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Astrophotography is a hobby like any other. People enjoy capturing their own images of the universe. Most hobbies with gear have setup costs and it's not unusu
by js2 4mo ago
Astrophotography is a hobby like any other. People enjoy capturing their own images of the universe.
Most hobbies with gear have setup costs and it's not unusual for that to be in the several thousand dollar range, and maintenance costs. $100-400/month for a hobby isn't all that much and it gives you exclusive access to your own scope in ideal skies that you can operate from your home.
- asxndu 4mo agoCool, makes sense.
- whartung 4mo agoI'm putting one of the modern "Smart Scopes" on my Christmas list this year. I had a friend with a 10" Meade with which not much happened. Just a bear to lug around and set up and mess with, not even including trying bumble through getting astrophotography started. But the new-ish Smart Scopes looks fun and accessible, so gonna see if I can get one of those to play with.
- js2 4mo agoI've had an 8" Celestron SCT since I spent my Bar Mitzvah money on it shortly after I got hooked on astronomy by Haley's comet. There were no smart scopes then and the Miami skies didn't lend themselves to astrophotography. Still, I tried. I still have that scope. It's on a wedge mount with motorized but manual tracking. Even an 8" is a pain to drag out and you really have to be dedicated because it turns out most folks don't have the patience to spend much time outside looking through a 1.25" eye piece. So when you drag it out, expect to be spending alone time with you and the sky. Still, I'm glad I have it. It's good for looking at the moon and planets, and the sun with correct filter. I still drag it out now and again. I'll never take the sorts of photos you can find easily on the internet. So I prefer to look at the universe with my own eyes. That's still exciting.