Astonished & Disappointed - Please Comment

For tens of thousands of years mankind had only eyes with which to view the heavens. In the last 400 years or so we've had telescopes. In the last 20 years, fine equipment has made its way into the amateur market.

You saw things the other night that were millions of miles and light years away, that most amateurs never get a chance to see and you're complaining about not seeing the Tasco box-lid photo image - or Hubble?

The pleasure most of have is in the awe of what we're seeing, how far away it is in distance and time - and the breadth and scope of the universe and nature's handiwork.

The reaction of those you were with who have so many years of experience says it all. Stop a minute and think about what you're seeing. Then again, one can take up golf.

My first "real" telescope was an Orion 80 mm refractor with a focal length of 400 mm; not very large or capable of taking high magnifications, but boy did I have some high expectations for it. I was gonna see galazxies in all their splendor and colorful planetary nebulae etc.....So one night I went hunting for the Ring Nebula. It's that smoke ring that according to all the photographs is large and bright and just FULL of color. And I found it. I could barely see it: a very small gray very faint fuzzy patch that I really had to work hard to see. But the point is, that I found it, without help from a computer or from someone else pushing the scope around, and that gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I now have a six inch scope which makes the Ring Nebule looks slightly more significant: a faint grey smoke ring. Nothing like the photographs. But there are other pursuits that fall under the heading of Amateur Astronomy. Take multiple stars, for instance. You can do double stars with a rather modest scope; just a few hundred bucks for 6 inch reflector or 4 inch f10 achromat or an 8 inch dob, and you're in business: point your scope at Epsilon Lyrae, which to the naked eye looks like one star, and if you push the magnification up to 100X or so your reward is 4 stars. Or split Alberio: you get a beautiful gold and blue pair of stars. Or Mizar: 3 stars for the price of one.

I have to agree with you to some extent. Many objects are a dissapointment when compared to photographs. However, there are some objects that do look equal or better than photographs (and some look equal and better under rare conditions). That's why I'm mainly a solar/lunar h-alpha observer. Look through some h-alpha scopes, and maybe you'll change your mind about astronomy. Look at M13 through a 14" scope, and possibly if you can find a scope with zambouto mirrors and a night with good seeing, you can take a look at jupiter (where it can look as good as a voyager photograph - although smaller and with slightly muted colors).

Dont be too disapointed gary,

You just have to realize that the light coming from these objects is really hitting your eyes. No matter how incredible the hubble photos are that I look at, it never excites me as it does to look at the same object through my telescope. You had it handed to you at the viewing party. After you get your own scope and you actually have to find the object you want to look at after an hour of searching, you will really be astounded by the view you see. Astronomy isnt about going from one object to another in a computerized scope, its about feeling the excitement of actually finding the object. I recommend to any beginner to get dobsonian scope as your first scope; it captures all of what astronomy really is. Dont fall into the trap of Go-To scopes that take all of the fun out of the search.

Best of luck to you, and dont give up yet.

There isn't much I can add to what has been touched on by others in this thread. As has been suggested, amateur astronomy may not be for everyone. Each of us has different levels of ability to appreciate what comes into our lives. In this loud and often insensible present day culture, the more subtle influences often require more from us than we are used to giving. If I could, I would like to briefly quote from a man who devoted the better part of his life to astronomy during the 20th century, and whose work is much appreciated by amateur astronomers:

"Considered as a collector of rare and precious things, the amateur astronomer has a great advantage over amateurs in all other fields, who must usually content themselves with second and third-rate specimens. For example, only a few of the world's mineralogists could hope to own such a specimen as the Hope diamond, and I have yet to meet the amateur fossil collector who displays a complete tyrannnosaurus skeleton in his cabinet. In contrast, the amateur astronomer has access at all times to the original objects of his study; the masterworks of the heavens belong to him as much as to the great observatories of the world. And there is no privilege like that of being allowed to stand in the presence of the original."

- Robert Burnham, Jr.

(from the introduction to the Celestial Handbook)

Since I was in the 3rd grade I can remember passing a well established Astronomy Store in downtown San Francisco, it is probably still there, Golden Gate st I think. I stopped everytime on the way to school to stare at the big Scopes in the window.. Never had any money of my own to purchase one, just dreamed of getting a real BIG one someday. On the backdrop walls behind the telescopes was a large photo of M-31 in all it's glory & Saturn of course with detailed rings.. So I imagined that is how those scopes worked! I never got the opportunity to view through anything except my dad's bino's and that was at the moon every chance I got. Years later I bought a 4" refractor, my 1st night out I found the Double cluster in Per. while just scanning around.. Wow! also M-31 I was amazed and somewhat humbled when it's light fell into my eye.. John M

I'm going to disagree with many of the people on this thread who advise caution about spending your money. Seems like you are looking for impressive aesthetics in your views, first and foremost. Go get a TEC 140 or some other comparable large APO. That will give you a great chance to get off to a satisfying start. Your first view of the double cluster at 40x should fix everything.

If it doesn't work out, you won't lose much selling it, especially if you bought it used in the first place. Just don't sell it before you get a chance to try it a time or two under a truly dark summer sky...

Steve

You need to get a 40 inch then.

If that doesn't do it for you, stay home and watch TV.

Gentlemen:

I am grateful for all your comments. There is a verse in the Bible that says "In a multitude of counsel there is wisdom" and you have certainly given me that and more.I was going to wait to a later time to respond, but some of the comments left made me realize I may have stepped on some feelings which was not intended.
Unfortunately,my original post on Saturday was my first on Astromart and I didn't notice the 3000 max character limit and found myself deleting almost a dozen times on something I had worked on for several hours before the post would take. The $5k budget that I mentioned should have been left out. I'm married and my wife and I have careers, no children, no car payments, we live in a modest home (although I built a cabin in the north Georgia Mtns. last year) so I have some discretionary funds available to me that others may not. For those of you that have families I commend you for the courage this takes and of course that includes financial sacrifice.

First of all, when I have an interest in a topic I devote a great deal of time researching especially when it means spending money. I grew up in a small Kansas town that gave breathtaking views of the Milky Way and good viewing conditions on a routine basis, I remember a small bookstore in town (the only one) that I bought my first and only book on this hobby and it was simply called "Astronomy". I marveled at the terms such as 'parsec' the huge number it represented (almost 6 trillion miles) in a short time I could quote from memory the general distances of all the planets from the sun etc. Although I enjoyed the viewing I did it by myself which made it tough because there wasn't a mentor to show me the ropes. Now you can go online and become knowledgeable about anything. My parents bought my scope (a refractor) from a pawn shop and it had an eqautorial mount which was kind of overkill for a kid - but it was a good price. Some of you may enjoy absolute solitude in your viewing sessions, but I'm looking forward to sharing this hobby with others - I really enjoyed that aspect of the Starmaster session.

Do blame the telescope because you eyes donot work as well as a camera.