388 replies to this topic

[archival]

What would you call it when an amateur astronomer used a camera to make a record of an exoplanet transit, an occultation or a supernova? 

Pro-am

[csrlice12]

What would you call it when an amateur astronomer used a camera to make a record of an exoplanet transit, an occultation or a supernova? 

A complete waste of good eyepiece money?

[N-1]

Pro-am

Still astronomy, though isn't it.

[N-1]

A complete waste of good eyepiece money?

 

What if there aren't any EPs one wants and does't already own but a lot of interesting stuff in the sky to image? Asking for a friend  

[25585]

What if there aren't any EPs one wants and does't already own but a lot of interesting stuff in the sky to image? Asking for a friend 

Depends on the objects. What does your friend consider worth imaging, but can't see well enough visually with his current gear?

[psychwolf]

Threads like this are sort of demonstrating a case for why you might not see young people, when you're asking the same people your own age the question! It's an echo chamber here.

I see a lot of youth members at our club and they love doing citizen science with our Unistellar smart telescopes and learning to use the larger reflectors to get data, and are interested in stem careers. An attraction is being able to do science at a younger age and learn skills above what they get in high school and maybe transition into careers with some citation or project experience at our amateur observatory. But they're not posting on cloudy nights forums! So I think we all need to relax, the youth are not just braindead Minecraft players, but they're definitely not dropping money for expensive telescopes that might be getting bought in the classifieds here. I see that more with our retired members looking to enjoy their funds.

Bigger problem: Education systems in the states at least, both in high schools and colleges is under fire, so it's tough in general right now for a science-based hobby or acquiring things like a telescope. We can offer some support here by helping overworked high school club leaders or partnering with colleges, or telling politicians to stop cutting stem.

Edited by psychwolf, 15 June 2025 - 02:35 AM.

[csrlice12]

There are more football fields than observatories in our nation's schools and universities....there's a message there.

[TOMDEY]

There are more football fields than observatories in our nation's schools and universities....there's a message there.

Research has shown that cows can walk and chew cud at the same time. Humans are incapable of that --- instead they walk to classes and play football.    Tom 

[weis14]

How could a teenager with a starter scope (and most basic starter scopes have always been cheap rubbish with in sufficent aperture) of modest cost living in a non-affluent part of the suburbs (not poor, just on a tight budget), start today?  First you need the sky, and it simply isn't there.  So this exaggerates the demographic.  If you can retire to a nice plot of land in semirural to rural areas after earning all your life with a nice bit of equipment in a big back yard.  Although that may get harder in the upcoming short term.

The problem with viewpoints like this is that it assumes that all there is to look at are galaxies and nebula.  Frankly, except for the biggest and brightest, most beginners would do better to throw those out.  Instead, from city environments, they should focus on targets that are less affected by light pollution, like the moon, planets and open clusters, all of which can look great in cheap beginner scopes.  

 

If you started as a kid, what objects did you look at?  Frankly, for me at least, it was Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon for the most part, with the brightest Messier objects thrown in as well (M42, M45, etc).  That was 99% of my observing with my first scope.

[saemark30]

Astro binoculars and medium sized refracting telescopes are a lot cheaper now that they were in the 60s, 70s and 80's taking inflation into account.

Teenagers have tools we never did like smartphone astronomy apps so the bar to getting into astronomy is lower.

The only thing missing is the inventive.

We had the space program to the Moon and Voyager to spark our interests.

Everything is on the internet these days. 

[Starman1]

The problem with viewpoints like this is that it assumes that all there is to look at are galaxies and nebula.  Frankly, except for the biggest and brightest, most beginners would do better to throw those out.  Instead, from city environments, they should focus on targets that are less affected by light pollution, like the moon, planets and open clusters, all of which can look great in cheap beginner scopes.  

 

If you started as a kid, what objects did you look at?  Frankly, for me at least, it was Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon for the most part, with the brightest Messier objects thrown in as well (M42, M45, etc).  That was 99% of my observing with my first scope.

Indeed.  I live in L.A., the home of Severe Light Pollution.

I look at:

--globular star clusters

--Open star clusters

--double stars

--variable stars

--carbon stars

--Moon

--planets

--the brightest small planetary nebulae with a filter.

[BrentKnight]

The problem with viewpoints like this is that it assumes that all there is to look at are galaxies and nebula.  Frankly, except for the biggest and brightest, most beginners would do better to throw those out.  Instead, from city environments, they should focus on targets that are less affected by light pollution, like the moon, planets and open clusters, all of which can look great in cheap beginner scopes.  

 

If you started as a kid, what objects did you look at?  Frankly, for me at least, it was Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon for the most part, with the brightest Messier objects thrown in as well (M42, M45, etc).  That was 99% of my observing with my first scope.

Well... I was still in high school when I started getting serious with astronomy.  That was sometime in the last century.

 

My favorite targets were all in the deep sky.  My favorite magazine - my muse - was Eicher's Deep Sky.  I was pure visual back then - I toted around my big blue Odyssey I from my front yard and out to the woods.

 

Even back then though, astrophotography (film back then) contributed to the death of the magazine as very few words were submitted with all the pictures.  Basically the same story and situation as today.

 

Now in my 60's, I've switched to EAA and there were many reasons for me doing this.  I still do visual though, but not nearly as much as I used to.  My interest is still just as strong as it was when I started, but my methods have changed.

 

I think it's important for us old-folks to acknowledge the changing methods and to encourage the hobby by demonstrating all the various ways we have enjoyed it.  Beginners (be they young or old) who might start out with an ST and become serious will likely go down many paths on their astronomy journey.

[VA3DSO]

Well... I was still in high school when I started getting serious with astronomy.  That was sometime in the last century.

 

My favorite targets were all in the deep sky.  My favorite magazine - my muse - was Eicher's Deep Sky.  I was pure visual back then - I toted around my big blue Odyssey I from my front yard and out to the woods.

 

Even back then though, astrophotography (film back then) contributed to the death of the magazine as very few words were submitted with all the pictures.  Basically the same story and situation as today.

 

Now in my 60's, I've switched to EAA and there were many reasons for me doing this.  I still do visual though, but not nearly as much as I used to.  My interest is still just as strong as it was when I started, but my methods have changed.

 

I think it's important for us old-folks to acknowledge the changing methods and to encourage the hobby by demonstrating all the various ways we have enjoyed it.  Beginners (be they young or old) who might start out with an ST and become serious will likely go down many paths on their astronomy journey.

I've been down many paths during my personal astronomy journey, from using big light buckets with premium wide angle eyepieces (other people's gear, not mine) to small grab 'n' go scopes, to using GOTO, to using fully computerized scopes, to trying out all kinds of different telescope designs, to astrophography (both film and CCD) and even dipping my toes into EAA. 

 

Weirdly, I wound up pretty much where I was in the mid-90's which is using an 8" SCT visually with some decent Plössl eyepieces. Actually, the biggest change is ditching the twin-fork / EQ mounts for an AZ4 mount. Super portable, super simple. That seems to be the way I like it. 

 

I'm still glad I went on the journey, though.  

 

[izar187]

"My favorite magazine - my muse - was Eicher's Deep Sky."

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