Astronomy Buff

Don’t Leave the Observatory Without It

by Tony on March 1st, 2007

First Thursday of the month means SciHealth Channel Theme Day and this month’s theme is emergency preparedness.

So, like Smokey the Bear, Tony the Telescope will point you the way to a safe, happy and fulfilling night at the telescope. Remember, Tony the Telescope is a professional, you must listen to everything he says, he knows more than you do. He’s dropped and lost more $200.00 eyepieces in the dark than you can shake a stick at. You should bask in his experience. Plus, he can kick Smokey the Bear’s ass.

(Ummm, is there a smokey the bear ad right over here? gulp.) —->

OK gang! Ready?

Using lots of expensive electronic and bulky optical equipment in the dark is almost always a recipe for disaster, so it’s fitting that I share what I usually do to avoid getting my eyelids stuck to the eyepiece or putting my foot through my laptop in the dark.

Another thing we night sky observers have to consider is that in order to find decent skies with as little light pollution as possible, we need to travel to remote areas, places where amenities and facilities can be hard to come by. It’s a good idea when traveling to your favorite observing spot to follow some basic safety precautions.

Here’s some basic safety protocols I follow before heading out to the mountains for observing:

• Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back. Leave a printout from Google Maps showing where you’ll be.
• Take someone with you if possible. This is a great thing to do on a date (just FYI). Girls love learning about the sky, take ‘em out and show ‘em your (ahem) telescope.
• Pack a cell phone.
• Pack a basic emergency kit to leave in your car with blankets, food, water, matches, etc..
• If you’re going someone really far, plan on sleeping out there, don’t try to drive long hours after a full night at the telescope. Again, this is where having someone with you comes in quite handy.

When setting up your telescope, follow these basic safety tips (Tony the Telescope says):

• Set the telescope up BEFORE it gets dark. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stumbled around in the dark trying to set up my cables. This is especially important when you’re imaging because cameras, telescopes and computers have lots of cables.
• Have an observing plan. Decide beforehand what your goals for the night are.
• Bring extra batteries for your flashlight.
• Make sure your power supply for the telescope is fully charged if you don’t have an electrical outlet. Most people buy one of those deep cycle marine batteries to power everything, make sure you charge it. You’re gonna be real pissed when your telescope dies right in the middle of an exposure of the Orion nebula.
• Don’t use your car battery to power your equipment, especially in remote places. You’ll be using your cell phone to call a tow truck in the morning because the battery’s dead. Umm, that is if you have a cell phone signal.
• Don’t bring a gun. For chrissake the last thing we need is another idiot in the dark - alone, hearing things, certain he’s seen bigfoot - with a gun. The only thing you’re gonna end up shooting is your foot or the telescope.
• Don’t eat smores while observing. You’ll never get the marshmallow off of the optics and it ruins the coatings. Trust me.
• Bring a video camera so you can catch that shot of Bigfoot and Elvis in the UFO with the Lochness monster.

Finally, bring a big-ass observing parka, even if it’s summertime. Standing around in the dark, staring at a computer monitor or into an eyepiece is a muscle-atrophying experience. Let’s just say you’re not going to be working up a sweat (unless you took that date with you like I suggested). This means you’re going to be cold. I’ve had to wear my parka in July in the mountains of Colorado. And no, Tony the Telescope is not a wuss, he has a medical condition - with a doctor’s note.

Also, a cd player with lots of Pink Floyd goes real nice under the stars.

I’ve had many strange things happen to me on remote observing sessions, some of them scary and some other-worldly. For example, I am intimately familiar with extraterrestrial alien body probes. (I’m actually starting to like them a bit, is that bad?)

Yes, I just wrote what you should be doing, not what you’re actually going to do. Regardless of how this blog may read, I’m not an idiot, I know how it is. I have no illusions that you’re going to be making lists and checking them twice. You’re going to go out into the wilderness with your $10,000 worth of telescopes and cameras and promptly drain the battery in your car. That’s fine, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Don’t listen to Tony the Telescope at your peril.

Are you a seasoned observer? Have you put your foot through the telescope tube more times than you’d like to admit? Please leave a comment and help us all become safer observers.

Feel free to report any sightings of Bigfoot as well (I’ve seen him three times, bastard took my smores).

Technorati Tags: emergency preparedness, SciHealth Theme Day, telescopes

Share This

Related Stories

I Want a Sky Shed!
An Observatory on an Active Volcano
The Telescope Builder
Shooting a Telescope Mirror
Human Skin Book Binding and Flammarion

POSTED IN: observing the night sky, telescopes