What is the oddest thing you've found in your Astro gear
Okay, wasn't sure where to put this thread but, decided on general chat... inspired by something I found in the oddest of places today..
Recently purchased an AZ-EQ6 Mount (which works beautifully thankyou Dave). I've been looking at modifying the Toolpro case it came with to basically put in compartments using plywood to make the storage a bit 'better'..
I noticed that the polar scope sticks out a bit so, thought.. hmmm, maybe if I could remove that & put a cap there, it might make things a little simpler. Unscrewed the polar scope & noticed a bit of grot on the objective lens... anyways, for... ..... & giggles, decided to look throught the hole... bit of phaffing around line up the dec hole & voila.. not a very clear view.... shine a torch in & see a dry, brown insect like thing... anyways, turned out to a very dead & dried out frog... (see pic)... managed to extract the long dead Mr Frog via the side panel.. no harm, no foul...
I'm intrigued as to how he or she got in there... polar scope screwed in on one end, polemaster adapter with cap on the other... must have been a very opportunistic little bugger... & just snuck in there in the moment it was uncovered... I only found it by pure chance... so, previous owner would have had no idea either...
So, what weird things have you found in the most unlikely of places in your gear?
Poor Kermit! Croaked it while trying hard to be green...
Me, laying my hand on a big huntsman that had made its way into my eyepiece case in the dark... I can still feel its hairy squishiness in my fingers all these years later. I don't mind them, but when you lay hand on one when not expecting it, that's another matter.
The corrella pictured left there was a couple of them, my scope was cooling late afternoon , i thought how cool and took the pic then remembered how they had been shredding timber off the fence and panicked he was just looking at his reflection though so all was good .
February 2 years ago while setting out the tripod, battery box's etc at our usual observing site, went back to the van, about 3 mtrs away, to get more gear , turned around and took a step when I realised that something was wriggling away from the gear I had just put on the ground.
A 400 / 500mm Eastern Brown, juvenile obvioiusly, that when persuaded to vacate my area decided that a safe hideaway was wrapped around a companions tripod leg and battery box's etc.
Could not be encouraged to move elsewhere, plenty of long grass and shrubs nearby, so ended up knocked on the head. Not the most desirable outcome but how it came to be amongst my gear is most curious considering the gear had been in the back of my van for a few days after a trip out to the back of Goulburn !!!
A possum in my 200mm Richey Chretien scope. Had a bit job to remove it (removed scope's spider for a start). When I told my wife she said "you didn't hurt it did you?" Of course not Luv!
I have found a dog biscuit in my eye piece case, dropped there by my dog.
I also have had a frog encounter, he had jumped into my pop up workstation (camp kitchen unit), while out at Bretti.
This evening, a stunned mosquito on the primary mirror of my SkyWatcher Heritage P130
I'd swatted at it, down against my bust, as I was doing up the truss bolts after collapsing that scope for storage. Looked down to see where the mosquito splat was on my tshirt to brush the remains off. Nothing. By chance I glanced down inside the scope before putting the cover on. Stunned mosquito on its back, on the primary mirror.
A few quick squeezes of air from my photographic air cleaner, and the mosquito was blown off the mirror. I could not see where it ended up after that.
edit:
I found where the mosquito landed. I'd managed to blow it around the mirror cell. The mosquito was beside the central bolt on the base of the scope.
No wonder I could not find it when I was shining a torch at the area around the mirror.
Last edited by JeniSkunk; 20-03-2020 at 10:48 PM.
Reason: minor update to the post
This little fella was sitting on the saddle of my mount today after I took off the long bucket with which I cover the mount some nights. Did not want to leave the safety of the dovetail.
ANTS: Millions of 'em. They seem to have a real affinity with anything with electronics - in my case, two computers now. Both connected to scopes. One - they got under the keyboard of a laptop and bred up to the point where the computer fizzled. Two - under the mothrboard of a PC than Tandum built for me. They got underneath the motherboard and between it and the computer case - and again, bred up to beat the band before I had to move the computer recently and they were swarming. Love the little beggars! Doesn't everyone?
Yep. It is their world and we are just a minor species. They love to hang out in my mount if I leave it on the lawn and the ants don’t want to leave , even when I move in to the garage. I suppose it is dry and warm. I think I need tins of water for the legs or double sided tape which Slows them down on my fruit trees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pmrid
ANTS: Millions of 'em. They seem to have a real affinity with anything with electronics - in my case, two computers now. Both connected to scopes. One - they got under the keyboard of a laptop and bred up to the point where the computer fizzled. Two - under the mothrboard of a PC than Tandum built for me. They got underneath the motherboard and between it and the computer case - and again, bred up to beat the band before I had to move the computer recently and they were swarming. Love the little beggars! Doesn't everyone?
I can still feel its hairy squishiness in my fingers all these years later. I don't mind them, but when you lay hand on one when not expecting it, that's another matter. 
