Astronomy Report from a Beginner

[advarky]

I had decided to use 10 x 50 binoculars and a copy of Sky Charts for six months or so. My thought was that it would give me a chance to learn the sky while I'm researching telescopes and deciding whether or not this is a hobby in which I really wanted to invest.

This evening was my first real session, as my tripod mount came in today. I must say, I had no idea that I would be able to see so much with just binoculars! Viewing conditions were awful, as there is a streetlight about 100 feet away, it was only 30 minutes after sundown, and I live in a heavily populated area, but I was still able to identify quite a few bodies.

I saw Jupiter, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io (although, admittedly, what I thought was Io could have been a light spike in the right place as it was so close to Jupiter), very nice resolution of the moon's craters, Spica, Mars (although only resolved to an orange disk), Saturn (although only resolved to a silver disk), and the open cluster M44 just to the right of Saturn.

I've been bitten bitten by the bug. If it's this much fun with binoculars it must be awesome with a good scope!

[Tasm]

thats funny ya know, cause people dont even think of using binos for the nght sky- when i pull out binos, at 1st they think im crazy until they get their 1st look

[snoopy]

You have approched this hobby in the best fashion possible.There are not too many persons willing to sit and LEARN the night sky. There are some who wish to jump into the hobby by making their first purchase a GoTo scope. What happens to them when the batteries wear out?
Having a basic understanding of the night sky is the best approach to this hobby. Enjoy the binoc's and the views. When you are more comfortable and can no loner fight the urge, post back with questions you may have concerning the purchase of a scope.

[philip d]

Gotos

Simply have extra battries,

.. well learning the night sky is certainly the way to go, but meanwhile the Goto is still great for a newbie...I'm amazed as many downplay them, we don't hesitate to use software, so no big deal...sure your point is to know the night sky, this will take time but worth the reward...but I wouldn't by any means say absolutely no to gotos, or force everyone to know the nightsky, just be aware as advantages to both...personally I think they complement each other, anyone in the hobby for a length of time will learn some night sky...

....

[Eugene N]

I agree that GoTo can be a useful tool as long as you don't depend on it 100%. Knowing your way around the night sky is a valuable asset.
Binos, wonderful! I have almost switched to just using binoculars for night time viewing. Yeah, I pull out the scope to get higher magnification, but for a lot of stuff out there, 25x is just fine. Much easier on the eyes, much easier on the back, just sit back and relax. Love it.
Clear skies,

[Michael Steen]

I'm going to 2nd the opinions on learning the night sky. With the help of star charts and assiduous looking, I'm beginning to piece it all out. Just in the last couple of weeks I've gotten Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus, and Sagittarius.
Though I have not seen them yet with my scope, I know where to look for the North American Nebula, M13, M51, and the Ring Nebula.
There's a great feeling of accomplishment that comes from being able to go out in the dark, with no equipment whatsoever, and start making sense of the night.
And, yes, I agree that the binocular route is an excellent one. Don't be so sure, though, that the views through a scope will be better. I have 11X70 binoculars and an Orion XT10 telescope. The 'scope sees the planets and the moon and galaxies in greater detail, but the sheer "wow" factor of the binoculars is still the winner.

[Falcon]

yeah i agree with Michael binos and the XT10 would be a good match

[taylor1940]

Lot of information i got from here about astronomy.
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Taylor

[admin]

hi taylor welcome to the forums

[taylor1940]

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation).
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Taylor