Astronomy is anything from a passive hobby to a devout passion that covers a very wide range of fields of interest that can keep anyone happily engaged for an entire lifetime – but, it depends on an individual's bias – what interests you in particular.

Our centre has members with diverse interests – groupings occur that pursue specific interests on their own bat from time to time – the monthly meetings help to socialise the groups – the amateur telescope making group is quite strong – there are other groups that arrange/enjoy outings from time-to-time – and there are near-professional members that do serious observing and contribute to the development of science.

How to get started?

• read widely for you own enjoyment and establish a deep connection with the universe;
• get a pair of binoculars and observe the objects in the sky with the help of a guiding book (e.g.: ASSA Sky Guide) or download a free package from the internet such as 'Cartes Du Ciel' or 'Stellarium' that will help identify the objects that are visible from a given location;
• buy a telescope, learn how to use it, observe the objects in the sky, take photos of objects such as the Moon, planets or of deep-sky objects and then do image processing on the images to bring out detail, do formal observations and submit these to international organizations for further processing or ratification;
• build a telescope;
• etc.

You have probably thought that astronomy is usually done under very dark skies where people try to preserve their dark–adaptation. Some branches of observing and imaging do not need very dark skies or much dark adaptation at all. The most obvious are lunar and planetary observing. Many observers call this "shallow space" which can become a life's entertainment.

Our advice is to play to your strengths and interests in order to maximise your enjoyment, but also continue doing the groundwork you have started; a good foundation is important. A sound binocular observing mode will stand you in good stead in the future – we urge you to continue pursuing that and to achieve a relatively high level of skill before moving on to more expensive instrumentation.

Modern instruments indeed have a lot of embedded computing power, for go-to operation, to work in alt-az instead of equatorial mode, for imaging and so on. But you do not need a high level of expenditure to start with. Join some of our gatherings and find out why people made the instrumentation choices they did, rather than rushing off to spend money on the first thing a salesman punts. You can build or buy a modest scope, and maybe implement a tracking system that will enable imaging. Even a humble webcam can give great results. In fact, for planetary imaging, it is now possible to get better images with a webcam and a modest scope than the best professional images of just a few decades ago.

More advanced techniques involve high speed imaging of satellites or long duration images of distant galaxies. Some 'amateurs' have photographed the space shuttle in flight and could resolve the windows easily, others routinely look back in time for hundreds of millions of years. Of course, the more advanced your programme, the more expertise you have to develop yourself – that's part of the learning process.

If you equip a telescope or binoculars with the right filters, it is even possible to observe the vagaries and nuances of the Sun. Many of the tutors at the telescope making class will be more than happy to show you how to make a set of solar filters but please don't observe the sun without them – you could loose your sight permanently!

If your main interest is deep-sky, I suppose you are like most of us in that we have the most perverse fascination with the very things to which we are denied access! Indeed, in the city especially, light pollution is a curse, hiding most deep-sky objects. However, through digital photography it is possible to "subtract out" the light pollution and extract stunning images of deep-sky objects that would be impossible to observe visually under the same conditions. Of course, this requires a serious investment in equipment, and an even larger investment in personal time, effort and dedication. Not for the faint hearted, but achievable by those who have the drive.

If you enjoy tinkering with electronic toys and software, you would probably enjoy the challenges of imaging. You could avoid a lot of the start-up costs by teaming up with someone who is already well down that road. Perhaps you could find someone who has made the investment in equipment, but does not really have the IT skills required to bring out the best. Alternatively, you can access a lot of data on the Internet, and do real science by assisting an established programme in the data analysis process.

So – there's a lot to do. What you put in, is generally what you get out. However, astronomy is an endeavour that has the potential for you to marvel at our daily lives in a fashion very few people are privileged to experience and participate in.