The universe is AMAZING!
A couple of years ago we got a hand-me-down telescope (Tasco 3TRB, D=3" F=700mm ...online says it's rather rubbish, but it's better than nothing). From the research I've done tonight, I'm pretty sure it's a Newtonian Reflecting telescope; the lens to peer through is near the far end of the telescope (rather than the one nearer the ground) and it's
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I totally understand your excitement. When I was a child my dad was very into astronomy - along with a number of things he picked up and put down over the years (he was that kind of man) - and he bought a wonderful telescope when we still lived in London.
Of course with the city light and the smog we never saw much of anything in the night sky there, so to suddenly be able to see the pock marks on the moon was magical. I remember one night being able to see the soft brush of the rings of Saturn across the planet surface - unbelievable.
I still LOVE stargazing. In the summer in Essex, my mum would drive us out to Abberton Reservoir, where there are no lights for miles around, and we would lie on the bonnet of the car (hood) and stare up in wonder at the wash of the milky way. Just absolutely breathtakingly awe inspiring.
I SO know where you are coming from.
Btw, the up-down left-right problems you have amused me as my husband is exactly the same :)
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I grew up in the country with dark skies and beautiful views of thousands of stars that sometimes looked like you could TOUCH them. I miss that, living in a city now. I've stargazed all my life...the only one in my family to linger outside and identify constellations...but I never had used a telescope before. For a LONG time, my vision was too poor and I couldn't see through telescopes or microscopes because of the distance back that was involved in looking into the lens through my glasses. Even when I had contacts....didn't work right.
So tonight was magical in all KINDS of ways, not least of which is that I've LOVED seeing these things all my life and have never gotten to see them magnified in anything other than photos.
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I took an astronomy class in college and thoroughly enjoyed it. If it weren't for the math and the fact it's hard to get a job as an astronomer, I would have studied that more intensely.
I miss the sky in Southeast Missouri. We lost the street lamp on the night of the 4th of July, so it was almost pitch black even in Oak Ridge then (a few house lights, including from Mom's place, disturbed the darkness a bit). But I used to drive outside of town just to look at the stars.
I miss that, too.
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