What do people do with this astronomical data?
Why do they pay for this?
Why do they pay for this?
Most hobbies with gear have setup costs and it's not unusual for that to be in the several thousand dollar range, and maintenance costs. $100-400/month for a hobby isn't all that much and it gives you exclusive access to your own scope in ideal skies that you can operate from your home.
I had a friend with a 10" Meade with which not much happened. Just a bear to lug around and set up and mess with, not even including trying bumble through getting astrophotography started.
But the new-ish Smart Scopes looks fun and accessible, so gonna see if I can get one of those to play with.
I still have that scope. It's on a wedge mount with motorized but manual tracking. Even an 8" is a pain to drag out and you really have to be dedicated because it turns out most folks don't have the patience to spend much time outside looking through a 1.25" eye piece. So when you drag it out, expect to be spending alone time with you and the sky.
Still, I'm glad I have it. It's good for looking at the moon and planets, and the sun with correct filter. I still drag it out now and again. I'll never take the sorts of photos you can find easily on the internet. So I prefer to look at the universe with my own eyes. That's still exciting.
I wouldn’t do this as I like the fact my photos are taken in my back yard but each to their own
It's a hobby, there doesn't need to be much in the way of novel "data" for it to be rewarding. Though considering this guy found a nebula I wouldn't be surprised if there was some. The universe is big (citation needed) and good hobbyist telescopes are quite powerful; you have a lot of sky to explore and could easily be getting the best images ever of any particular patch of it.