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[martyn2005]

Hi,

I just had a great night at Triton and my first real night of stargazing.

I have never used a telescope before and I'm reeling with having seen the moon as never before and (the icing on the cake) Jupiter and its moons! Exciting isn't the word.

I wanted to thank everyone who was there for making me feel so welcome and for offering advice and time, particularly Joe and John - it was greatly appreciated. If anyone is considering going to the Skywatch at Triton, I would recommend it without hesitation.

I've been interested in Astronomy for years but have never taken that next step - I think It's time to do that now.

Martyn

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Martyn!,

Welcome to the Chicago Astronomer family and for your first post. Ask anything you desire to know about astronomy and equipment, as we have quite a brain tank going on here. I'm learning new things all the time.

It was certainly our pleasure to meet you, answer questions and discuss astronomy. And that's what it is all about...sharing the love of the night sky. I invite you to join us in a session by the Adler soon as well. It's amazing what can be seen under the bright lights of the city. I post regular notices ahead of time...usually.

Tell us some more about yourself, your equipment and of your interest in astronomy.

See soon!

(How about that...the draw of the Chicago Astronomer is sooo great, that we register a new member within hours of meeting!.. ;D)

[electriceye]

Hello Martyn

Welcome Hiram Here i think i met you last night as well im the one with the orange 8 scope we talked for awile , is that you ?
good to see you join the forum im sure you'll get alot of this site good luck.


Hiram

[jglover]

martyn2005 said:

I wanted to thank everyone who was there for making me feel so welcome and for offering advice and time, particularly Joe and John - it was greatly appreciated. If anyone is considering going to the Skywatch at Triton, I would recommend it without hesitation.

No problem Martyn, glad you could make it. Any questions or you need any advice, just feel free to drop us an email or a message here. We'll all be glad to help out, plus I think everyone enjoys spending some one else's money! ;D

[martyn2005]

Hi all!

I thought I'd answer Joe's question first and tell you some more about myself.

I'm 36 and currently I'm studying English Literature at University in England (You may have detected a slight accent ;D). I'm getting married to Lori (who was with me at Triton) in September and I hope to move to Chicago permanently next summer - V exciting!

My interest in Astronomy, and other sciences e.g. Math, comes from the fact that my brain simply isn't built for science - I am definitely an English major! These subjects have always appeared exotic to me because of their complexities, I love to learn new things and science has always had an absorbing interest for me. My love of astronomy also stems from a childhood obsession with Sci-fi (which I've never lost) - that may be a heretical thing to say but it's a fact!

At the moment I don't own any equipment at all. I expected to be able to pick the brains of some knowledgeable people at Triton and I got more than I bargained for, so now I'm checking out websites for telescopes etc! If anyone has any advice on finding second hand telescopes I'd be grateful. John - you had mentioned Astromart.com? Unfortunately I had my account request refused, any advice on this?

I'm not sure if I met you Hiram, I tried to talk to everyone so I'm sure we must have chatted at some point. Which scope was yours? Strange question time - did you have a bulls T shirt on? If not I have totally the wrong person!!

I like your point about spending other people's money John - I'm usually good at that myself (ask Lori!) but now I'm on the end of it! ;D

I had a couple of other general questions - Joe you mentioned Adler nights, where would I look for the times and dates for those sessions? Also I return to University in September, would it be OK to keep in touch with people via the forum here during the Fall?

John - I think you said that there will be a meeting at Schaumberg on Saturday night, do you have any other info for that (or know where I can get it)?

Phew what a long post! That's what you get when you ask an English major to tell you about himself ;D. Anyway thanks so much for your comments and I'll look forward to meeting you all again soon

Martyn

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Martyn,

The Queens English lives on in these forums!

1. The official public Adler sessions are on the first Fridays of each month, starting around 6:30 pm till 10:00 pm. But...I usually set up right outside of the Adler with my own equipment on any given night, (taking into consideration time, motivation and weather.)

Info on Adler activities can be found on the Adler Board here on this forum, and I think I'll send out emails on my grand appearances... ;D

2. The Chicago Astronomer started humbly enough as just a way for local people to keep in touch with me and each other, after meeting them by the lakefront and enjoying an evening of astronomical talk. We started out as just a small handful of interested individuals, it took on a life of it's own, and now we have worldwide membership. So, yes...of course you can continue the relationship while you are abroad. I think it's quite cool to have different perspectives of the same skies from different parts of the world.

Others here will know better the way to Schaumburg, as I only have been there one time. Let's see if I make it this Saturday.

Now...I have to be especially careful of my writing in the presence of an English major!...

Great to have you aboard!...

[Maddad]

Martyn
Will your wift-to-be Lori show up on the board as well?

[martyn2005]

Joe

Thanks for that information, greatly appreciated.

As for the Queen's English - don't worry, just like most English majors I know more about Shakespeare than grammar!

See you soon
Martyn