I started a new hobby on or about the 9th of December 2021 and have progressed for a new stargazer as well as I can with a Celestron Starsense Explorer LT 80mm Refractor Telescope and an iPhone 1st gen SE, and a SVBony SV105 Camera and some filters.
I have developed a vocabulary of the hobby through the YouTube videos of like-minded individuals who enjoy what they do and how they do it.
New words for me: Zenith, Seeing, Clarity, Optics, Trackers, Dobsonian, Refractor, Reflector, SVBony, Light Bucket, Focal Length, Aperture, Celestron, Orion, Stacker Software, Polaris, and much more.
So far I have recorded some great shots of the Moon and some OK shots of Jupiter and some of it’s Moons.
When the weather blocks my stargazing, I take shots of the Birds near our Bird feeder including Ravens, Woodpeckers, Robins, Finches, Quail, Sparrows galore, and a few that are stranger to me. Fun fun fun.
I’m a Super Amateur and I know that too well.
I’m a little creative and have fun when time allows.
Some people raise and compete with Dogs.
Some people are into livestock.
Some people reload ammunition.
Some people raise chickens.
Some people play in virtual worlds.
My current world is focused on the Moon and the Stars and what a lovely backdrop I have to make YouTube videos since all of my trees were harvested for the PG&E remunerations to pay for the fire damages.
I’ve turned Lemons into Lemonade, (i.e. Lost home to campfire and now have a new studio as humble as it is to view the night sky, birds and landscapes including the Hills.)
I was walking a couple of miles a day, but somehow I hyperextended a tendon in my right foot that affects my entire right leg and cries out when I try to walk through the pain.
So now I live in a world of leg cramps, air leg compressors and percussion vibrators to force the blood into the areas that need healing.
As I receive new things and try to make videos of them for reviews and information sharing on YouTube.
Hopefully I will monetize but that remains to be seen.
It all gets down to the quality of my work and my likability.
Let’s hope I don’t intimidate but elucidate and spread some fun in the process.
George
OK, I have all of this equipment, now it is Sep 14th, 2023 and I have not had the time or inclination to get my stuff out in the yard and observe the universe.
I have so many unfinished projects that take a priority to my hobby, including a new hobby, resurecting an old past time, playing the electric guitar.
So I invested in a Paul Reid Smith Dragon Fruit Malaysian made Silversky SE with a 20 amp Tweed Artisan amp, a Donavan Looper and a Roland BD-2W (WAZA) pedals.
I now have a workout bench for working the core.
My biggest project is #Solar, #Ecoworthy_5000_Watt_Inverter All-In-One and #BougeRV_40amp_Solar_Charge_Controller(s) meaning more to come. I have 24 x #195_Watt_Solar_Panels mounting on #Ecoworthy_Trackers. Which involves building/installing a Power Shack to house to equipment. Each tracker will have it’s own BougeRC controller to focus on available Sun not in the shadows.
A year later. Stargazing seems better in winter for me. I have had a lot of life events happen in the last year. Neglecting this blog wasn’t my intention but has become a reality.
If I were to do everything over again I would get the best Cannon or Nikon I could afford with a telephoto Lense and a star tracker stand.
I have since moved on to an iPhone 11 and am very pleased that I did. Still can’t catch those one of a kind photos of the moon and the stars with this power of Telescope.
Found out that my foot problem is planter fasciitis and ordered some shoe inserts to support the arches and move the weight forward onto the front of my foot more than the back of my foot. Now I can at least walk. In case you want to know who makes them it’s POWER STEP by Pinnacle. Neutral Arch.