backyard astronomy

Chippy3476 (Danial) · #1 09-03-2015, 12:47 PM

Hi all,
I was just wandering how many of you observe from your backyard? How do you get around stray light sources like neighbours lights and street lights?
I have only ever observed from my backyard but recently the neighbours have had a light on and leave it on all night. I made a tarp frame and am waiting to test it out but I was just interested in seeing how others get on as im sure I cant be the only backyard astronomer.
Thanks
Dan

rrussell1962 · #2 09-03-2015, 01:07 PM

Hello Dan, trust your newly collimated scope is performing well! I just point the other way and wait a few hours for objects to swing into the dark part of the sky. You are welcome to knock up a tarp screen for me, I need wind resistant and can be put up and down with an iPad app, easy.

glend (Glen) · #3 09-03-2015, 01:19 PM

Ask your neighbor to turn off the light, or put a timer on it. Sometimes they won't even know they have left it on - you could save them money.

N1 (Mirko) · #4 09-03-2015, 01:27 PM

I run a thin rope from the house to the clothesline and back to the patio & put black sheets over it. The equilateral triangle in the middle is about 5m on each side, plenty of room. If wind is an issue, I peg little weights to the sheets. Looks quite intimidating to the neighbours when I do my laundry

julianh72 (Julian) · #5 09-03-2015, 01:33 PM

I'm strictly a back-yard / front-yard astronomer, with just an occasional trip to dark skies. (One "advantage" of living in a light-polluted city is that the rare trip to a dark sky site is ALWAYS overwhelming - I'd hate to get bored / blasé about living in a dark sky site!)

My back-yard gets the best view to the North, and my front yard gets the best view to the North-West, West and South, and that's where I spend most of my time. I don't get much of an easterly view at all, partly because of the tall trees in that direction, and partly because of the glow from Brisbane City - about 6 km to my East.

Living in a leafy suburb, I don't have too many bright lights from the neighbours spilling directly onto my viewing sites, so my biggest issue is general urban light pollution / sky-glow, rather than direct light spilling. (Luckily, there isn't much suburbia to my West, and there is a large forest park to my west and south, so I don't get too much sky-glow in those directions.) I have a couple of streetlights that cast straight onto parts of my front yard, but I set up in the shadow of my neighbour's garage, and that does the trick. I also sometimes use a patio umbrella to provide shielding from a couple of bright light sources - I imagine a tarp screen would work just as well.

Chippy3476 (Danial) · #6 09-03-2015, 04:31 PM

Thanks for the replies all,
Unfortunately asking the nieghbor to turn the light off is off the cards as he deliberately leaves it on as he knows it affects my viewing, long story short it is a welfare shelter and he is always on drugs and just not a nice person at the best of times. The other neighbours are absolutely amazing and will turn there light out for me without any hesitation they even offered there back yard to me to use if I cant fix the light problem.
So if I can get in a shadow or behind my tarp setup will my views be back to what they used to be? As long as a light source is not directly on me or my scope will it be all good again?
Sorry for the silly questions but im going insane not being able to get out and enjoy my hobby.

Thanks
Dan

ZeroID (Brent) · #7 10-03-2015, 08:03 AM

Hi Dan, A screen will certainly help kill the direct glare from his light which is your biggest immediate problem. You will obviously still get some light glow if you view over the top in that direction so make the screen as tall as practical, 300mm at least higher than your scopes max height.
Good luck with dealing with it all.

Suzy · #8 10-03-2015, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chippy3476

Thanks for the replies all,
Unfortunately asking the nieghbor to turn the light off is off the cards as he deliberately leaves it on as he knows it affects my viewing, long story short it is a welfare shelter and he is always on drugs and just not a nice person at the best of times. The other neighbours are absolutely amazing and will turn there light out for me without any hesitation they even offered there back yard to me to use if I cant fix the light problem.
So if I can get in a shadow or behind my tarp setup will my views be back to what they used to be? As long as a light source is not directly on me or my scope will it be all good again?
Sorry for the silly questions but im going insane not being able to get out and enjoy my hobby.

Thanks
Dan

Oh Dan you poor thing, that's a terrible situation

.
Have rock will travel?

In addition to screening, some people use a light shield on their scope which minimises stray light entering the tube & at the same time, the dew as well. Just google images "dew shield for telescope" and you will see what I mean. I have the black foam rubber bought from Clarke Rubber that I plan to do this with myself- mainly for the dew issue.

astroron (Ron) · #9 10-03-2015, 12:24 PM

Hi Dan,Some of the answer's here help, but I would also recommend a dark cloth over your head when observing through the eyepiece, you will be surprised at the difference it will make.
I live in a dark site but still use a cloth to get the best view I can to observe really "Faint Fuzzies"
Best of luck with your rotten neighbour.

Cheers

PS you are always welcome to come out to Cambroon if you want a dark sky observing session.

Chippy3476 (Danial) · #10 10-03-2015, 12:46 PM

Thanks everyone,
I will try all of these things out next observing session. My screen is 2.6 meters tall and 1.8 tall, probably an overkill but I just hope it works.
Thanks again

ZeroID (Brent) · #11 11-03-2015, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chippy3476

Thanks everyone,
I will try all of these things out next observing session. My screen is 2.6 meters tall and 1.8 tall, probably an overkill but I just hope it works.
Thanks again

When blocking off unwanted light NOTHING is an overkill, NOTHING !

Ric · #12 11-03-2015, 10:04 AM

Hi Danial

I know how you feel, many many years ago I used to live in suburbia and behind me was a family of five, Mum, Dad and two teenage girls.

It was a case of constant floodlights on and the arguments along with the yelling and screaming were unbelievable.

I now live in a secluded dark area with the nearest light over 20km away and my front yard is 5 acres.

Cheers

julianh72 (Julian) · #13 11-03-2015, 10:11 AM

I just got the following e-mail conversation in my Facebook feed, and now I need a new keyboard! (Warning: contains a little bit of "not suitable for work" language.)

http://wheresmysammich.com/picture/6...ry-neighbours/

I can't help thinking that David Thorne must be an IIS member!

julianh72 (Julian) · #14 11-03-2015, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julianh72

I can't help thinking that David Thorne must be an IIS member!

I had to Google him - this guy is hilarious!

https://thephilthyway.wordpress.com/.../david-thorne/

Ric · #15 11-03-2015, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julianh72

I just got the following e-mail conversation in my Facebook feed, and now I need a new keyboard! (Warning: contains a little bit of "not suitable for work" language.)

http://wheresmysammich.com/picture/6...ry-neighbours/

I can't help thinking that David Thorne must be an IIS member!

Quote:

Originally Posted by julianh72

I had to Google him - this guy is hilarious!

https://thephilthyway.wordpress.com/.../david-thorne/

Great stuff Julian

That had me in stitches.

Chippy3476 (Danial) · #16 11-03-2015, 12:07 PM

Funny stuff there mate,

I was reading on some random site I found on the google box that you can test how good your sky is for light pollution by counting how many stars you can see in the constellation of orion? Is this true or just a croc. Apparently you count how many you can see within the main rectangle of orion and use that as a guide.
Thanls all

FlashDrive (Poppy) · #17 11-03-2015, 12:12 PM

Definitely a ' must ' read....

Hilarious

Thanks for the Link.

Col...

michaellxv (Michael) · #18 11-03-2015, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chippy3476

Funny stuff there mate,

I was reading on some random site I found on the google box that you can test how good your sky is for light pollution by counting how many stars you can see in the constellation of orion? Is this true or just a croc. Apparently you count how many you can see within the main rectangle of orion and use that as a guide.
Thanls all

You're probably thinking of Globe at Night March is the month they try to get everyone to make a report.