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Telescope Depression
(This story has been continued "forward" from Page 8.)
the telescope blues because your scope isn't the biggest or the best.
Since I think the importance of a new telescope to a beginner is for teaching astronomy, let me spell out what you will be learning. Because beginners are asking and finding answers to so many questions, some of the skills needed for amateur observing are lost in the shuffle. Here is my list of what you are learning with your first telescope. It's really a very, very big list, which is why it took me almost five years to move on to the next phase, without ever finishing the list.
Questions for beginning astronomers to ask
What is amateur astronomy?
How do I learn all about telescopes and telescope equipment?
How do I use a telescope?
How do I find objects in the sky with a telescope?
Where am I located in relation to the entire universe?
What about commercial manufacturers and products for amateur astronomy?
Do I have any lasting interest in astronomy?
Where can I observe?
What about amateur astronomy organizations and people?
What sorts of amateur astronomy magazines, books, websites, and other resources are available?
Do I like observing?
What is the meaning of life in our universe?
What are the history and politics of astronomy?
What is the science of astronomy?
Yes, that new telescope is a gateway to the entire universe. If you meet someone with a bigger or better telescope, don't get depressed. There is always a bigger and better telescope! It's not important how big or how good your telescope is judged to be by others. It is only important whether it does well in the job for which you use it. Whenever you get a new telescope, even after you have a lot of experience, the first thing you do is learn with it. Get all the learning you can. It's the quest in amateur astronomy that's the lasting enjoyment and holds your interest, not having the biggest or best tele- scope.
Where is my first telescope? It's teaching someone else about amateur astronomy. To quote an observer more experienced than I, "In this hobby, we don't pass the torch. We pass the telescope."
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