Edmund Scientific was the company that really fueled my interest in amateur astronomy.  From their telescopes and accessories to their many beginners books.  My first telescope was an Edmund 4.25-inch f/10 reflector, with an equatorial mount.  Not my first choice, but the best my budget would allow at that time.  Prior to this, I used my older brother’s 60 mm f/15 EQ refractor.  (Photo at the bottom, in an old rented house on a textile mill village, with a street light in the backyard!)

I was just getting started with my first real job, but most all of my money was required for the essentials of life, with little left for a telescope and astronomy equipment. 

My first telescope was an Edmund 4.25-inch Newtonian, which allowed me to see many of the Messier objects. I was living in a highly light polluted area at that time, so finding deep-sky objects with setting circles was like magic. Star-hoping to locate faint objects can be almost impossible with severe light pollution. 

Not only did Edmund Scientific have telescopes and astronomy equipment, but also plenty of resources to learn how to use a telescope. The following books from Edmund taught me so much about amateur astronomy, and I still reference them even to this day…more than 50 years later.

During those early years it was my goal to see the entire Messier catalog, which I would eventually accomplish, and received my Astronomical League award certificate. but would eventually see over 2,000 more deep-sky objects, complete with notes and pencil sketches.  

I’m glad I didn’t quit during those early years, despite all of my obstacles, and regardless of the amount of light pollution, there are always deep-sky objects that can be observed.  So, don’t give up!   

This entry was posted on February 21, 2018 at 1:11 am and is filed under Roger's Articles. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.