Hello I’m Steve, (PlymouthAstroBoy), and welcome to my blog for people new to astronomy and astrophotography; I’m a beginner too.
In this
first blog post, a 5-minute read, I will
· Introduce myself
· Summarise how I have ended up writing
this blog
· Outline briefly its intended aims and
content
1.
Who am I?
I don't know
about you, but I always like to know a little about the people whose blogs I
read. So, this is a little about me. You can skip over it, ignore it completely,
read it in depth. Whatever works for you.
My Google
profile says
“A retired Welshman displaced to wonderful Plymouth in SW
England, I am a family man, former teacher, novice sailor and boat builder,
astrophotographer and motorhomer. With a passion for all things to do with
education, the sea and the skies above, I’ve a sense of adventure and an innate
curiosity. I write three blogs. ‘Arwen’s Meanderings’ charted my learning to
sail a self-built John Welsford designed ‘Navigator’ yawl. Look out for her
accompanying YouTube channel www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy and regular
contributions to the print magazine ‘Dinghy Cruising Journal’ as well as
various on-line sailing blogs. ‘UnderSouthWestSkies’ follows my learning
journey as I take up new hobbies - astronomy and astrophotography; so, a blog
for beginner’s new to these hobbies, just like me. ‘Wherenexthun’, a co-written
blog with my wife Maggie, shares how we ‘newbie motorhomers’ get to grips with
owning ‘Bryony’ an ‘Autosleeper’s Broadway EB’ motorhome, and explores our
adventures in her traveling the UK and other parts of Europe”.
1.
Why am I writing a new blog on astronomy and
astrophotography?
A
combination of factors led to this moment! Retiring early from teaching,
purchasing ‘Bryony’; selling my beloved dinghy ‘Arwen’. All that stargazing whilst on motorhome sites
scattered across the country got me thinking! Then unable to escape far during
the covid lockdowns, my garden became my refuge – more time under night skies
and time to develop my skills in photography. I needed some new hobbies as I
was no longer sailing; astronomy and astrophotography seemed perfect contenders.
I don’t know
about you, but starting any new hobby can be overwhelming. Starting two –
astronomy AND astrophotography, definitely is. Throw in that I’ve only just
mastered the basics of my canon 800D DSLR, and you can see that my current
learning journey is exponential! I may have bitten off more than I can chew! I
feel I am constantly on a never-ending journey of viewing YouTube videos,
reading magazine articles on-line and in print and making copious notes which
at times feels confusing. Exciting, yes but perplexing at the same time.
I started to
simplify things for my own sanity. I suffer from memory and ‘retention’ issues,
so checklists, simple step-by-step guides etc – I wrote them up in two A4
spiral notebooks. Other people began to ask me for them because it helped them
on their journey and so I realised that perhaps it would be easier to write it
all up as a regular blog accessible to all. I do still do add to my spiral
journals though – that’s where the thinking starts each time.
Has it
helped? Absolutely. Particularly the astrophotography side of things, which is
where my real passion lies if I am honest. Capturing nebulae, galaxies,
globular clusters and milky way images for the last three years has been an exciting,
incredible learning journey of problem solving, profound thinking and upping my
learning skills development frequently! I pride myself on being a lifelong
learner; but this journey is a roller-coaster of emotions! Entertaining,
frustrating, confusing, rewarding. Complex, technically challenging, at times
baffling! But so much fun and reward.
1.
What will be the content and aims of this new blog?
So, on this
blog you will find themed posts ranging from 'beginner's guides' and 'how-to's'
to 'equipment guides', 'imaging sessions' and 'post processing/editing tips' to
name but a few. All are written with just the basics in mind – information,
tips and steps to get us all up and running.
I want to help and encourage others on their own learning journey in
this exciting hobby by sharing my evolving experiences, knowledge, skills and
progress milestones as I pursue mine. I'll regularly update individual blogs,
sharing my successes and 'still need to get to grips with' challenges.
My intention
is that this growing blog becomes useful, authentic, practical and relatable to
your own experiences. It helps us pass through ‘beginner’ to ‘intermediate’
understandings, skills and knowledge. Essential to its success will be your
participation, so come join me. Introduce yourself, share your images, tips, experiences
and progress; ask questions. Get involved, so that we can grow a genuinely
useful resource for all those new to these exciting hobbies. A safe place that
fosters trust, genuine discussion, celebration and growth. After all, we are
all united by the peace, awe, wonder and joy we gain from being out in our
landscapes under the stars that shine their light towards us from so far, far
away.
In the next
post, I
· expand a little more on why I chose
astronomy and astrophotography and why I am fascinated by all things to do with
space
· Detail the equipment I own and use
https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2025/01/what-is-aim-and-purpose-of-my-new.html
And in post three, I
· Detail my thinking behind the blog
and how I hope it will evolve over the next few years
https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-little-more-about-me-and-why-i-am-in.html
Meanwhile,
don’t forget, this blog also relies on input from you, so feel free to chip in
via the comment box below.
·
If you are new to astronomy/astrophotography, what would you like to see
on this blog?
·
What kind of support do you need now to help you move forward on your
learning journey?
Take care
now and clear skies
Steve
