flynn23 wrote:
] What I want to do when I have money.

Hey, $58,000 more and I'm there!!!!

jessica wrote:
] flynn23 wrote:
] ] What I want to do when I have money.
]
] Hey, $58,000 more and I'm there!!!!

You've spend $2,000 on home astronomy?? What do you have?!

] Decius wrote:
] ] jessica wrote:
] ] ] flynn23 wrote:
] ] ] ] What I want to do when I have money.
] ] ]
] ] ] Hey, $58,000 more and I'm there!!!!
] ]
] ] You've spend $2,000 on home astronomy?? What do you
] have?!

Well it's not like I spent it all at the same time!! I've
built up my collection slowly over the last few years.
Telescope itself: $600.
Computer Control: $149
Bincoculars: $160 (got them on sale though, actually I
got two pairs, but I only use one for astronomy, so I'll
just count the one pair. $160. They're that good.)
Field Tripod: $200
Table tripod: $35
Camera: $300
Carrying case for telescope: $200
Eyepieces: $89, $59, $79
Right-angle viewfinder: $55(?)
Adapter to attach camera to telescope: $45 and $24 (one
piece for the telescope and one for the camera)
Filters: LPR (light pollution reduction)- $67; Moon filter (for when the moon is full.. it's hard to see detail, you need a neutral density filter) $20
I'd guess there's about another $100-$150 worth of miscellaneous stuff I have (books, charts, other accessories). So yes, around $2K.
It adds up quickly, but that's the price you pay for an interesting
hobby!

My current wish list includes another $300 worth of
stuff.

jessica wrote:

] Well it's not like I spent it all at the same time!! I've
] built up my collection slowly over the last few years.

So, what do you do with all this stuff? Do you find specific stars and track them? What is it that makes the hobby "interesting?" What can you see?

Decius wrote:
] jessica wrote:
]
] ] Well it's not like I spent it all at the same time!! I've
] ] built up my collection slowly over the last few years.
]
] So, what do you do with all this stuff? Do you find specific
] stars and track them? What is it that makes the hobby
] "interesting?" What can you see?

stars are the most boring thing you can possibly look at. no matter how "powerful" your telescope is, you'll always only see a bright point of light. sometime i'd like to get reliable filters and check out our own star, but the only filters i trust for that are outrageously expensive. double stars are interesting (two stars very, very close together), so are variable stars (stars that change their brightness over the course of an evening's watching). the planets are incredible, i just shot a great picture of saturn and the rings.. if i ever post it somewhere, i'll link it. venus is interesting because it's got phases, like the moon. on a really great night, you can see the caps of mars, mars looks sort of an orange-brown color with lighter spots on the top and bottom.. jupiter and its moons are pretty cool too... the moon is always my favorite thing to observe, i can get lost just exploring the moon. i can use the telescope during the day, too, to see across the river.

it keeps me interested, just knowing how many hundreds of thousands of things are up there waiting for me to observe them. i've always been fascinated by astronomy.

jessica wrote:
] ] Decius wrote:
] ] ] jessica wrote:
] ] ] ] flynn23 wrote:
] ] ] ] ] What I want to do when I have money.
] ] ] ]
] ] ] ] Hey, $58,000 more and I'm there!!!!
] ] ]
] ] ] You've spend $2,000 on home astronomy?? What do you
] ] have?!

] Telescope itself: $600.

] Carrying case for telescope: $200

what kind of telescope do you have? I have an 8" meade cassegrain. I've been looking everywhere for a case, but haven't found anything. Where did you get yours?

flynn23 wrote:
] jessica wrote:
] ] ] Decius wrote:
] ] ] ] jessica wrote:
] ] ] ] ] flynn23 wrote:
] ] ] ] ] ] What I want to do when I have money.
] ] ] ] ]
] ] ] ] ] Hey, $58,000 more and I'm there!!!!
] ] ] ]
] ] ] ] You've spend $2,000 on home astronomy?? What do you
] ] ] have?!
]
] ] Telescope itself: $600.
]
] ] Carrying case for telescope: $200
]
] what kind of telescope do you have? I have an 8" meade
] cassegrain. I've been looking everywhere for a case, but
] haven't found anything. Where did you get yours?

mine's just the etx-90, i bought it a few years ago when it was still $595.. i'd love to get something larger but then i'd have to lug it around everywhere.. the thing i love about the etx is that it's got decent capabilities and it's portable.

i bought the telescope at a retail store, but now i get a lot of my accessories and stuff from optcorp.com, they've got a lot of great stuff.. good luck finding a case for an 8-inch, though. i'll keep my eye out for you..

jessica wrote:

] i bought the telescope at a retail store, but now i get a lot
] of my accessories and stuff from optcorp.com, they've got a
] lot of great stuff.. good luck finding a case for an 8-inch,
] though. i'll keep my eye out for you..

hey, thanks for this link! This store is great!