Mike Loffland
Web Guru (Astronomics)
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 1127
Loc: Norman, Oklahoma
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The Nights Everything Goes Wrong
By: Rod Mollise
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wrather1
AstroBear
Reged: 10/25/05
Posts: 2935
Loc: Dallas, Texas
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Yep, a checklist can be a very good thing to use before a trip to the ol' dark site location. Many of us ole timers learned that the HARD way!
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"Don't worry about what telescope you own, or its quality. Just get out under the night sky, and enjoy God's wondrous universe." - T. M. Back
Meade RCX400-12 on JMI trolley "Ursa Major"
TMB 130SS on EQ6 PRO "Ursus Polaris"
Orion ED80 "Ursa Minor", WO ZS66ED "grab-'n'-go"
Canon EOS 30D (Hutech), Meade DSI, Philips ToUcam Pro
North Texas Clear Sky Chart
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hoof
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 1424
Loc: Irvine, CA
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Good stories!
I'm glad the cats survived their adventure. A while back, someone was complaining that their cat had accidentally ended up in the mirror box of his 'scope. He ended up getting rid of the cat because he was concerned of a repeat (despite the fact the cat sounded scared as heck after the incident). It was very sad to read about, and I'm glad that you and your friend didn't take such drastic measures.
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Jonathan Hoof
15" F/4.14 Discovery Truss
8" F/5.9 Orion XT8i
6" F/6 Intes-Micro MN66
4.5" F/4 Orion Starblast
80mm F/7.5 Orion 80ED
18x50 IS Canon binoculars
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Ed Sunder
super member
Reged: 12/11/07
Posts: 135
Loc: Flintstone, GA
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I'd add to the list - the nights things go REALLY wrong (or nearly so). I had been observing for a couple hours and told the scope to slew to Jupiter. When it got close (the motors were slowing way down), I watched in horror as the optical tube disappeared on the other side of the scope and landed on the driveway. Fortunately, I just lost the $25 guidescope, a screw on the finderscope and had a dent on the mirror cell and all the glass was fine. But basically, I hadn't observed in a couple weeks and only tightened the primary screw holding the OTA, not the secondary screw and that was the result. I have made it a never missed practice since to check both screws before turning the scope on.
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http://flintstonestargazing.com
LXD75 SN-8
Meade 70AZ-A
Tasco Galaxsee
Messier Complete 2008
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Lard Greystoke
sage
Reged: 07/27/08
Posts: 202
Loc: Ohio
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After some observing problems on Saturday spent part of the next day preparing special star charts, etc. Figured I was well-prepared. Loaded up, drove more than 1 hour to dark site, felt that this was going to be a GREAT night. Sky perfect. Walked around the car to passenger side, ready to unload telescope base...sinking feeling. Ought to be mirror box in view. No mirror box. No mirror.
The upshot was that I had to abort the trip and drive home. Reason for error: 1) distracted by dog on way out, but he's been doing that for 10 years. Primarily: 2) I was short a night's sleep earlier in the week and that 5% deficit in mental ability was enough to get me.
And last night: VERY careful to bring mirror, was able to see a few new things, but as I was driving out I noticed a white blur off to the side. I'm pretty happy I was able to retrieve my eyepieces before driving 50 miles.
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Lard Greystoke
10" Odyssey Compact
"With Tantor, the elephant, he made friends. How? Ask me not."
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MikeRatcliff
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/12/04
Posts: 1111
Loc: Redlands, CA
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While laughing at the cat on the mirror story, I was reminded that:
Taking out the mirror while the truss scope is still assembled leaves the telescope VERY TOP HEAVY. The scope could fall over and damage the UTA and secondary. 
Don't ask me how I know this...
I needed an excuse to upgrade the secondary anyway. 
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16" f/4.9 dob
Tele Vue Plossls 32,25,20,15,11
13 Nagler T6
10.5 Pentax XL
Brandon 32, 16
12.5 UO ortho, 9 Circle T ortho
2x TV Barlow
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Patricko
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/30/07
Posts: 744
Loc: around the corner
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Hi Rod, got a confession to make. I took my new-to-me AT66ED telescope out to a dark site on a clear night. This was going to be first light for the scope. I was very excited. Everything was perfect until I realized my star diagonal was missing! Forgot it!
Anyone that owns or has owned one of these telescopes knows that it needs a diagonal to come to focus. None of my eyepieces would focus.
I was madder than BEEP all the way back. In all truth I'd only driven 15mins to get to the dark site. Still it was very aggravating. Hundreds of times I've setup for observing sessions without any mishaps such as that.
Anyone that has ever done something like this knows they don't wanna do it again.
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Clear skies,
Patrick
 "Life is too short, go collect some photons!" - Me, myself, and I
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stevecoe
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2130
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Howdy all;
My tale is from my first book. I went scoping with my 17.5" f/4.5 Newtonian and forgot the ladder. A friend had a convenient spare tire and so we hauled it out and I used it to view Arizona skies for several hours. It was not as easy as a real ladder, but beggars can't be choosers. It is a quiet midnight on the Arizona desert and I am moving around on the tire to look at a new object. As I shift my feet I step on the tire valve and it hisses...that sound is exactly like a rattlesnake at my feet. I do not know the Olympic record for the high jump, but I am certain that I was near it. At least the high jump record for a 240 pound white guy in street clothes;-)
Once my pulse rate returned to "normal" we all had a good laugh and I started down the path to creating and using a check off list everytime I go out with a telescope. It has worked well so far.
Clear skies and all the gear remembered;
Steve Coe
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150mm 6" f/8 Celestron Refractor on Sirius Mount
80mmED 3" f/7.5 Orion Refractor
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
New Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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Rick Woods
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 4312
Loc: Inner Solar System
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Quote:
As I shift my feet I step on the tire valve and it hisses...that sound is exactly like a rattlesnake at my feet.
And brother, that's a sound you never forget once you've heard it!
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
8" Meade 826C
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rmollise
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1662
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Quote:
Quote:
As I shift my feet I step on the tire valve and it hisses...that sound is exactly like a rattlesnake at my feet.
And brother, that's a sound you never forget once you've heard it!
I recall one Texas Star Party where a dude and his friends had set up off the upper field...over downslope from the motel rooms. When it got good and dark, they walked over to the scope only to be given a warning rattle from Mr. Snake who'd curled around the pier to soak up the nice warmth. Needless to say they looked through other folks scopes that night. 
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Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT--coming in December!
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spaceydee
Postmaster
Reged: 04/16/04
Posts: 15355
Loc: Where the Kittens Are
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The worst thing that's happened with me so far, thankfully, has been that I took my scope to a friends place at a reasonably dark site. The problem is I forgot to bring the 2" extension tube. So I had been bragging about my new 92SS and set it up, tried to focus it, and realized we weren't going to be able to use the scope! I felt like a dummy.
A little off topic, but speaking of cats in scopes, here's a link to one cute kitten using one of my scopes as a bed, and the main reason I haven't installed the mirror (yet).
LINK
I still need a cover, I don't want cat paws or claws on my mirror no matter how much I love my kitties!
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Dee
space-scientist
student violinist
Nexstar8i,SV80S,80/9D,FC100,94 Brandon,TMB92SS,GM8
8" f/7 Discovery,12.5" Portaball, PST
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mcoren
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/11/06
Posts: 1150
Loc: Northern Virginia, USA
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Very interesting and entertaining, as usual. I just have to give you some good-natured ribbing for one part:
Quote:
...Fairhope wasn’t what I’d call "dark," ... you could actually make-out the Milky Way on a good night...
...the Milky Way blazed overhead...
...from a site that was basically "suburban"...
Anyplace you can even think of seeing the Milky Way from is "dark" in my book. C'mon up to the northeast corridor on some clear, moonless night. You can practically read your star charts by the light pollution alone. It'll give you a whole new definition of "suburban!" 
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Mike
Orion SkyQuest XT10
Suburban Washington DC
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rmollise
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1662
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Quote:
Good stories!
I'm glad the cats survived their adventure. A while back, someone was complaining that their cat had accidentally ended up in the mirror box of his 'scope. He ended up getting rid of the cat because he was concerned of a repeat (despite the fact the cat sounded scared as heck after the incident). It was very sad to read about, and I'm glad that you and your friend didn't take such drastic measures.
Hurt them cats? Naw...no way.
Hell, I don't even hunt anymore. The older I get, it seems the less I want to. Which is not to criticize anybody who does. I've spent many a happy hour in the woods.
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Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT--coming in December!
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rmollise
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 1662
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Quote:
Very interesting and entertaining, as usual. I just have to give you some good-natured ribbing for one part:
Quote:
...Fairhope wasn’t what I’d call "dark," ... you could actually make-out the Milky Way on a good night...
...the Milky Way blazed overhead...
...from a site that was basically "suburban"...
Anyplace you can even think of seeing the Milky Way from is "dark" in my book. C'mon up to the northeast corridor on some clear, moonless night. You can practically read your star charts by the light pollution alone. It'll give you a whole new definition of "suburban!"
Alas...seeing the Milky Way from Fairhope is usually impossible now. My new site is way to the west of the city.
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Uncle Rod
Watch for Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT--coming in December!
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StarStuff1
sage
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 438
Loc: East Tennessee
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Ummm, OK, just this time. About 2 years ago or so I was part of a threesome that traveled to a nearby (if you count a 2 hour drive as nearby) mountain top for a session. Two of us (me included) forgot our ep case. Go figger! The third party had his and fortunately he was an enthusiastic ep buyer so all was not lost.
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Two dozen eyepieces, a dozen binoculars, a half dozen refractors, two reflectors and a homemade Image Intensifier Eyepiece (IIE). All products subject to change by the owner at any time.
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HaleBopper
sage
Reged: 01/14/08
Posts: 261
Loc: Great White North
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When I read the following:
"I was just about to panic and get my buddy to help me lift the scope out of the rocker box so I could see if something was haywire with the aziumuth encoder. Before I could embarrass myself further, however, I turned to the north, contemplatin’ my situation. Yeah, Polaris and Procyon, maybe I should use something other than Polaris? Wait. That ain’t Polaris; that’s KOCAB!"
I wondered how someone experienced with the skies could make such a mistake. Last night I did the same thing. I aligned my scope on Kochab, and wondered why my usually spot on gotos were horrible. After wasting 60 min of my life aligning and realigning, the park police where I was at north of town "asked" me to please clear out within 30 min or I would be locked in the parking lot.
I was humbled last night, and now I'm cleaning egg off my face... 
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8" SCT CG5 mount
Canon Digital Rebel 400
Kodak Easyshare 2.0 Megapixels
5, 8, 13, 17, 21, 24mm Orion Stratus
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Larry Geary
sage
Reged: 09/24/06
Posts: 472
Loc: NJ, USA
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I can't read that checklist without hearing "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" humming in the background.
Cat in mirror box? Check! Both survived.
I once took my Tectron Dob to observe with a friend, only to find during final assembly that I had somehow left the upper cage attachment knobs at home. Fortunately the design is such that the upper cage holds in place rather nicely anyway, and I was able to observe. It even held collimation.
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2799
Loc: Lodi, California,
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Quote:
As I shift my feet I step on the tire valve and it hisses...that sound is exactly like a rattlesnake at my feet. I do not know the Olympic record for the high jump, but I am certain that I was near it. At least the high jump record for a 240 pound white guy in street clothes;-)
Now THAT'S funny!! 
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Orion XTi10 f/4.7
Orion XTi8 f/5.9
Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
My Sketch Gallery
My Astronomy Blog
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
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digitalcameradc
newbie
Reged: 08/26/08
Posts: 3
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thanks for tips
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