hello people! Newbie here!

[spykid27]

Hello all! I'm new to singastro, but not new to astronomy. The truth is, I'm totally hopeless in stargazing. Reason: I don't have a telescope (but I really LOVE the meade telescopes, and is dying to get one). That's because I'm a student and don't have the funds for such things.
So you ask, what is my relation to astronomy if I don't even have the tools of the trade? Well, astrophysics is my niche. Cool. (The truth is, I also study quantum theory. That's kind of conflicting with the large scale astrophysics topics, considering quantum physics is study of particles)

Thanks for reading my intro. just to tell you all, I love clam chowder.
p.s. anyone interested in astrophysics?

[Mariner]

I'll have to disagree with you. The lack of a telescope does not exclude one from the field of astronomy. You still have your eyes to observe. A good pair of binoculars is all that's needed to get started.

For starters, you might like to join the side walk sessions organised by some of the fellow members here to get the hang of the various scopes. You can also volunteer for Gary's free scope project to earn yourself one.

[cloud_cover]

Hello!
Yup, there are people here interested in astrophysics although my knowledge is now a bit dusty
Welcome to the forum! Don't be concerned about not having a scope - there's a great number of public observing sessions so feel free to head over and join some of them
In addition, the Science Centre usually opens its observatory on Friday evenings.
Look forward to seeing you around!

[Gary]

Hi spykid27. Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy your stay here.

[spykid27]

Thanks everyone! the tips are helpful! I'd have to agree our eyes are a good instrument! (I guess they have low aperture... heh, only about 10mm

[Gary]

Thanks everyone! the tips are helpful! I'd have to agree our eyes are a good instrument! (I guess they have low aperture... heh, only about 10mm

Good enough to see Venus transiting Sun through solar filters only. No need to store inside dry cabinets due to regular use.

[Avarielle]

Hello, and welcome to SingAstro. Hope you have fun here, and hope to see you at one of the stargazing/sidewalk sessions.

Books are a great way to learn the sky. My favourite is Turn Left at Orion. It's written for users of small telescopes and the authors also acknowledge that people can stargaze from a bright city location. The library also has copies of astronomy magazines like Sky & Tel, Astronomy, and others, for your reading pleasure and knowledge.

Don't know what sort of phone/tablet you use, but there are a lot of free/very cheap apps that can help you learn the sky. Google Skymap for Android is free, and is what I started with. Also for Android, SkEye is great. If you're using iPhone/iPad, SkySafari is currently my favourite. StarWalk is another great app. On my laptop, I use the free, multi-platform software Stellarium.