Backyard Astronomy

[coldwx]

Does anyone else share this hobby?  I have not owned a telescope in 25 years but just purchased an Orion SkyQuest XT8 Plus for my daughters and I will probably be looking for lots of advice/tips.  I joined an astronomy forum but thought I would give it a shot here as well.

[Cyberman]

It's always been one of my hobbies, though round here I'm limited by a lack of anything more powerful than my eyes and an absolute swamp of light pollution.

[coldwx]

I am worried about the light pollution here but with the photon bucket I choose as a telescope I am hoping to overcome some of that.

[Cato]

If you don't already have it, download the free SkyView app. All pertinent data with nice notes on major constellations and stars naming. Great for a beginner and ready reference for the more experienced. Perhaps the premium version contains Messier Objects and the lesser known constellations, but it's free and has a lot of information.

[coldwx]

Thanks, I do not have SkyView.  I downloaded Sky Guide last night but I will check out SkyView as well.

[Cyberman]

I've got the StarTracker app on my 'phone, which does more or less the same thing and uses the built in compass to give a realtime view. I also have the unfortunately-named Heavens Above app from the website of the same name, showing realtime satellite, ISS, and shuttle passes. At a glance it also shows the launch information for every vehicle (date, time, location etc).

[Faith No More]

I'm like Stimbo. It's one of my hobbies, but all of I've got is my naked eye trying to cut through light pollution. It's been twenty years since I sat down and studied it, but I can still recognize many of the constellations, especially the ones that appear only in the Northern Hemisphere.

I just moved recently, and since we live next to a park, the stargazing is much better. I was fairly psyched to see the blood moon back in September, and it was completely overcast here the entire night. That's the life of a backyard astronomer in Michigan, though.

[coldwx]

Yeah, the cloudy skies obscured the Geminids Shower on Sunday night and I had psyched my daughters up for it.  I am going to take them to a sky watching session at the local science museum on Friday so hopefully it will stay clear.

[Alex K]

We own a 10cm and a 15cm refractor, and finally have , after moving to a different state this fall, decent conditions again for observations even on our balcony. We are in a valley which means the solid angle is limited, but in return there is less light pollution. Once our kid goes to bed regularly, we hope to get into it again more consistently after a couple year hiatus. First thing we need is a proper tracking tripod.

[coldwx]

I didn't spring for any of the go-to equipment which means we will be hunting the old fashioned way.  I remember that being the part of the fun when I was younger, and it will help my kids learn to navigate the sky.