How I Became an Amateur Astronomer: Chapter One

[@cigarnationwarriors]

I’ve been a backyard thumper for 69 years. Sold my Meade 10” Newtonian because of health issues and now enjoy the night sky with a TeleVue TV76 , a 12X50 ED AND 20X65 ED Oberwerk binos. Astronomy is an enriching hobby. Awaiting delivery of a ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope. Life under the stars is good.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Wow. You've been star gazing longer than I have been alive. I hope I'm still star gazing that long as well. I worry about moving around these heavy telescopes as I age. But right now, yes life under the stars is good for me too.

[@laurenward3046]

Tsula, your videos are such an incredible resource! I’m so glad I found your channel. I just bought my first telescope, and I’m looking forward to rekindling my passion. Your videos genuinely feel like learning astronomy from a kind and welcoming friend. I was very moved by your personal story. Thank you for sharing ✨

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you so much for your kind words. You made my day!

[@TheStarHound]

Our experiences are very similar. I became interested in astronomy when three events happened in my pre-teens and early teens. I was riveted by the Apollo missions and vividly recall watching the Apollo 11 landing and moon walk. Near that same time, I saw - and re-watched several times - '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Finally, I attended a Boy Scout camp in rural Arkansas in 1971 and took astronomy merit badge. I've been hooked ever since. But my active pursuit of astronomy took a back seat to college, law school, a career and then a young family until I glimpsed Hale-Bopp Comet. I bought a poor Meade 8" Newtonian after that, but that got me started. I have been active ever since.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Oh yeah! I forgot all about 2001 a Space Odyssey which I also saw when I was very young and also we watched every episode of Star Trek (the original). But mostly I just have always and still love looking at the stars on a clear dark night. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[@TheStarHound]

@@tsulasbigadventures I'm a Trekkie and a Star Wars nerd too, but I was into astronomy before I discovered Star Trek and SciFi.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@TheStarHound Me too. Sounds like we share a lot of history.

[@judithki318]

I confess I just dug out all the gear I bought 15-18 years or so ago and never used. I was so very thrilled to go through it all. Treasures!!! I remember all the hours of research to decide what to purchase. Course I don’t remember specifically so hopefully I made some informed choices. now I need to learn how to do it and your series seems made for me! Thank you!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Whatever you have will work as long as you kept it clean. I'm glad my series is helpful to you; that's what I was hoping for!

[@dlrager]

Tsula! I found your channel today, first with your comparison between the Meade and Celestron scopes, then the Baader flip mirror which I am expecting to be delivered today myself. I have four scopes and just started astrophotography this year. I thoroughly enjoyed your story and subscribed to your channel. Seems we have some similar equipment. I also have an EQ6 mount I use with my Meade LX200 12" and a 10" f4 Newt. Clear skies my friend!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Hello. Thanks and thanks for subscribing! You put your Meade LX200 12" on an EQ6R Pro mount? I figured it was too heavy. I was putting a Polemaster adapter on my EQ6R Pro mount and stupidly dropped the 2mm hex wrench inside. I have not had a chance to try to operate it since dropping the wrench inside. Do you think the wrench will damage the mount? I tried to look inside the opening for the polar scope and couldn't see a thing. I'm very worried about it.

[@corinlewis3073]

Hi, its 01:02 am here in London UK, I enjoyed listening to your story about how you became an Astronomer, you're lucky lived in a very light pollutionted skies here in London, but take pictures of M31 and others. Anyway thanks for sharing, clear skies 🙂🌠

[@raulsolis99]

Thank you for share your memories in a so honest and frankly maner. I enjoyed and thrill with your words. Cheers from Mérida, México.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@regalyzsolt2872]

Hi Tsula! I am a professional astronomer working on the field of planet formation. However, for years I forgot to look at the sky. Now, thanks to one of my student and You, I starting to become an amateur astronomer too. Your clips are touching me! Many thanks...

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Regaly: You just made my day! That makes me so happy. I am thrilled that my videos and your student got you looking at the beautiful sky. I wish you many happy hours of enjoyment.

[@nwrob1]

Haha, great Jack Horkheimer impression! I would watch Star Hustler religiously on channel 6 in Sacramento. I got a well used Edmund Scientific 6" Newtonian on a jerky clockwork eq mount as a teenager in the late seventies. I remember my first view of Saturn, and finding Comet Halley (using Horkheimer's directions I'm sure) before it was naked eye and felt like a real astronomer :^) Love your videos. Thanks Tsula.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Ha ha. I loved watching Star Hustler. I remember all the media hype leading up to the historic return of Comet Halley and just having a lot of disappointment. Your story is much more uplifting. I like it. Thank you and thanks for watching

[@judithki318]

Thank you, Tsula!!!!! 74 and just getting started. So grateful for you and this series!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

It's never too late, Judith! Thank you for your kind words.

[@Euripides_]

Thanks Tsula. I just bought a house and have finally got my first telescope after wanting one for years. Your vids have been been a fantastic help to jump into the hobby

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Congratulations on the house and the telescope! And thank you. I'm glad you are finding them helpful.

[@Dumpytrumpy2066]

I too have very strong memories, I’m going back to the Gemini and before, I remember thinking how sad the little monkeys looked but how smart they must be to fly a rocket!!!! Every new event about space still makes me incredibly excited!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Yes, me too. I got up at 5:00 am on Christmas morning to watch the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. My family said , "why didn't you just watch a video of it later?" I said I had to make sure the launch was successful!

[@beyondmastery]

Thank you, Tsula!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you for watching!

[@bofblog]

Great video, a lot of astronomers have similar beginnings, I first saw my Partial Solar Eclipse in 1968 as a young teen then Apollo 8 later that year..Still a Solar Astronomer and imager now but love visual too

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. I just fell in love with astronomy when we sent Neil Armstrong to the moon but it took me until this year to see my first total solar eclipse.

[@Nottsboy24]

A nice journey into the field of Astronomy 👌🔭

[@raulmunoz2296]

Thanks for share this experiences, its a beautiful process to became an amateur astronomer, not understood by everybody. Nice to see your historic telescopes. Greetings from Finland

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. Wow, Finland! Yes, studying the beautiful universe is a wonderful way to spend your time.

[@keithnisbet]

Tsula you're GREAT!!! just found your channel. I have lots to comment on but have to go right now. Will comment at length later. Thanks.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you! I look forward to your comments. Take care.

[@davidpomfret2295]

That was just fantastic. Your journey is so very similar to my own and brings me fond memories. From Stephen Hawking and Richard Feynman to Nico Carver. From naked eye to big dob. I love that you have the Whirlpool Galaxy on the screen in the background since I just took my first image of it last Friday with a small refractor and dslr from my backyard in the East Bay. You took that image didn't you?

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. Yes, I took that picture of the Whirlpool Galaxy. How did yours turn out?

[@davidpomfret2295]

@@tsulasbigadventures about the same as yours I think. Wish I could show you.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@davidpomfret2295 Do you use Dropbox or Google Drive or Flickr for your photos?

[@davidpomfret2295]

@@tsulasbigadventures Sorry no. Maybe I should. I have been either emailing or texting the images to a small group of friends.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@davidpomfret2295 Well, Google Drive is free though I never use it myself

[@billp3547]

Thank you. This brought back some wonderful memories for me too.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you, Bill.

[@JoeJaguar]

thanks for sharing your story

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks for watching, Joe.

[@suimin100]

Watched so many episode of your KZbin, deeply moved by your introduction. Hope to meet you some day in Montana. I am amateur bird and astro photographer. Suimin Qiu from Houston, Texas

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Suimin: Thank you so much. In addition to my love of astronomy, I am also an avid birder. I don't go birding nearly as much these days because I stay up so late at night when star gazing but my bird photos are way better than any astrophoto I have taken to date. Thanks for your kind comments.

[@matteveri9666]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I cannot wait for the next episode, greetings from Italy! :)

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you!

[@TevisC]

In some ways I disagree about waiting for imaging. I've gone full tech. Polar align, tell stellarmate where I want to go, and it plate solves and centers target in a few clicks, then IMAGE :D

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Tevis: That is certainly true for some people and you are obviously proof of that but I believe you are probably the exception and that many, many people jump in and buy expensive telescopes and mounts without learning the basic skills they need first and get completely frustrated and overwhelmed by it all and leave the telescope in the closet from then on. This was the audience I was targeting. But good for you for not being that person who abandoned this wonderful hobby and thank you for your perspective.

[@lornaz1975]

No astrophotography for me! Too expensive, too much time, too complicated. For me I had a science teacher introduce us to astronomy back in 1988. I bought a Tasco (trash) newtonian. After some while I fell out of it. I then ended up seeing something in the sky around 2010 which got be interested again but then fell out of it again. Then just before the pandemic on January 28th, 2020 I saw the conjunction of the Moon and Venus and be came interested once again. Being before the pandemic I was able to get my first scope, 10 in Zhumell dobsonian with no issues. I also got a few eyepieces and thought I was good to go. Later on I ran into the issues that you described with the shortages. I ordered a Skywatcher 100ed and a mount but the mount did not come in. It took months before I could get anything to mount it on. You are lucky to have gotten what you did especially the mount. I moved on from there getting other scopes and eyepieces. Now I would say I have too much astronomy equipment. Anyway, clear skies!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Yes, it can become habit forming and I too have accumulated a collection but I still love my 10 inch Dobsonian.

[@vosal4814]

love your videos, only problem is the microphone/some audio issues, hope you will fix it!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. I upgraded my audio since making this video to a better microphone. I hope it sounds better now.

[@mikehicks4411]

Done 😊

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

Like

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks!