Any stargazers out there?

[Rux]

I loved stargazing when I was younger and on most nights in the winter, you could find me outside with my telescope. Mom bringing me hot chocolate and telling me to put on a hat and gloves if I insisted on staying outside.

Fast forward to last night and I just watched the first episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

Now a whole other hobby of days past is begging to be revived. 

Anyone that's a stargazer in their own time: Affordable telescopes? Capabilities? Price? Recommendations?

Thanks!

[Chako]

I did for a brief period back in 86 when Haley's comet came around, then quickly lost interest.

Now if I had Star Walk for the iPad back then, I possibly wouldn't have lost interest so quickly. So if you have an iPad, I would suggest getting Star Walk. You simply point the screen up and it gives you a fairly accurate star location guide in real time. I have it on my iPad, and I can recommend it.

[Rux]

I've seen the app on my friends Apple devices, but I have an android phone and tablet. I'll check their app store for a new app but the last time I looked at the android equivalent (a couple of years ago), it was very lack luster and left much to be desired compared to it's Apple counterpart.

[Rux]

I see they finally made the Star Walk app for Android!

[Subterranean]

Reporting on duty, sir.  There is something enchanting/mesmerizing about seeing the universe through (preferably your own) telescope.

Giving a telescope recommendation can actually be a bit difficult. It's all about what and how you plan to observe...

If you are at the moment simply looking for a quick childhood-hobby-revival-tool, SkyWatcher makes really solid and affordable telescopes. I would prefer their products over the Celestron ones in the "beginner" product class. They also make some "absolutely-worth-of-money" eyepieces - for example, their Super Plossls (but their prices are not consistent in various countries).

Before purchasing a scope, it is wise to join a local astronomy club (if you can) and ask the guys if you could try their telescopes (probably during a local star party). Trying the various types and brands of telescopes means A LOT when considering purchasing the one for yourself. Buying the right type of telescope, suited to your needs, can bring you hours of joy underneath the starry night sky.

[Rux]

Thanks for the reply!

Childhood hobby revival, sure. More or less I spend a lot of time outside anyway. If I had a telescope, all the more exciting! I've been looking to get into another outdoor hobby that was more laid back than camping/fishing/etc. Fun stuff, but these days I just want sit back and enjoy the outdoors and night sky.

Thanks for the recommendation on SkyWatcher, looking at their stuff now. I also read on another astronomy website to check out local astronomy clubs. Doing that now!

I'm very cautious when purchasing something new and unfamiliar to me, particularly if said something is on the pricey side. I imagine I'll be reviewing telescopes for at least a month or two, even three before I finally break down and buy one.

Thanks again for the advice and words of encouragement!

[Subterranean]

I'm glad if my post was of any help!

I am going now offline, later I will post some links you might find useful. Cheers.

[kmanct3]

I use Nightsky from my IPhone, This week should be exceptional on my lake with temperatures going negative overnight with clear skies. Might have to break out the Bushnell's !

[kkokkolis]

I am a stargazer, active since 2009. I tried a fair amount of telescopes and eyepieces. I have several, 2"-12" and some binoculars too. Have been at 2600 m above sea level to stargaze. I'm also a moderator in Cloudy Nights, the greatest astronomy forum out there. Don't hesitate to ask, I don't know everything ofcourse but I'll try to help.

[Rux]

Thanks kkokkolis, I'll check out that forum now. 

[kkokkolis]

Try the Beginner's subforum first. And don't let all those enablers make you empty your bank account. The best parts of the hobby are reading and time under the stars, even without an optical aid or a pair of binoculars.

[Subterranean]

As kkokkolis said before, Cloudy nights is a great community of amateur astronomers:
http://www.cloudynights.com/page/index.html

This guy (David Fuller is his name) has a great YT channel and a website (Eyes on the sky) for amateur astronomers-observers. Lots of clear and simple explanations, excellent for beginners:
https://www.youtube.com/user/eyesontheskyDOTcom
http://eyesonthesky.com/

You can also check out the classic AA magazines:
Sky & Telescope: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/
Astronomy: http://www.astronomy.com/

The net is full of amateur astronomy content.

Also, grab a good beginner's book for the astronomy theory, for example:
Robert Burnham / Alan Dyer / Jeff Kanipe - Astronomy: The definitive guide  (EXCELLENT beginner's book, highly recommended)
http://www.amazon.com/Astronomy-Definitive-Guide-Robert-Burnham/dp/0760740860
Nancy Hathaway - The Friendly Guide to the Universe (fun to read)
http://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Guide-Universe-Down-Earth/dp/0140153810

Then there's software for the beginning amateur astronomers:
Sky Charts: http://sourceforge.net/projects/skychart/
Stellarium: http://sourceforge.net/projects/stellarium/
Celestia: http://sourceforge.net/projects/celestia/

[Rux]

Thanks for the links. I have a friend with some property about 17 miles North of me where it's nice and dark. I think we'll start by using the Star Walk app this weekend over some whiskey and figure out what we can see with the naked eye.

I look forward to hopefully expanding this hobby over the next year.

Still haven't heard back from the local astronomy club. I might be on my own in all of this.

[kkokkolis]

You can't miss Orion (including the nebula M42), Sirius, Pleiades, Hyades and Jupiter with bare eyes. But take with you whatever binocular you might have.

[DazMechanical]

Orion is the only constellation I can ever find, although I don't try too hard

[kkokkolis]

You are down under, you see Orion upside down but have the Magelanic Nebulas and the Southern Cross. you can't miss them!

[DazMechanical]

Oh yeah I forgot about the Southern cross