revans
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/26/05
Posts: 1510
Loc: Fitchburg, MA
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I'd invite them over for coffee, show them my astronomy setup and explain the hobby, exchange phone numbers, and ask if they would shut off the light when I planned to observe provided that I called and let them know. Most of us really observe on a minority of nights when the weather and seeing are good and most of the time his light probably could stay on cause you won't be out observing anyway...
But I'd also invite them to take a look through the scope... people tend to think that is interesting... and they especially like the moon... anyway then they would understand what you mean and that you aren't just being difficult.
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Rick Evans
http://www.freewebs.com/revans_01420/
"The universe is there for us to see, but it cannot be understood without learning its language -- mathematics." Galileo Galilei
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Javier
sage
Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 430
Loc: New Jersey
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The biggest problem are the types of neighbors that just don't care.
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earthbot1
super member
Reged: 08/27/09
Posts: 170
Loc: Central Virginia
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That is something many of us will have to deal with.
I do have lots of tall shrubs around my yard that help and now I am careful when I trim them...not too much.
People can be great or very stubborn, so being nice is your best bet and hope he understands. I think letting him view the scope might help, although some people are even weirded out by telescopes.
I think lights make it easier for thieves, motion lights catch them off guard.
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Nexstar 8
Meade/Celestron EPs
Bushnell 90mm Mak-Cass
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Nebulocity
super member
Reged: 09/22/09
Posts: 107
Loc: Northwest Florida, USA
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I have to do this every now and then for my backyard "neighbors". Of course, i don't see them because a fence is between us, but the light just absolutely glares through the fence, and it's right on my "perfect spot" in the backyard where i get no stray light incoming.
Asking the couple that live there, or their children (who are from late teens to mid 20's), was fine until the other night when i asked. The son was out back for a smoke, so i asked him if he could turn it off, and he said sure, but later on when the LOUD OBNOXIOUS NEXTSTAR MOTORS STARTED GRINDING (lol), the home owner opened her bathroom window, took a peek, then turned on all the lights in her house...
I became pretty *BLEEP* at that, gave up, and went back inside.
Later, i went back out...and found dew...and was even MORE angry...don't have the money for a dew heater just yet so i have to use a ghetto hairdrier fixup, which my wife broke because she needed it >.> 
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- Celestron NexStar 8 SE 8” go-to SCT
- NexImage Solar System Imager
- Celestron 5x 1.25" Plössl EP set, 2x Barlow, 7x 1.25" filter set
- Celestron AC Adapter
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Tombstone Sky
One-Eyed Jack
Reged: 12/18/06
Posts: 1708
Loc: Tombstone Arizona
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This may be a bit off-point, but I've seen several posts where neighbors turn on their lights as soon as they "know" you're out there with your scope, and I'm starting to wonder how much motor-noise is feeding this. I don't think any of us would like neighbors using power tools until all hours of the night, and if the scope motor sounds like one ...
My Meade has a "quiet slew" option, and I believe Celestron has the same. Might be worth trying it.
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MJ "Morg" Staley
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M5 Dark-Site Observatory
Meade 12" f/10 LX90GPS "River"
WO 2" Dielectric Diagonal
Meade SP 5000 full set, 24mm Meade 5000 UWA,
BO/TMB Planetary 8, 9mm, Nagler 13mmT6
Meade 505/USB/ASU/SNP6
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johnnyha
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/12/06
Posts: 1083
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Here is what I did, and I make no guarantees that it would ever work for anyone else. I changed all of my outdoor lights with colored floods, mainly red but also some green. I kept them on all night, and it actually made my house look upscale/cool. I just did it to keep my nightvision, but literally within weeks all of the neighbors were changing their lights out to colored floods. It was not for my benefit at all, they just wanted to be trendy I think. Anyway it worked.
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Johnny
Spicewood, TX
Sherman Oaks, CA
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skybsd
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/01/08
Posts: 586
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Too cool for school! 
Excellent!
Regards,
skybsd
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Tombstone Sky
One-Eyed Jack
Reged: 12/18/06
Posts: 1708
Loc: Tombstone Arizona
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Oddly enough (or not), if you're going to have outside security floodlights, red is the best color. Try it, and you'll find you can see right through the light INTO the darkness.
If it were up to me, it'd be a law.
[Edit] I have six outdoor lights, all are red. Two are CFL's, two are tube fluorescent, and the other two are motion lights and are incandescents.
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MJ "Morg" Staley
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M5 Dark-Site Observatory
Meade 12" f/10 LX90GPS "River"
WO 2" Dielectric Diagonal
Meade SP 5000 full set, 24mm Meade 5000 UWA,
BO/TMB Planetary 8, 9mm, Nagler 13mmT6
Meade 505/USB/ASU/SNP6
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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We’ve had several discussions of neighbors with lights. As can be seen in the attached picture of me and my scope in my front yard, neighbor lights are not my problem, but I do get a stream of cars going by on the road in front up until 11pm or so. One solution is to wear a hood like many solar observers do. I often wear a "hoodie" type sweatshirt while observing and use the hood to block local light. I find that it works quite well. It would be rather easy to make a black hood to wear while observing. Unfortunately, it will not work at all with general sky glow.
A friend who has neighbors who very occasionally turn on outside lights has installed some cheap plastic sheeting in the tree and hedge line between their properties. He has to replace the plastic every few years.
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George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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Thomas44
super member
Reged: 10/26/09
Posts: 101
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Any updates from the thread starter? Talking to him nicely is the best way there is.
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www.redlaser.co.uk
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KD5NRH
member
Reged: 06/21/09
Posts: 50
Loc: Stephenville TX
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Quote:
Of course, i don't see them because a fence is between us, but the light just absolutely glares through the fence, and it's right on my "perfect spot" in the backyard where i get no stray light incoming.
Could you just caulk in the gaps between the slats, or buy some more, slightly shorter slats and borrow a brad nailer to tack the over the gaps to make the fence both more decorative and more lightproof?
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rflynn74
member
Reged: 06/29/09
Posts: 25
Loc: New Jersey, Land of Garbage an...
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Update- So I finally got a chance to talk to him last night.
After some casual conversation I broke in with the "Hey I wanted to ask you about that light in the backyard" He immediately cut me off and said "Oh yes, I wanted to know if this light was too bright"
I smiled and said yes, so he agreed to shut it off at night 
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RonBurgundy
sage
Reged: 06/16/09
Posts: 252
Loc: Philadelphia
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Congratulations!!!
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Kipp Ginsburg
8" LX200-ACF
Orion 120mm F/5.0 Piggybacked Refractor
Meade UWA Set [4.7mm-30mm]
DSI-II
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skybsd
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/01/08
Posts: 586
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Hi,
All's well that ends well.
Excellent - happy to hear it got resolved the way it did!
Regards,
skybsd
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NewAstronomer
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 3018
Loc: Scranton, PA U.S.A
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Electricity rates in my area are going up 30% next year....strange positive side effect might be less night lights! Maybe he'll change his mind after 30 days or so...
If not, after introductions/beers etc, later on casually bring it up, suggest motion detector that you buy.
EDIT whoops saw your post, good job, that's the way to do it. most people don't care as long as its not confrontational.
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Chris
279mm f/10 C11 SCT
250mm f/4.8 GSO Dob
70mm f/6 SV70ED
Atlas EQ-G + EQMOD
SVP Intelliscope & ST-4 Autoguide Mod
Vixen Portamount on the way!
DBK 21AU04
Olympus e-500 DSLR
Meade DSI-C
Edited by NewAstronomer (11/06/09 09:33 AM)
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JayKSC
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/01/05
Posts: 963
Loc: Florida
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Glad to read that your light issue was resolved. If only the city where I live were willing to shut off the streetlights. 
- Jay
South Florida
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Refractor manic. 
My Sketches
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adamsp123
sage
Reged: 11/20/08
Posts: 440
Loc: welshpool mid wales UK
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It was easy in the end, and congratulations, we often get ourselves into a lather about how people are going to react to a subjects like this, but I put money that most people will help, of course it only takes one to spoil it.
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SkyWatcher 120ED PRO, GSO 200mm F4 Astrograph, Meade 10" SNT, WO 72ED & 66ED
Vixen Sphinx and Vixen Atlux with starbook,
QHY5 guider, Modded Canon 1000D, Baader MPCC.
WO Flattener III
Don't you wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There's one marked 'Brightness,' but it doesn't work."
TV is called a "medium" because it is neither rare nor well done.
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caheaton
super member
Reged: 05/26/09
Posts: 155
Loc: SW Ohio
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"I smiled and said yes, so he agreed to shut it off at night"
So...does that mean he switches it on again after sun up?
Congratulations!
Craig
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Tonk
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/19/04
Posts: 4346
Loc: Leeds, UK, 54N
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Televue 85, GM-8/Gemini, Canon 40D (unmodded), Canon 450D (modded w/Astronomiks clip-ins - UV/IR, OWB)
Coronado SM60/BF10, Baader Herschel Wedge
Leeds Sky Clock Ripon Sky Clock
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KD5NRH
member
Reged: 06/21/09
Posts: 50
Loc: Stephenville TX
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Quote:
[Edit] I have six outdoor lights, all are red. Two are CFL's, two are tube fluorescent, and the other two are motion lights and are incandescents.
Two questions: are these available in red or have you had to add some sort of filter, and just how much more effective is a full cutoff red light than a light that is just red or just full cutoff? (I've made some shields for my yard floods, and I'm wondering if it would still be worth the effort to switch to red for the rare times they're on.)
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