What Age When You Started Star Gazing And Now?

[Mr Q]

I was 10 when I saw the first satellite Sputnick pass overhead and I've been hooked on the night sky since, at 64.

How about you???

[David Webb]

I was about 9 when my Dad bought his first telescope, we went out at night in Blackpool area, and had great nights, mum was a bit bored, but we all had good times to remember looking at the moon.

[Tim Chamberlain]

I think I must have been about 11 or 12 when I began to get interested in Astronomy. I had a small Tasco telescope through which I first saw the moons of Jupiter and the crescent of Venus. My sister also had a lodger at the time who I remember sent most of one summer out in the garden grinding his own telescope lens. I still have a fantastic pair of soviet bins which I was given when I was 11.

I drifted away from Astronomy for a number of years due to city life, light pollution, etc, but got back into it properly again last year. I began by re-reading one of my old astronomy books and had a chuckle at how many of the dates of forthcoming events in it had long since past - it's interesting too coming back to the hobby after such a long gap and realising how much has changed in that time!

[joe]

I started when I moved to Greenwich 15 years ago aged 35. I saw Jupiter through a Royal Observatory telescope while studying for the Astronomy GCSE.

[mike a feist]

First observation was of the Partial Solar Eclipse in 30th June 1954 when I was 10 years. And saw Comet Arend-Roland in binoculars in April 1957.
First telescope was a small Naval Leather+brass reflector which was mounted on a homemade wooden tripod with Meccano (by my father).
In the early 60s my father bought a brass ex-gov elbow telescope which was great and also acquired a 8.5 inch homemade concrete and metal reflector for which George Hole made a mirror.
The initial observing period was probably a little over a decade.
After this I left home, listened to Bob Dylan etc etc and finally settled down with bird-butterfly-wildflower-tree,moth watching etc.
Finally return in the late 80s to astronomy with Comets Halley, Bradfield ,Brorson-Metcalf etc. and early sightings of Mercury, eclipses etc. Now I am retired so in total about 40 years.
maf

[Ender Of Days]

I think it was Nov 1988 when the bug bit me,I'd had a few moments with Astronomy before that but its when I got my first 35mm camera (still got it)
I'd have been 19 year old,
I'm now just shy of 43 and still as interested,

JJ..

[Steve Young]

I have had a serious interest since early teenage years. However I did not get to look through a reasonable scope untill aged 57.

That's a heck of a wait for clear skies!

Cheers
Steve

[Paul Freeman]

I first became interested in astronomy when I was about seven or eight years old.Around 1958 Brooke Bond Tea introduced a series of 50 cards in their tea packets called 'Out Into Space' which I managed to collect. A few years later, when I was about thirteen my sister bought me a copy of The Observers Book of Astronomy by Patrick Moore for Christmas. I remember looking through it that evening; going outside, finding Orion straight away, using those stars in the belt as pointers to Sirius and Aldebaran, and I've been looking up ever since!

Regards,

Paul.

[sands]

I did my first drawing of the moon in 1957 (and still have it!) aged 9 (mine not the moons),now 64 and still going.

[jb1970]

I became interested in astronomy at around age 7 or so when I found an old encyclopedia. Had my first telescope when I was 13. My interest has fluctuated over the years until about 7 years ago when I started picking up the magazines again. I'm now 42.

[jb1970]

I did my first drawing of the moon in 1957 (and still have it!) aged 9 (mine not the moons),now 64 and still going.

I used to love drawing the moon as a kid but regret throwing away all my pics at some point over the years.