Hello from Vancouver, Canada!

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Mark Germani avatar
Hi there!

I'm new to this site, and only recently returned to astronomy and astrophotography. About 8 years ago I was just starting to scratch the surface of what I could do with my DSLR & tripod and had started pricing out equatorial mounts when my wife and I discovered we were expecting! My daughter is now seven, and we've been learning about astronomy together while home-schooling, with a Celestron FirstScope which I bought for her birthday. We've been watching a lot of Phil Plait's Crash Course Astronomy together, and are working on earning our Explore the Universe pins from the RASC.

I was fortunate enough to be able to splurge on an iOptron SkyGuider Pro and a very basic 80mm achromatic refractor (Sky-Watcher 804) for my birthday a few weeks ago, and have been slowly (painfully slowly!) starting to piece together how to progress in this hobby. I'm still at the point where I'm figuring out what ISO/exposure-lengths work best with my setup, and working with a wobbly tripod which won't hold polar alignment for long, so no worthwhile images to share as of yet. Right now I'm trying to gather enough time imaging Pleiades to put together an image to share on the RCC forum.

I'm also newly-returned to posting anything online, photographic or otherwise. I'll gladly set aside my preference for a silent online presence to take advantage of the experience and expertise of this community, as I realize I have so much to learn! Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Mark
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Daniel Erickson avatar
Welcome, Mark! I returned to AP back in January, after being involved back in the 70s. Long hiatus, much has changed. :-) I think you'll find this a great community to share experiences and photos. I've been here since summer and have only wonderful things to report!

Clear Skies,
Daniel
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Mark Germani avatar
Thanks Daniel, I’ve found the site invaluable so far! Clear skies to you as well.
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Dan Kusz avatar
Welcome to the community Mark! Lots of great people and a wealth of knowledge! Hopefully the weather cooperates more for you thanit did for me! I lived in victoria for 25 years before moving to the interior! Look forward to seeing your images!
CS
Dan.
Mark Germani avatar
Thanks Dan, the weather has been pretty uncooperative so far, but I'm crossing my fingers, and learning how to image under a full moon (beggars can't be choosers!)
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