This is way O.T. and I apologize for the length but this is a of follow up to the following post and there is a vital lesson for all to be learned from reading this!!!
http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=37334
So I got the scope mentioned in the above post. I played around with it a couple of nights but didn’t get much time to practice with it, (polar alignment etc.).The coming Memorial Day weekend would be my first day off of work in three weeks. Before getting the scope I did a lot of reading up on astronomy at various websites including star parties where people get together with their scopes for a night of star gazing. While reading about this I ran across a list of star party etiquette. One of the rules of note was “absolutely no alcoholic beverages allowed.” I joked with one of my friends about it, after all what kind of a party could it be if you can’t indulge in an adult beverage or two?
Last Memorial Day weekend I had arranged to spend the night at a friend of mine house where we were going to have our own private little star party. (He knows about as much about astronomy as I do). He also has a great spot for viewing being right on the gulf coast of Florida in a semi remote area with fairly dark skies. The following is a brief time line of my first star party.
Sun. 11:00 am- mow the front yard real quick so I don’t have to deal with it on Monday.
Sun. 11:40 am- Hot and sweaty got a couple cold ones in the fridge so took a break and drank a couple beers. (Just two).
Sun 1:00 pm- load up scope and laptop in truck and charcoal for grilling!
Sun 1:30 pm- arrive at friends house and unload, and cart everything to viewing spot.
Sun 2:00 pm- all done unloading nothing to do, lets go down stairs, shoot a couple games of pool have a couple beers!
Sun 5:00 pm- Start grilling, more beers.
Sun 6:00 pm- Eat steaks more beer, not dark yet, shoot some more pool.
Sun 9:00 pm- Finally starting to get dark haul remaining beer to viewing spot and get ready.
Sun 10:00 pm- Not having much luck with polar alignment, Hell lets just point the thing at Saturn!!
Sun. 11:00 pm- Out of beer (1 case between us) start drinking rum and coke.
Sun. 11:30 pm- can’t seem to keep from bumping into the scope for some reason; higher magnification lenses are not focusing very well….
Sun. midnight. To plastered to hardly walk down the stairs for more rum and coke.
Monday some time late morning- Wake up with raging head ache.. Now I know why no alcohol allowed at star parties.
Spent the rest of Memorial Day home recuperating!!!
http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=37334
So I got the scope mentioned in the above post. I played around with it a couple of nights but didn’t get much time to practice with it, (polar alignment etc.).The coming Memorial Day weekend would be my first day off of work in three weeks. Before getting the scope I did a lot of reading up on astronomy at various websites including star parties where people get together with their scopes for a night of star gazing. While reading about this I ran across a list of star party etiquette. One of the rules of note was “absolutely no alcoholic beverages allowed.” I joked with one of my friends about it, after all what kind of a party could it be if you can’t indulge in an adult beverage or two?
Last Memorial Day weekend I had arranged to spend the night at a friend of mine house where we were going to have our own private little star party. (He knows about as much about astronomy as I do). He also has a great spot for viewing being right on the gulf coast of Florida in a semi remote area with fairly dark skies. The following is a brief time line of my first star party.
Sun. 11:00 am- mow the front yard real quick so I don’t have to deal with it on Monday.
Sun. 11:40 am- Hot and sweaty got a couple cold ones in the fridge so took a break and drank a couple beers. (Just two).
Sun 1:00 pm- load up scope and laptop in truck and charcoal for grilling!
Sun 1:30 pm- arrive at friends house and unload, and cart everything to viewing spot.
Sun 2:00 pm- all done unloading nothing to do, lets go down stairs, shoot a couple games of pool have a couple beers!
Sun 5:00 pm- Start grilling, more beers.
Sun 6:00 pm- Eat steaks more beer, not dark yet, shoot some more pool.
Sun 9:00 pm- Finally starting to get dark haul remaining beer to viewing spot and get ready.
Sun 10:00 pm- Not having much luck with polar alignment, Hell lets just point the thing at Saturn!!
Sun. 11:00 pm- Out of beer (1 case between us) start drinking rum and coke.
Sun. 11:30 pm- can’t seem to keep from bumping into the scope for some reason; higher magnification lenses are not focusing very well….
Sun. midnight. To plastered to hardly walk down the stairs for more rum and coke.
Monday some time late morning- Wake up with raging head ache.. Now I know why no alcohol allowed at star parties.
Spent the rest of Memorial Day home recuperating!!!
