[jamil5454]

I've got some extra cash lying around, and I want to get something constructive that'll keep entertained for years. I've always had a interest in space and nature, so I was thinking a telescope would be a good idea.

Maybe one of those computer-controlled ones would be nice. I've got about $1000 to spend.

Is anyone here into astronomy? If so, how did you take your first steps? Good Mac-compatible software?

[meelk]

id get a digital SLR with my imaginary grand.

you live in downtown austin, I cant help but think your light pollution is so bad that your view would be horrible.

[blackbird_1.0]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

I've got some extra cash lying around, and I want to get something constructive that'll keep entertained for years. I've always had a interest in space and nature, so I was thinking a telescope would be a good idea.

Maybe one of those computer-controlled ones would be nice. I've got about $1000 to spend.

Is anyone here into astronomy? If so, how did you take your first steps? Good Mac-compatible software?

Starry Night Pro?

[starman]

Starry Night Pro rocks.

THere are SO many good telescopes out there. I still have this sh*tty one from the 70's. It's heavy, needs alignment, I really, REALLY need to get a new one.

A warning about the computer controlled ones - make sure that unless it has its own control pad, that it'll work with a Mac. Generally, Starry Night Pro will work with SOME telescopes, but not all.

I've been putting off getting a new one for a while. Maybe it's time I got a new one also.

[Gator Lager]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

I've got some extra cash lying around, and I want to get something constructive that'll keep entertained for years. I've always had a interest in space and nature, so I was thinking a telescope would be a good idea.

Maybe one of those computer-controlled ones would be nice. I've got about $1000 to spend.

Is anyone here into astronomy? If so, how did you take your first steps? Good Mac-compatible software?

ok it's not software, but you can use it to track orbital events.
http://www.heavens-above.com/
I use it to track the orbits of the space shuttle and ISS. hopefully you'll find it useful.

[Charles Bouldin]

Originally Posted by Gator Lager

ok it's not software, but you can use it to track orbital events.
http://www.heavens-above.com/
I use it to track the orbits of the space shuttle and ISS. hopefully you'll find it useful.

Heavens Above tracks Iridium flares. These are VERY bright, very short flashes of light that come from the Iridium global cell phone relay satellites. My understanding is the antenna are great mirrors. I've seen a few of these, and it's amazing....a flash of light that looks like Venus, but much brighter.

These are hard to see. You must put in your exact lattitude and longitude, and use an accurate watch, and then look in the right part of the sky at exactly the right time. The flares last 1-3 seconds, at least the bright ones.

I am not entirely sure that the Iridium satellites are all still operational and that the flares still work. If the satellites (or some of them) are now tumbling.....no flares. However, this is -free-, and it's amazing to take your friends out, point to the right location in the sky, do a countdown and see this bright flash.

[residentEvil]

The new Meade ETX Premiers are nice; I'm hoping to pick one up soon myself:

http://www.meade.com/etx_premier/index.html

It will level itself and find the north star with just your zip code. Pretty idiot proof

[Dr.Michael]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

I've got some extra cash lying around, and I want to get something constructive that'll keep entertained for years. I've always had a interest in space and nature, so I was thinking a telescope would be a good idea.

Maybe one of those computer-controlled ones would be nice. I've got about $1000 to spend.

Is anyone here into astronomy? If so, how did you take your first steps? Good Mac-compatible software?

Where is the fun in buying everthing?

Imagine what you do with a computer controlled telecope: type a target, let the computer do the rest, have a look (huh?), type the next target etc. Boring after some hours.

So invest your money in a great telecope (mirror, high quality optics) with a first class mounting (this is underestimated - a wind shaken telescope is no fun, a telecope that has to be moved around two axes is no fun either). And start with manual adjustments. Understand what you are doing and then - add the motors and gears and write the software yourself!

Do you want to take photographs? Most objects are so faint that NOT taking photographs lets you see near to nothing. Then it is pointless to build software yourself because developing the right technology to take great photos will keep you busy. Also a good camera and developing kit has to be included in the budget. But, a bad software and a low quality motor drive will result in low quality pictures.

My experience is: the more you buy, the higher is the frustration (because it does not work as expected) and the shorter is the fun. But a high quality optics and a stable mounting are the essentials. Those are the things you cannot improve yourself.

I started as a hobby astronomer when I was 12. We did a lot of development at school (build our own house for the school telescope etc.). The fun was always planning new observations and building the equipment. This is in principle what I still do. In the meantime I studied physics and astronomy and work for the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory. Its fun to build instruments (for satellites and the vlt) and improve them until the measurements are great and accurate. Then things become routine (find new targets, measure) and require a staff of scientists to make models and try to understand the measurements. Thats far beyond a hobby. But building and refining can be done on every level and it will improve your skills and knowledge and it can be fun for decades (I am 41 now and it is still fun ;o).

(Uh, one more thing: it would be something to really USE your mac and not only play games and surf the web like all the others.)

[starman]

Wow. Preach much?

[Dr.Michael]

Originally Posted by starman

Wow. Preach much?

pardon?

[jamil5454]

Originally Posted by Dr.Michael

Where is the fun in buying everthing?

Imagine what you do with a computer controlled telecope: type a target, let the computer do the rest, have a look (huh?), type the next target etc. Boring after some hours.

So invest your money in a great telecope (mirror, high quality optics) with a first class mounting (this is underestimated - a wind shaken telescope is no fun, a telecope that has to be moved around two axes is no fun either). And start with manual adjustments. Understand what you are doing and then - add the motors and gears and write the software yourself!

Do you want to take photographs? Most objects are so faint that NOT taking photographs lets you see near to nothing. Then it is pointless to build software yourself because developing the right technology to take great photos will keep you busy. Also a good camera and developing kit has to be included in the budget. But, a bad software and a low quality motor drive will result in low quality pictures.

My experience is: the more you buy, the higher is the frustration (because it does not work as expected) and the shorter is the fun. But a high quality optics and a stable mounting are the essentials. Those are the things you cannot improve yourself.

I started as a hobby astronomer when I was 12. We did a lot of development at school (build our own house for the school telescope etc.). The fun was always planning new observations and building the equipment. This is in principle what I still do. In the meantime I studied physics and astronomy and work for the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory. Its fun to build instruments (for satellites and the vlt) and improve them until the measurements are great and accurate. Then things become routine (find new targets, measure) and require a staff of scientists to make models and try to understand the measurements. Thats far beyond a hobby. But building and refining can be done on every level and it will improve your skills and knowledge and it can be fun for decades (I am 41 now and it is still fun ;o).

(Uh, one more thing: it would be something to really USE your mac and not only play games and surf the web like all the others.)

I do live in Austin, but my parents live in Katy out on a farm, so I'd keep my telescope there. I was looking at the Orion XT10 (or XT8), and I think it would be a great investment.

Hmm... building a tracking system myself seems like an interesting prospect; it would be a good project to do for my CE graduation. But what I'm ultimately interested in is the celestial objects themselves, not the equipment used to see them, although I do like fiddling with things.

It would be nice to go to grad school for a PhD in theoretical physics, or work at NASA.

Oh, and don't worry about me using my Mac for games and surfing. I use my iBook for school and a little web development for a friend, and my PC for all my unimportant computer usage.

[jamil5454]

Originally Posted by starman

Starry Night Pro rocks.

THere are SO many good telescopes out there. I still have this sh*tty one from the 70's. It's heavy, needs alignment, I really, REALLY need to get a new one.

A warning about the computer controlled ones - make sure that unless it has its own control pad, that it'll work with a Mac. Generally, Starry Night Pro will work with SOME telescopes, but not all.

I've been putting off getting a new one for a while. Maybe it's time I got a new one also.

I downloaded the Starry Night 10-day trial, and it's pretty awesome software. I was able to go outside last night at 10:43 exactly and expect to see a low-orbit satellite to the N-NW, which I did.

Only question - I haven't been able to find any telescopes that would actually interface with a computer (Mac). All the computerized ones tend to have just a control pad. I kind of want something more flexible.

Also, I'm trying to decide whether to get a subscription to Astronomy or Sky & Telescope. The information in those magazines should help me as I start out on this.

[starman]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

I downloaded the Starry Night 10-day trial, and it's pretty awesome software. I was able to go outside last night at 10:43 exactly and expect to see a low-orbit satellite to the N-NW, which I did.

Only question - I haven't been able to find any telescopes that would actually interface with a computer (Mac). All the computerized ones tend to have just a control pad. I kind of want something more flexible.

Also, I'm trying to decide whether to get a subscription to Astronomy or Sky & Telescope. The information in those magazines should help me as I start out on this.

It's been a while since I researched interfacing Macs with scopes. So long in fact that I think I was using Mac OS 9.

Both magazines are good. I've had on-and-off subscriptions to both of them for God knows how many years. But when I get one, I get the other. I find them both to be very good.

[Dr.Michael]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

Also, I'm trying to decide whether to get a subscription to Astronomy or Sky & Telescope. The information in those magazines should help me as I start out on this.

Good idea. These are indeed magazines, where you may find educated reviews for telescopes and equipment (or online).

[Y3a]

The problem with getting an expensive telescope is that after 2-3 years you've seen all the planets, the moon, sun, all the popular clusters, nebulae and galaxies etc. You may even see a comet or three. THEN WHAT?? things stay pretty much the same except the rings of saturn and the moons around some of the larger planets. For enjoyment and astonishment, make sure it's at LEAST 6" diameter objective lens, either lens or mirror. You can get a used Celestron C8, or Meade 8-10" for about $1K.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

I've got some extra cash lying around, and I want to get something constructive that'll keep entertained for years. I've always had a interest in space and nature, so I was thinking a telescope would be a good idea.

Maybe one of those computer-controlled ones would be nice. I've got about $1000 to spend.

Is anyone here into astronomy? If so, how did you take your first steps? Good Mac-compatible software?

Start with a good pair of binoculars and learn the sky that way (7x50 are ideal). You may even want to get a tripod and simple mount for them, so get a pair with a binocular mount. Starting this way really makes a difference. Most of the folks who start out with one of those computer-controlled scopes end up leaving the hobby pretty quickly. There are some things, too (the Double Cluster, for example) that only really look good in binoculars.

If you learn to identify the sky yourself (it takes time) you'll have more fun with it, I promise.

As for scopes, when you're ready, get the biggest scope that you can afford, and keep in mind that 1) good eyepieces are extra, 2) portability is probably a factor. The big light buckets (Dobson scopes) are cheap for the amount of aperture that you get, but they're hard to move around. The little Meade goto scopes are cute, and computerized, but you can get more for your money. The scope I use most often is a ETX 90RA, the manual version of the newer models, because it's small and easy to move around. My 8" scope gets out three or four times per year, max. A good compromise is a 6" Maksutov with three or four good eyepieces. Not too small, not too expensive.

But the key is to learn about the sky beforehand. There is no substitute.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

I do live in Austin, but my parents live in Katy out on a farm, so I'd keep my telescope there. I was looking at the Orion XT10 (or XT8), and I think it would be a great investment.
.

That would be a good investment given their location. Get a couple of really wide angle eyepieces (40s or 50s) and the view should be spectacular. Big Texas skies -- I was out that way last week, and the view was great.

[jamil5454]

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I'll probably go with Sky & Telescope and a good pair of binoculars to start with.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I'll probably go with Sky & Telescope and a good pair of binoculars to start with.

Excellent magazine. Astronomy Magazine is good, too, but it's not as focused on home astronomy as Sky & Telescope. Keep an eye out for their product reviews. It's a very Mac friendly magazine.

[KeyLimePi]

I secretly want the SkyScout. It's a small handheld; point it at an object in the night sky and identifies it. Very cool.