salams and pardon my intrusion. i agree with each and everyone of you. astronomy used to be a passion of mine. "used to" because i got turned-off by the almost-always cloudy nights and light-pollution in KL. i've stopped gazing into the sky for more than 10 years now. and it is always good to know that more people are being lured into the wonderful world of astronomy. in my humblest opinion, the best and most basic approach into astronomy is through naked-eye observations. this is where we'd have the chance to learn the fundamentals of astronomy - the basic stuff that requires no more than your own pair of eyes and perhaps just a pair of binoculars. i find it fulfilling to be able to know the stars and constellations just by looking at the sky. i used to be able to locate many constellations and other celestial objects using the belt of Orion as a guide or starting-point. but, everyone has his or her own preferences and methods. it's like choosing between a point-and-shoot digicam and a conventional SLR (for normal everyday shooting, not astrophotography) - some people may find joy in experimenting the settings and techniques rather than simply pushing one button.