Aside From Coins, Do You Have Any Other Hobbies?

Sweet light bucket you got yourself there. A 10 inch dobsonian is no joke. You should be able to see Neptune and Uranus quite easily with it, and the rings of Saturn should really come alive with that huge telescope.

Personally, Im going to stay small and easily portable. My plan is to eventually get a 6 inch schmidt-cassegrain telescope for observing deep sky objects and Neptune and Uranus as well. The beauty of the cassegrain telescope design is that you get telescopes capable of very high magnifications in a very small and compact package. My philosophy is that the easier it is to drag out and set up, the more it will get used, and the harder it is to carry outside and assemble, the less it will be used. Therefore I prefer lighter telescopes even if the views are not as great as the huge light buckets.

I will also get a solid tripod and 15x70 binoculars for those nights I dont want to drag a telescope out and need something that's easy to set up...and I'll probably delegate my current 4.5 inch Orion Starblast telescope for light field duty, such as to drag once in a while to the astronomical observatory on Saturdays for the star parties, or to take on the road to state or federal parks for night astronomy in dark sky conditions. And naturally my new 7x50 binoculars will be hanging around my neck when the scopes or larger binoculars come out, as it will allow me to get wide field views of the sky to decide where I want to point my telescopes or larger binocular to.

 

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Would you please explain what is magnet fishing and meteorite hunting ? I am not aware of these hobbies.

 

I have been involved in astronomy since I was nine years old. I originally went to college for astronomy. I have owned refractors, Newtonians and I still own a 4" SCT that I bought 30 years ago. The SCT's have their own issues and so do refractors. I have looked through C-14's, the 40" Lowell refractor, and numerous other scopes over the years.

I am intimately familiar with everything you stated and because of it, I bought a Dob. If I thought an SCT was superior to a Dob, I would have spent the money. But they aren't. They have significant trade-offs vs a simple Newt (such as poorer contrast and slow cool down times and the big ones are just as heavy.)

As far as usability.....the Dob weighs about 25lbs for the tube and 25lbs for the base. Quite light for an average adult.

go to cloudynights.com You will learn more about scopes then you will ever care to know.

 

Thanks for the tip. Although I've always liked astronomy, I've only been interested in sky watching for a few months. I'm still a little confused over the whole dobsonian vs. schmidt-cassegrain vs. maksutov, etc. There's a lot to take in for a beginner.

I'm just glad I at least bought a dobsonian with a larger than 4 inch aperture, instead of a 60mm refractor telescope, or smaller (which is a typical newbie mistake.). My first choice might be far from the best out there, but considering all the pitfalls I think I did relatively decent. I do want either a 6 or 8 inch telescope eventually, and one that is computerized for quick work of the sky, but I would like it to be as light as possible too to encourage me to drag it out as often as the opportunity presents itself. I have a lot of research to do on that before buying.

Ease of travel and convenience is always important as I'd like to start dragging out my scopes and binoculars to the Fox observatory in Broward County on occasion for the public stargazing events, plus it's also nice to be able to take one's telescope to a friend's house to share the hobby. I did that the other night and carrying the 12 pounds of equipment for my 4.5 dobsonian to the car, taking it out again and assembling it at my friend's house, was so easy that even a child could do it. I might not feel the same way if it was 70 or 80 pounds of equipment

 

@Aethelred , this thread you created has become a classic and never gets old. Anyway, I just remembered another of my past hobbies. I still check out items that become available from dealers in militaria but I have not purchased any more for a number of years. I still keep this collection however and have no plans to sell it.

Imperial Japanese medals of the Sino-Japanese War

 

I have owned a 6" Newt and believe me when I say you want an 8 for your next scope. Plus the prices for 8's are probably the best $ per inch. If I lived in dark skies, I would be in trouble, because I would own a 24" dob and a step ladder.

Astronomy related coin...since I try to follow the rules


ISLAMIC, Seljuks. Rum

Ghiyath al-Din Kay Khusraw II bin Kay Qubadh. AH 634-644 / AD 1237-1246. AR Dirham (23mm, 2.94 g, 5h). Sivas mint. Dated 638 (AD 1240/1). Broome 274Dv(ii)c; cf. Izmirlier 457 (for type) Album 1218; ICV 1340

Between 638 and 641 A.H. (ca. 1240 to 1243) a series of remarkable silver dirhams were struck in Kaykhusraws name at Sivas and Konya depicting a lion and sun. While coins with images are not unknown in Islamic lands, particularly in the centuries following the Crusades, some Islamic traditions forbid representations of living things.

Several explanations of the lion and sun have been offered. One suggests that the images represent the constellation Leo, the astrological sign of Kaykhusraw's beloved Georgian wife Tamar. Another says that the lion represents Kaykhusraw and the sun Tamar. CNG 405 lot 663 9/6/17

 

Good idea, and a wonderful choice of coin.



And thanks again for the advise. I really appreciate any advise I can get from veteran sky watchers. It has been a steep learning curve, but I finally seem to have a lot of the basic accessories and star charts one needs and I'm learning to use it all. However, I still have a lot to learn about telescopes and other equipment. It's amazing just how much stuff there is out there.

 

Does anybody like baseball????
And yes, it is absolutely authentic.

 

@Curtisimo Calatrava also designed a bridge for us here in Redding CA. We call it the Sundial Bridge:

 

rocks, but one of my fav's except coins is making necklaces and bracelets out of hardware, circuit boards etc.

 

same here.
Five guitars on the wall not getting played. Sad really.
Kayaking, hiking, natural sciences.
Tropical fish.
And I'm about one tropical plant away from being clinical OCD.

 

Sure. Magnet fishing is very simple. You need a good neodymium (earth) magnet and an extremely strong and long rope tied to the loop. Go to any body of water and throw it in. You'd be surprised what you can pull up.
Meteorite hunting is just a matter of affixing 2 or 3 small neodymium (earth) magnets to a 4-5 ft. wooden stick or pole. Research meteors and areas where meteors have been known to fall. The meteorites will stick to the magnets. Be careful, though. Some rocks have iron in them, but they are not true meteorites. Have fun!!

 

United States Stamps including Regular Issues, Air Mails, Special Delivery, Parcel Post in new un-used, original gum, never hinged. I have collected coins, stamps and comics since I was about 8. (60 years)

 

United States Stamps including Regular Issues, Air Mails, Special Delivery, Parcel Post in new un-used, original gum, never hinged. I have collected coins, stamps and comics since I was about 8. (60 years)

 

United States Stamps including Regular Issues, Air Mails, Special Delivery, Parcel Post in new un-used, original gum, never hinged. I have collected coins, stamps and comics since I was about 8. (60 years)

 

United States Stamps including Regular Issues, Air Mails, Special Delivery, Parcel Post in new un-used, original gum, never hinged. I have collected coins, stamps and comics since I was about 8. (60 years)

 

Welcome to the neighborhood @dc98312 !
Did you post this from a cell phone? It often happens that duplicate posts occur when using a phone. Don't ask me why. I use a desktop.

Chris

 

Nice find on the megalodon tooth Lord M!

 

I think you collect US stamps, but I'm not sure. Tell me again.