7 Common Mistakes Made by Beginning Amateur Astronomers

Hopefully this will help you avoid common mistakes and get you on your feet more quickly.

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[metalsoft]

#1 Not ask for your wife permission before bringing a telescope home! Lol. Nice video Ed as always!

[BruceElliott]

When I got into astronomy last year I was convinced that I had no interest in astrophotography and expected to be doing only visual observation. That changed when I put my cell phone up against the eyepiece so that I could show my wife later what I'd been seeing: a dim wispy bit of gray that I knew was the Orion Nebula. What I got instead was a color image with reds and blues that I could never see with my eye. Since I am older (now 60) and I can't escape light pollution without driving at least two hours, I'm starting to see AP more as a way of enhancing my observation than as a way to produce great images. Fortunately for me, I was already familiar with many of the concepts of visual astronomy, so the increased learning curve isn't too bad - that wouldn't be true for everyone.

[danielboyar]

I would add one other common mistake: not familiarizing oneself with the use of the telescope before using it in the dark (night time). A beginner can learn a lot about how to use a telescope by practicing with it in the daytime to view distant land objects. It is a lot of fun and in doing so, one learns how to point a scope, use a finder, focusing, positioning the eye, adjusting the mount to center an object, and the effect of using different eyepieces/magnifications. Also, I suggest the use of a chair to be comfortably seated and setting up the telescope around sunset to make the moon a first target. Dan B., FL

[mj]

Great advice. Aperture fever is another mistake. Bigger isn’t always better, the best scope is the one you actually use, not the behemoth sitting in your house collecting dust.

[davidstaiti]

Ed, I'm 45 and getting back into astronomy with my own kids, after having been away from the hobby myself since high school!

I just bought a Celestron 8se as a family Christmas present because both my teenage daughters independently asked for a telescope!

I've been devouring your videos to reacquaint myself with a hobby I love as a young man in the late 80s and early 90s.

Thanks so much for the great videos!

[lowellmccormick]

Dark skies and altitude are everything. My favorite observing site was New Mexico Skies back when they were taking guests. 7400' elevation with perfect transparency. The details in galaxies was incredible. I encourage everyone to get out to dark skies in the SW when you have the opportunity. The Grand Canyon Star Party is a great event to consider. You don't have to bring a telescope, there's a parking lot full of telescopes for you to look thru.

[Michaelcaba]

Ed, as usual, excellent video. One thing I wish I had done was to follow the advice to start with binoculars. Like most, I just had to get a scope, and it was fun looking at Saturn's rings with said scope. Yet, I also had some binoculars, and I noticed that if I mounted them on a tripod, well, I could see a lot of stuff. As time went by, the binoculars began to be used more and more. Easy to set up, portable, and lots of Messier objects to view! Then, one day my wife said: "You don't use your telescope anymore." Over the years, I have learned to listen to my extra brain, that is, to my wife. So, bingo, the light went on and I sold my big scope, my auto mount, my extra mount, my eyepieces, my this, my that, etc., etc. etc. Now, for my personal observing I just have two principles which are: (1) portability and (2) quality. I now have some high quality binoculars, and one lightweight 80mm APO with two good eyepieces; plus a few accessories. I use the scope to see Saturn's rings and a few other things, but the binos are my main tool. It helps that I volunteer at an observatory, so if I need something big I am set. But your advice to join a club can fill this need. Astro buffs love to show off their stuff! That's my story and I am sticking to it! (NOTE: APM binoculars are, in my view, an excellent option if you want to pursue the hobby over the long run; but starting with, say, Celestron binos for under a $100 ia a great option to begin with. Finally, I think binos in the range of 15 - 20 power with 70mm - 80mm aperture are the best overall; but, a 7x50 handheld is nice to have to see something really quick, and a mid power of 10x50 on a tripod is a nice addition too.)

[Mrcloc]

For $150 for a beginner, depending on size requirements, it's very difficult to beat a 4.5" 900mm reflector on an alt-az mount. I also say a good travel scope, like a 70mm f/5.7 refractor is excellent for a beginner. These scopes are cheap enough and useful enough to keep well after you have upgraded.

I'm also going to say a dobsonian is not the ideal beginner telescope, unless you know exactly what you want. Being as big as they are, they are intimidating, and hefty, and when you don't know the sky that well, you might never feel like taking the heavy thing out after a long day, just to look at the same 3 things you did last time. Time under the sky is the most important thing in my opinion, so whatever is going to get you outside the most is the best.

[messier]

One usual mistake our customers make when enquiring is they ask about taking photos before even looking through the eyepiece. Another mistake some make is thinking there is nothing else in the night sky other than the Moon and Jupiter to look at, get bored and sell a few months later, saying used once and no longer needed. Great video

[togray]

I'm guilty of several of these rookie mistakes. That was 40 years ago. Having information available at the touch of a key has helped more than anything. Anyone else remember searching for information and having to wait for its arrival in the mail or at the library?

[mzmagister]

Ed, you are my best discovery regarding getting started in astronomy. Thanks a lot from Switzerland!

[NatarajanGanesan]

Probably #1 comes close. I nearly made that up by joining a few online groups in social media and I never regretted it. I learnt so much that even today I consider myself past the beginner stage.

Of late coming across such wonderful channels in YouTube such as yours has been another boon.

My equipment are a measley 60mm apo refractor, which I bought after a lot of thought, an EQ-1 mount with motor (pretty worn), and my Canon T3.

A departmental store gift was one I used for a long time and extracted the max out of it. Binoculars and apps on my phone to find my way in the night skies have been my long time friend.

I could go on ... Great video

[davidrichardson]

Keep up the great work. You are saving a lot of people a lot of pain and hopefully helping them enjoy astronomy a lot more!

[kelrico]

Thank you! This helps me a lot as I am truly a beginner with a brand new 8" Dobsonian. :)

[kathrynkenyon]

THANK YOU SO MUCH...14 year old just put her t-scope she got for Christmas together last night. I helped her...never could focus on anything or see anything. The scope was a cheap lil child's toy. Now I can pass this info on to her family. I learned a lot too. 🖖🌌

[flechettedart]

Thank you a lot. I am just following the steps and not overspending neither time nor a dime. Love space!!!

[ohwell]

After being in astronomy for well over 20 years finally bought a svbony 105 and a 305 very reasonably priced astro cameras. Being my adventure into photos and even using them for nearby mountains too. Just getting into the software and watching many people on utube to lessen the learning curve. And by the way I am 76 and enjoy your channel. Look up 3 inch tasco Darrell Grisham journal of double stars 2008 . Have fun keep learning and clear skys from Kingman AZ

[UserMum]

I remember those first dim observations, I was blown away. It was way better than any google pictures

[kayinoue]

My first learning on stargazing came from a hand-me down book of star-charts from a middle-school teacher of mine who happened to be a part of our local astronomy club in Massachusetts. That simple spiral-bound, 1980s-printed and patina'd guide to the night sky was my ticket to ride. I cannot pverstate how important it is to keep it simple so you absorb as much of the joy of the experience as possible. Cool gear and fancy scopes come with time and experience. And ASK QUESTIONS!

[bradwickersham]

Absolutely the best advice I have heard. Covid gave me the opportunity to get a scope and start looking. A 6" table top works great for me. I would like to have something more but for my location and lifestyle it is the right choice. Bigger I wouldn't have time for. Smaller I wouldn't be happy with. As a newbie the only thing I would add to your list is to have realistic expectations. Astrophotography shows you things you won't see with the naked eye. And a lot of what you see in advertising is Astrophotography. And practice. The saying that you can't grow a beard in a day applies to this study very well. It takes time.