Worst astronomy-related injury

[kittenshark]

Injured my thumb moving a scope somewhere. It's been 6 weeks and the knuckle is still swollen and it still hurts.

I'd imagine more injuries to come...

What's the worst astronomy-related injury you've had?

[mental4astro]

Split my brow on edge of the scope's mount when I lost balance while setting up a fork mounted C9.25 at an outreach night. Had blood trickling down the side of my face all night. In the red light I was using I couldn't make out the claret, so didn't I get a surprise when finally I turned on a light light and found blood smeared over my face, over my hands and soaking the collar of my jumper... :eyepop: :rolleyes::doh::lol:

Just glad that there were no young kids around anymore at that time! :eyepop::eyepop:

[rrussell1962]

For an inexplicable reason I dropped the screw that holds the eyepiece in the diagonal, scrabbled around on my hands and knees to find it. Got up not realising the counterweight was above my head with predictable results.

[DJT]

When I built my observatory a couple of "compromises"were made on door height and height of the light fitting (with the everso convenient serrated patterning on the plastic light cover) I attached to the ceiling inside.

Being folically challenged this means that most nights I leave bits of scalp either on the door lintel or light fitting and occasionally on both so does this count as having accidents in progress?

[pmrid]

How about a broken back - 3 crushed discs and 3 weeks in hospital followed by 12 months of rehab. Fell backwards while sliding a rollof roof on the obs - collapsed into a steel-framed wall after losing balance and peddling backwards at high speed. Now a residual 15% spinal tilt.
Peter

[kittenshark]

Yikes! I guess a combination of heavy equipment, and darkness really is a recipe for disaster!

Look forward to accumulating more battle scars.... (not)!

[Atmos]

Carrying my 10" LX200 out to the car for a public outreach night, a muscle in my back seized up (or something along those lines) which took 6 weeks and repeated chiropractic efforts before it settled. Still have no idea how I safely got it from over my head onto the ground with no damage.

[RobF]

High speed impact into closed "Crimsafe" screen door at 2am. Forgot I had closed it earlier, then decided to duck in quickly for an eyepiece off the kitchen table. Every dog within a km started barking at the racket.

Had lots of questions about the cross-hatch pattern on my nose and forehead for the rest of the week....:lol:

The door survived quite happily however.

[multiweb]

Was a crownie involved?...:P

[RobF]

Wish I could say yes Marc, but no such excuse :ashamed: :whistle: :lol:

[AstralTraveller]

I can't top any of the stories here - fortunately! Does wounded pride count? I've managed that a few times.

[kittenshark]

We should have an award for the best survivor of an astro-related injury... now, what to name it? The Golden Unsecured Counterweight Award?

[el_draco]

Killed my bank account.... dead! :rofl::rofl:

[yoda776]

All i can say is ouch everyone. Only managed to dislocate my shoulder lifting the baseboard with motor of my 16" dobbie into the car. Not sure how i managed to get the gear in the car and home!

Some really full on injuries here. At least they are not 'sporting' such as breaking an ankle getting up from the chess table. :P

Seems like we all have some battle scars from our astronomy hobby.

[leon]

I ended head first into a sand pit that I had built for the Grand kids the night before but forgot all about it in the middle of the night. :P
I was carrying an Olympus Lens at the time, and with an automatic reaction it went flying through the air and landed on the grass on the other side of the Sand Pit. :sadeyes:
Slight injury to my pride and knees, but the lens was fine.:lol:

Leon :thumbsup:

[fuso]

I read on cloudynights that someone left his dob out during the day, on his wood deck, on a sunny day..........the sun crossed it's path, it all went up in flames

[PeterM]

My wallet.

[astronut]

Fell off the retaining wall, heading back into the kitchen.

Result? Injured pride, and badly swollen right ankle. :rofl:

[strongmanmike]

No obvious injuries that I can recall :question:...but I did military press my 12" LX200 SCT with forks, overhead for 10 repetitions in 2002.. just cause I could and once picked up and shifted it about 3m while on the giant field tripod and wedge!.. because I couldn't be bothered dismantling it all :P...no lasting injuries.

Couldn't do either now though....:sadeyes:

Mike
touches wood

[alocky]

alcohol, early morning G11 disassembly, counterweight, toe. 3 screws in metatarsal.

[Kunama]

My wife scowled and yelled at me when she realised how much I have spent on astro gear..... that made me feel pretty bad......

On the plus side, my wallet is so much lighter that my scoliosis feels better...

[RobF]

:lol:

[speach]

Trying to save my night vision, walking along a raised walkway in the dark forgot about the slight turn in it fall off and broke my ankle. Though I'd just twisted it and hobbled around on it for a week, finally went to the Dr's when it swelled up so big that I couldn't get my trousers on. To cut a long story short nearly had to have my foot amputated.

[Greenswale]

Mozzie bight. Ouch!

[SimmoW]

Quote possibly the best thread in IIS....ever!

I routinely injury myself mentally in this endeavour, yet to try the physical aspect. Must add it to my todo list :screwy:

[kittenshark]

Am currently in the middle of packing and moving the shop to a new warehouse... being a klutz it may only be a matter of time before I have a scope land on me or fall off the forklift... :work::P

[eddiedunlop]

I once tilted my dob onto the bridge of a mate's nose.
It bled for the rest of the night making me feel like a real oaf.
And yes, it wasn't the only source of claret that had been flowing on that particular evening.

[kittenshark]

I was about to tell someone how astronomy was a "healthy" hobby that they should get into... Just don't point the scope at the sun...

I don't know if I can promise anyone seeing all sorts of health hazards associated with just moving and operating equipment!

Speaking of mozzies... I know a bunch of friends went out to do astronony once and they all came down with some sort of mosquito borne disease! Was once out to catch an ISS transit in some wetlands; expecting some mozzies, I wore long hiking pants, but some other insect has evolved to bite through the fabric! While chasing the eclipse in Cairns, the resulting video consisted mostly of clouds and me swatting at sandflies.

[Atmos]

On the topic of the little devils (mozzies); it has taken three weeks for the red dots on my hands to all but disappear. The night of imaging and 10x50 bino surfing of Sagittarius and Scorpio was worth it though :thumbsup:

[GrahamL]

On the way to the scope smashed my shin on a slab of timber I'd left out to put some feed on for some teal ducks that would visit ,plenty of blood ,staggering round in agony then stepped into the dish of water I'd left them flinging the muddy contents all over myself as i fell to the ground , mid winter.

[cometcatcher]

I can relate to that. I've lost count how many times I have hit my head on the door frame and the roof outrunners.