Hobbies

[BDanielMayfield]

Has there previously been a thread here on members' hobbies? If so I haven't found it, so this post can start one or perhaps be appended to an earlier one if it exists.

I have two. Astronomy of course, or I wouldn't be a member of Starship Asterisk*. But astronomy is such a vast field that a persons individual interests can further branch into the many various topics the science covers. My principal interests in astronomy are exoplanets and their formation and the formation and dispersal of all the chemical elements. As far as observational astronomy is concerned I'm a lightweight, using just eyes and occasionally binoculars or a small spotting scope these days.

My second hobby is birding. Not birdwatching, as many a fellow birder will understand. Birding is learning to identify a bird by species by sight and/or sound. A or the major goal of many a birder is the expansion of one's lifelist, a list of all the different species one has been able to identify during one's lifetime. I'm a lister. My wife maintains a list too, but she is more of a watcher, which is fine.

So y'alls turn(s). What are your hobbies, both astronomical and otherwise?

Bruce

[orin stepanek]

I thought; dang, I don't have any! Then I thought; oh, I spend about half a day on the computer; sports, games, DVDs, APOD! Then I have my garden, and we walk the dog! Oh the dog is a hobby in her own right; she is kind of a lazy thing, so I like to mess with her a little! I taught her how to wink, play peek-a-boo, and she follows me around until I see her and then she likes to hide!

[BDanielMayfield]

I thought; dang, I don't have any! Then I thought; oh, I spend about half a day on the computer; sports, games, DVDs, APOD! Then I have my garden, and we walk the dog! Oh the dog is a hobby in her own right; she is kind of a lazy thing, so I like to mess with her a little! I taught her how to wink, play peek-a-boo, and she follows me around until I see her and then she likes to hide!

Indeed Orin, everyone who enjoys APOD's daily at least has astronomy as a minor hobby.

I like to combine hobbies, like having optics that are useful for both astronomy and birding.

We also have a dog who I walk each night. Last night's sky was very nice.

[orin stepanek]

I thought; dang, I don't have any! Then I thought; oh, I spend about half a day on the computer; sports, games, DVDs, APOD! Then I have my garden, and we walk the dog! Oh the dog is a hobby in her own right; she is kind of a lazy thing, so I like to mess with her a little! I taught her how to wink, play peek-a-boo, and she follows me around until I see her and then she likes to hide!

Indeed Orin, everyone who enjoys APOD's daily at least has astronomy as a minor hobby.

I like to combine hobbies, like having optics that are useful for both astronomy and birding.

We also have a dog who I walk each night. Last night's sky was very nice.

Nice; The early morning sky is also very beautiful! With The Pleiades in the East and The Orion Constellation toward the SE; just beautiful! I believe it was the Pleiades anyway, as it appears in about the same place each morning! Correct me if I am wrong! Anyway; very pretty!

[TheZuke!]

Dilettante: woodworking, auto repair, electronics repair, gardening, astronomy, model railroading, collecting old woodworking tools, computers...

[Orca]

I used to build model airplanes when I was a kid. My daughter is 9 and I thought she might enjoy the process of building and flying a model plane. So I picked up a beginners kit from Guillows, the Lancer. It's going well so far:

I also got a variety pack of tissue paper so she can choose its color scheme. The kits generally come with white and/or grey tissue. I thought she would enjoy choosing from more colorful options!

[orin stepanek]

I used to build model airplanes when I was a kid. My daughter is 9 and I thought she might enjoy the process of building and flying a model plane. So I picked up a beginners kit from Guillows, the Lancer. It's going well so far:


20200927_173607.jpg


I also got a variety pack of tissue paper so she can choose its color scheme. The kits generally come with white and/or grey tissue. I thought she would enjoy choosing from more colorful options!

Good for you pop! I hope she enjoys! Brings back memories; I used to make model planes with rubber band wind up engines!
I collect 1/24 model cars now! May send a photo later!

[orin stepanek]

I had to take out of box to photo! there was too much glare!
This is Kennedy's last ride! Sad day!

[KayBur]

I started to get involved in astronomy quite recently. My main hobby is my home. I try to do everything with my own hands. I learned how to make simple furniture, make shelves and shelves to free up space. I hope that one day I will be completely satisfied with the comfort that I have managed to create in the house. My hobby may seem boring to you, but it is primarily useful. I can fix almost any device except small electronics and it really helps to save money. This is an important aspect these days.

[Daniel DeSclafani]

My hobby is astrophotography! I also do landscape as well, however, since discovering and attempting AP it has been my concentration and will most likely remain that way! I do play video games as well, but not much. I hope that in the future when I start to learn more about astronomy, physics and the universe that i can do some kind of outreach. I have a desire and passion to learn and tell. I love a great conversation about astronomy.

[BDanielMayfield]

I started to get involved in astronomy quite recently. My main hobby is my home. I try to do everything with my own hands. I learned how to make simple furniture, make shelves and shelves to free up space. I hope that one day I will be completely satisfied with the comfort that I have managed to create in the house. My hobby may seem boring to you, but it is primarily useful. I can fix almost any device except small electronics and it really helps to save money. This is an important aspect these days.

Very practical KayBur. Welcome to the forum.

My hobby is astrophotography! I also do landscape as well, however, since discovering and attempting AP it has been my concentration and will most likely remain that way! I do play video games as well, but not much. I hope that in the future when I start to learn more about astronomy, physics and the universe that i can do some kind of outreach. I have a desire and passion to learn and tell. I love a great conversation about astronomy.

Excellent Daniel. Please share some images here, if you wish. Welcome also.

Bruce

[owlice]

I guess since I'm retired, everything I do is a hobby.

I like to travel, and often when I travel, I look for wildlife, and birds in particular. And music, especially classical. I also like to read, bike, and I have a lot of craft handiwork projects I might finish someday...

Black-shouldered Kite

Scrub Jay

Cattle Egret

Blue Jay

[Ann]

Beautiful pictures, Owlice. I'm impressed.

Ann

[KayBur]

I guess since I'm retired, everything I do is a hobby.

I like to travel, and often when I travel, I look for wildlife, and birds in particular. And music, especially classical. I also like to read, bike, and I have a lot of craft handiwork projects I might finish someday...


DSCN1368v2_Black-shoulderedKite_smaller.jpeg
DSCN9000_ScrubJay_GoletaCA_smaller.jpeg
DSCN6092_cattleegret_HanaumaBay_smaller.jpeg
DSCN0823_BlueJay_headfluff_backyard_smaller.jpeg

Your photos are amazing! How do you take photos? Is it the placement of camera traps or waiting many hours with the camera in certain places? Photography, as for me, takes a very long time. You also need to wait to catch the desired frame. And travel also takes a lot of time and money.

[owlice]

How do you take photos? Is it the placement of camera traps or waiting many hours with the camera in certain places? Photography, as for me, takes a very long time. You also need to wait to catch the desired frame. And travel also takes a lot of time and money.

No camera traps, and I certainly don't wait hours anywhere! I don't have that kind of patience. Most of my photos are taken while walking around. Obviously, I stop to take the photos, sometimes waiting a few minutes trying to take a decent pic of something that's flitting around or otherwise not sitting still. (Sometimes, there's swearing inside my head, because some stuff that looks interesting moves around so much! "Just sit still for 10 seconds!", my head implores, but no, no, the animals rarely heed my internal plea!)

I take a lot of photos, and most of them are crap!! I just returned from a short trip, left Monday, got back yesterday. I was car-camping (sleeping in my car) at a campsite that was $15/night (half price because I'm over 60 and have a Senior pass for National parks that cost $80). I stopped at another National Wildlife Refuge on my way home yesterday; here's one photo I took on my short trip:

Swamp Sparrow

So a short cheap trip, and out of the 601 pictures I took over the couple of days, maybe three dozen are worth showing someone. No one sees the photos of blurry tail feathers at the edge of the frame, for example, or the photo of what looks like a headless eagle because another eagle's butt is in the way! Many times, there's no animal in the photo at all, because the animal was faster than I was, and all I get is a photo of grass/tree/sky. I have tons and tons of those photos!

The Blue Jay pic I posted above was taken while I was sitting on my patio; the Scrub Jay and Cattle Egret pics were taken when I had traveled to different places for meetings (two different meetings), the Scrub Jay on the grounds of my hotel, and the Egret in a park. Only the photo of the Kite was taken when I was on vacation in East Africa.

Some of my travel is expensive; I'd wanted to visit East Africa since I was 15, and more than 45 years later, I finally did! Did I mention I take a lot of photos? I took over 5,000 on that trip! I bought a Nikon Coolpix P900, which has a monster zoom on it, a few months before that trip. But most of my pictures are taken closer to home, just while taking a walk, or when driving past, for example, a bunch of vultures hanging out on a nearby fence, or an egret or heron in a pond next to a Metro station, or when I'm someplace for another reason. And much of my travel is, or was, a couple or three days in a cabin somewhere a few hours' drive from home, or now, since the pandemic started, literally in my car, and not expensive.

Here's a shot of a butterfly on mint that grows next to my house:

Buckeye on mint

Wildlife is everywhere; I'm happy to sometimes notice it!

[owlice]

Also, Ann and Kay, thank you for your kind words. I'd love to take credit, but it's all the camera, truly!

[Orca]

Owlice - great pictures. I especially like the picture of the jay.

We actually had a family of scrub jays in our backyard this year. They are fun to watch - they seem to have a lot of personality. You'd see the young ones appear in late summer, still with partially grey heads. In our area we see California Scrubs most often, with occasional Stellar's Jays (which I think are particularly beautiful birds). I've seen Grey Jays, but only while camping in the woods.

[owlice]

Orca, this one's for you.

[Orca]

Nice one! Looks like the kids are arguing again...

[orin stepanek]

My latest toy!

[bystander]

My latest toy!

Too bad it's just a toy.

[Chris Peterson]

My latest toy!

Too bad it's just a toy.

Realistically, that would also describe the real thing.

[orin stepanek]

My latest toy!

Too bad it's just a toy.

If I had a real one; I'd be a rotten Totten grandpa!

[orin stepanek]

My latest toy!

Too bad it's just a toy.

Realistically, that would also describe the real thing.

I don't have any big boy toys; but that would be a nice one 🏎

[KayBur]

How do you take photos? Is it the placement of camera traps or waiting many hours with the camera in certain places? Photography, as for me, takes a very long time. You also need to wait to catch the desired frame. And travel also takes a lot of time and money.

No camera traps, and I certainly don't wait hours anywhere! I don't have that kind of patience. Most of my photos are taken while walking around. Obviously, I stop to take the photos, sometimes waiting a few minutes trying to take a decent pic of something that's flitting around or otherwise not sitting still. (Sometimes, there's swearing inside my head, because some stuff that looks interesting moves around so much! "Just sit still for 10 seconds!", my head implores, but no, no, the animals rarely heed my internal plea!)

I take a lot of photos, and most of them are crap!! I just returned from a short trip, left Monday, got back yesterday. I was car-camping (sleeping in my car) at a campsite that was $15/night (half price because I'm over 60 and have a Senior pass for National parks that cost $80). I stopped at another National Wildlife Refuge on my way home yesterday; here's one photo I took on my short trip:
DSCN4493_SwampSparrow_Blackwater_smaller.jpeg

So a short cheap trip, and out of the 601 pictures I took over the couple of days, maybe three dozen are worth showing someone. No one sees the photos of blurry tail feathers at the edge of the frame, for example, or the photo of what looks like a headless eagle because another eagle's butt is in the way! Many times, there's no animal in the photo at all, because the animal was faster than I was, and all I get is a photo of grass/tree/sky. I have tons and tons of those photos!

The Blue Jay pic I posted above was taken while I was sitting on my patio; the Scrub Jay and Cattle Egret pics were taken when I had traveled to different places for meetings (two different meetings), the Scrub Jay on the grounds of my hotel, and the Egret in a park. Only the photo of the Kite was taken when I was on vacation in East Africa.

Some of my travel is expensive; I'd wanted to visit East Africa since I was 15, and more than 45 years later, I finally did! Did I mention I take a lot of photos? I took over 5,000 on that trip! I bought a Nikon Coolpix P900, which has a monster zoom on it, a few months before that trip. But most of my pictures are taken closer to home, just while taking a walk, or when driving past, for example, a bunch of vultures hanging out on a nearby fence, or an egret or heron in a pond next to a Metro station, or when I'm someplace for another reason. And much of my travel is, or was, a couple or three days in a cabin somewhere a few hours' drive from home, or now, since the pandemic started, literally in my car, and not expensive.

Here's a shot of a butterfly on mint that grows next to my house:
buckeye on mint_smaller.jpeg

Wildlife is everywhere; I'm happy to sometimes notice it!

Great! Seemingly random photos, but they turn out wonderful. Why I asked - there are people who "hunt" for interesting shots. Well, such a "hunt" takes people an insane amount of time.