us was Omega Centauri. I was dumbfounded. Just the thought of all those stars in one tight little ball!! I seem to remember having to be dragged away from the scope.

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #14 30-09-2009, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

I seem to remember having to be dragged away from the scope.

That had nothing to do with Astronomy though JJJ, that was because your not right in the head !!

sadia · #15 30-09-2009, 10:09 AM

C10N, a Celestron 10" reflector, year 2003. This was my first scope (I still have it), I had a very little space and window of sky from my balcony at that time, but the scope just arrived so i just set it up just to realize i need a 12v power source to power up the mount CG5. Doh! Anyway I was not to give up so I moved the mount manually pointed it to Sirius and oh boy! It looked very bright and crisp! That is still one of my memorable moment which kind of hooked me up in this hobby.

Ric · #16 30-09-2009, 10:15 AM

I started with a 50mm Tasco as well in the early 70's.

The Moon was the first object which was totally awesome with all the craters.

I remember being dissapointed at not being able to see the Horsehead

Just a little naive in those days.

wavelandscott (Scott) · #17 30-09-2009, 10:35 AM

It was 1977 and I recieved a new cheap dime store reflector from the Easter Bunny...Easter for my family was always bigger that Christmas...My family was very dependant upon our tax refund check to make ends meet (I know now)...

I remember being so excited to see the pictures on the side of the box and the fabulous views awaiting me. Neither I as a boy nor my parents new anything about telescopes except that I wanted one. We pulled it out of the box and nothing but blur...no amount of adjustment would change the blur...I remember looking at the metal wire secondary holder (a single stalk) that could never support the small secondary reflective surface (I won't call it a mirror)...it was horrible...my parents and I were truly bummed (me from the non working scope and my parents from the waste of money on junk)

I did not look through another scope until High School were a great teacher began to show me what things were suppossed to look like.

stephenb (Stephen) · #18 30-09-2009, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDecepticon

Seems to be a common theme, 60mm Tasco refractor. Downloaded a very early version of Starry Night, found Jupiter, what a sight, with the two dark major belts standing out and the four moons.

I remember checking the objective to see if it was painted on there to trick me!

Next was Saturn, and the War Department and I were hooked.

Tasco has a lot to answer for

But those little 2" refractors did the job, didn't they?

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #19 30-09-2009, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glenluceskies

Tasco has a lot to answer for

But those little 2" refractors did the job, didn't they?

You're joking right? mine was chronic ...

although it did serve to whet my appetite, i guess my first real look at DSO's was when i bought a 4.5" Tasco Lunagrosso Reflector

mental4astro (Alexander) · #20 30-09-2009, 12:42 PM

My first 'telescope' was a pair of opera glasses in 1983. I think I still have them somewhere.

My first 'real' scope was, drum roll please, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, a Tasco 50mm refractor!

, which I got in 1984.

I guess the first thing I saw was the moon, but what really did it for me was stumbling upon Saturn while tracking Mars way back in 1984. Blew my socks off. At first I too thought there was something wrong with the scope & checked the objective lens & eyepiece for dirt!