Amateur Astronomy

Since starting graduate school, I have found myself devoting more and more of my free time to activities that are far more stimulating than those of the years prior. I spend very little time playing games and watching TV, and far more time painting, crafting or building random things, and just plain reading and researching.

My father visited for graduation, and during his visit we dusted off a Celestron Nexstar 6SE that I had purchased a few years back. Space, astronomy, and the science surrounding them has always been one of my primary interests, but for whatever reason it had fallen to the side over the past couple years. We setup the telescope, and looking at Jupiter through the eyepiece was seductive enough that it not only recaptured my interest in astronomy, but it escalated it to a new level. After weeks of research I found myself purchasing an Explore Scientific ED102 Refractor, and shipping the Celestron off to my father for his use.