Re: Still a Beginner
- From: palsing <pnalsing@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 16:45:13 -0700 (PDT)
On Oct 4, 3:17 pm, Sketcher <astrosketc...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Despite years of experience (or inexperience), In my own mind I'm a
beginner and will always be a beginner in the world of amateur
astronomy. The more I learn the more aware I become of my
shortcomings, limitations, and failed accomplishments.
This pretty much describes my own experience and thinking, and I've
seen everything that you have described, too, over the years. In
addition to the things you have mentioned, I've also visited Australia
and used 20" and 25" telescopes there for 10 days, with true "experts"
providing the sky tour of never-before-seen-by-me objects.
I've also been privileged to spend 3 full new-moons nights using the
82" at McDonald Observatory in Texas, a couple of nights on the 60" on
Mt. Wilson. I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Astronomy... but that was
40 years ago.
But like you, in many respects I'm still a beginner, and I suspect I
always will be, even though I'm pretty sure that I know more about
this hobby (at least visually) than probably 95% of all other
amateurs. I find that there is always room to learn new stuff from
just about anyone.
One area where you got me is... I've never attempted a sketch at the
eyepiece, ever.
I do a lot of armchair preparation. I have a 25" dob and it is capable
of seeing quite deep in dark skies. Often you need a detailed chart
and a DSS picture to really nail down the location of some of these
stinkers, so that is what I do when sitting in front of the TV. It is
easy to take a printed page with me up the ladder for use at the
eyepiece, I find them invaluable, and my astro-buddies like them, too.
I've been making these things for years, and recently got my own web
page and uploaded a lot of them. If anyone is interested, you can find
them at;
http://www.pnalsing.com/
Not everything there is faint and obscure, and I like to think that
there is something there for everyone.
If I were an expert I would have become bored with amateur astronomy
and departed the hobby long ago...
I'm lucky in that I've not really become bored with amateur astronomy
over the years, although I didn't do much regular observing while my
(5) kids were small, which is understandable... the baby is now 25 ;>)
I'm also lucky in that I live in the San Diego area, and the dark
skies of the desert are only 1.5 hours away, and the weather is fairly
reliable throughout the year. I also go to several of the bigger star
parties in the west, including TSP, OSP, GSSP, CalStar, and a couple
of others, but not all of them in the same year... at least, not yet!
To top it all off, my girlfriend Deb has her own 20" dob and loves
everything about observing that I do, and has no problem using a bush
in the wilderness, if you get my drift, so we can go virtually
anywhere we want to observe, and so we do... there is something really
special about having a hobby that the better half enjoys as much as
you do.
This could be a great thread, and is just what SAA needs more of these
days.
\Paul Alsing
.
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- Still a Beginner
- From: Sketcher
- Still a Beginner
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