/hob/ - Hobbies

Anyone interested in astronomy? Particularly direct observation with a telescope or binocular.

My interest in astronomy has expanded recently to direct observation instead of just reading books and editing Wikipedia articles. I found an old Nikon 8x42 (basic bird-watching equipment) in a drawer the other day and decided to give it a shot. I know better than to punch above my weight, and you can pretty much forget about deep-sky objects or even other planets when you have a simple binoculars for terrestrial observation, so my best shot is to focus on the closest astronomical object from Earth. I got a couple of lunar atlases online, a couple of lunar calendars, and read the basics about selenography.

It's basically impossible to do any serious astronomical observation by simply holding the binoculars in place, even if you're sitting down. It's just way too shaky, so I strapped the thing to the top rail of a chair, placed that chair over another one and basically made a makeshift tripod. Works perfectly and I have both my hands free to check the lunar atlas or stellarium.

It's amazing how much one can observe with a stable binoculars, some patience and a lunar atlas at hand. The more familiar you get with the lunar surface, the more you'll be able to see, and even though I have only gazed at the moon for about 5 hours total so far, it's fairly easy to get familiar with its basic features. Having the atlas close by to consult just what the heck you're looking at helps immensely. Under certain light conditions, even a shallow, small crater will create an enormously long shadow that you can observe easily.

Picture attached is all the stuff I was able to observe and firmly identify so far. Two days worth of observation. The picture is not accurate to what I was actually seeing, as the moon was waxing when I was looking at it, and this picture shows a full moon, though I'll use this to update everything I manage to identify. For example, the crater Clavius is quite distinct during certain lunar phases, but in the picture it's barely visible. Seas and oceans (basaltic plains) are the most obvious stuff, and you usually begin with those since it's so distinct and easily identifiable. Then you start noticing the bays (recesses of the seas), craters and recently I managed to observe a lunar swirl, though it took me a minute to realize it. Btw if you're located in the northern hemisphere, this picture is inverted for you.

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What's everyone's opinion on keeping a journal? I've been keeping one for 3 months now and it's a nice pass time.
I can write done my worries and look back on all the things I've accomplished

i have been doing a quiz every day

https://www.geoguessr.com/seterra/en/vgp/3636

The only hobby I had for a long time was gaming. Recently I quit cold turkey and I need something else to fill the time. I've been reading instead and that's pretty fun but it isn't as comfy as gaming. I need to find something that makes me want to wake up in the morning but everything I try I get bored of. Sometimes it's a few months, sometimes a few years, sometimes a week, but I get bored. No hobbies really sound interesting to me, and even if they do there's always something shitty about them. Should I just go back to gaming?

Share your favourites.
I only started collecting recently, and I'm having fun getting good deals on old cards, and cleaning them.
This one I ordered for $20 cross-ocean. The guy shipped it unprotected wrapped in an ALDI catalogue.
It arrived warped, and wet, but I fixed it up, and now it's in perfect condition! It's worth a lot of money like this.
I'm really happy to have it in my collection.

Any other wizards into combat sports?
I have done Krav Maga (2 years); it was ok but I can see why people say it’s overrated. Did some BJJ at an MMA gym but it was expensive as fuck. Boxing was the best so far; nothing has tested my fitness, strength, timing and precision like boxing. Class was always all male.

Really want to try Muay Thai. What other fighting styles are wizards into?

Is there any more uplifting sport than hiking? Everyone is pleasant, nothing but good energy and very little succubi.

I need to find interesting topics to read about as all I have is my E-reader, I like history and a little bit of philosophy (I find philosophy to be mostly cognitive masturbation, please don't hate me) but it's hard to find interesting topics to read about and for me and a lot of the books are tedious to read and full of boring informations, Please give me suggestions of topics to read about, anything goes, I am willing to try anything since I am dying of boredom here, sadly I was never able to enjoy reading fiction despite having tired countless classics, I can't even explain why, it just bores me despite the fact I can enjoy films or TV shows on rare occasions.

This thread will be for discussing all television shows, series and miniseries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_in_American_television#Programs_debuting_in_2020

After Reading Fingerprints of the Gods and Magicians of the Gods, I wonder if it’s possible the existence of an ancient and lost civilization like those books described. I know a couple of books who give more evidence of that. 2 books written by the Spanish investigator Javier Sierra, called: En busca de la edad de oro and La Ruta Prohibida, if you want to read them. But, the only book I know who gives a serious proof of that is Hamlet’s Mill. That makes me think if the civilization is cyclical and the event that erase a possible civilization could happen again to us. Just think about it.