Stupid comments and uninformed questions.

[jjjnettie]

As an Astronomer, what stupid comments or uninformed questions peeve you off the most?
I'm not in any way putting people down who ask so they can be informed, that is GOOD. But there are times when you know certain people are leading you on so they can discuss the latest conspiracy theory.

[iceman]

ROFL nice one, all of the above? :)

[spacezebra]

As an Amateur Astrononmer this is the question that we get alot via Outreach::)

"Where are the telescopes that see through clouds?" or "why cant your telescopes see through clouds?"

Cheers Petra d.

[jjjnettie]

One of my pet peeves is gender related.
I hate it when people ask to talk to my husband/boyfriend about my rig when I'm right there standing next to it.

[spacezebra]

I ditto your peeve - even when I have co built the scope.. but things are changing



Cheers Petra d.

[Ric]

Hi JJJ, I'm over the Mars/Moon thing. Probably over the years they have all popped up to annoy us.

Come to think of it, seeing as it's August the Mars/Moon emails must be due to start doing their rounds. :D

[asimov]

One of mine would be gender related too actually. All the people I know (in the physical world;) ) think that astronomy & photographing objects in the night sky is a 'mans hobby' - And then I show them examples of your work JJJ..

[CraigS]

Those coming from fellow Astronomers who presuppose that non-Astronomers will never be physically capable of understanding what they do.

[jjjnettie]

Yep yep yep, I'm sorry to say that I have to agree with you there.
We need to nurture any spark of interest that people show.

[Rick Petrie]

Yep,agree with all the above, and there is another!!
When people find out that your hobby is astronomy and they say to you.
I didn't know that you were into 'Astrology'??

[thunderchildobs]

Trying to explain that the "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy " is not real.

"In the beginning the universe was created.
... people of Viltvodle VI believe that the
entire Universe was in fact sneezed out of the nose of a being
called the Great Green Arkleseizure. "

[thunderchildobs]

When people ask me about astrology.
I say the following "I predict that you are in for a bad day as Uranus passes the Moon. That will be $20 Thanks".

[The_bluester]

The one I have hated the most was recent. On a horse/pony forum I frequent (I am a pony breeder, well my mother is anyway so if the stud is to continue when she stops I will have to be up to speed) there was vast oozing expanses of rubbish about how the queensland floods and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions etc are all to do with the moon, specifically the "Super full moon" and the even more frightening "Extreme super full moon" with them trying to tie it back to flooding back through history. No amount of argument on my part would convince them that the difference between the closest perigee and furthest apogee at full moon was dead set insignificant and that the water would not leap up out of the oceans to flood us all over again nor the volcanos erupt or mass earthquakes occur.

I am just thankful that nothing significant happened on that particular full moon or they would have carped on about it forever. As it is they did not admit or see that they had maybe been talking such hot air, they just shut up about it. I suppose that is nearly as good an outcome.

[casstony]

:lol:. We get the same regarding computers; I do the mechanical alterations ('cos everyone knows girls can't do that stuff) and the wife does all the software, but all computer related questions come to me only to be redirected to my wife.:)

Regarding the poll, I can tolerate everything except the inane Uranus jokes :rolleyes:. Bottom jokes should be finished by about age 8 I reckon.

[Robh]

Actually, it's the lack of questions that annoy me most.
Generally, I can carry on a conversation about a variety of subjects and will take an interest in any past-time a person is into.
I find it frustrating when you start talking about astronomy with one's usually exuberant enthusiasm and the "listener" will not take the slightest interest in what you do. Talk politics, sport or entertainment but not science!

Regards, Rob.

[mishku]

You.... what??? I joined IIS for the express purpose of finding someone who could show me the vogsphere through a scope :sadeyes:

[Filby]

:lol:
C'mon- theyre funny.
I ESPECIALLY like Uranus jokes!
Have you heard the one about Klingons....:rofl:

[OzRob]

What's wrong with Uranus jokes??....lol

[jjjnettie]

Changing.... you reckon? :shrug: I suppose so, albeit slowly.

[jjjnettie]

:rolleyes: Brendan, Everyone knows it was a series of documentaries.

It was the x-files that was fiction.

[TrevorW]

How many rings does uranus have ???

mine-

"I've got a $60 scope will it give me 300x magnification"

[RB]

When I show my astrophotos to some on my iPod and they say "c'mon that's not real is it ?"
One guy was questioning authenticity because the Horsehead really did look like a horse head.

:lol:

[jjjnettie]

Did YOU take that picture? insert look of disbelief.....

[dugnsuz]

"So Doug, discovered anything new up there?"



...yes, Uranus!

[RB]

:thumbsup:

And when you say yes, they walk away still bewildered.

Also some people find it hard to understand why we can't see that sort of detail at the eyepiece.

[pgc hunter]

the whole "Nibiru" thing grates my nerves.

[higginsdj]

Those who discover "new phenomina" on Google sky....

[Terry B]

When a "friend" introduces you to someone and states that you are into astrology.
Grrrrr

[bojan]

All of the above, yes.. and more.

[DavidU]

The question I get asked a lot is "how far can you see with that thing"?
It is difficult to answer without going into limiting magnitudes and SQ.

[ngcles]

Hi jjj & All,

Wonderful question and poll. I probably spend more time dealing with these questions than anyone else on this forum because I work at Sydney Observatory doing public astronomy. It is interesting at this early stage that despite the large number to select from, the poll is fairly even.

I can't say that I find any of them to be exceptionally irritating per se, in fact I look forward to most of them because it gives me a chance to detonate myths (which I quite enjoy) (I bet you didn't know that eh?) -- perhaps with the Uranus jokes being the exception. If you think you're "over it" just imagine how many times I've heard the rings around Uranus line (almost invariably delivered by an 8-10 year-old boy who's convinced he invented it first). I usually respond with something like "oh really! Gee I haven't heard that one in nearly ... oooh ... must be half an hour (while wearing a suitably dismissive facial expression).

Perhaps the one that causes the most chagrin (and teeth grinding) for me personally has been identified by Petra re "can't this telescope see through clouds?". You simply wouldn't believe how many times people have said this to me. Usually followed up by "I thought this telescope would take us so close that we'd be above the clouds?". There are some seriously dopey people out there folks.

I find the astrology questions the most interesting actually and give me a good excuse to talk about precession of the equinoxes, the conservation of angular momentum and demonstrate with my gyroscope (and yes I do have a gyroscope at work for this express purpose), and a host of other things that smash astrology to pieces.

The other night about a week ago I received some wonderful and unexpected support from a member of my group. One lady was moderately enthusiastic about astrology and reckoned that it had to have "something in it" and always read her stars in the paper. She was dumbfounded when another member of the group piped up and said "Well I used to work in the office for the Daily Telegraph back about 10 years ago and I can tell you about a quarter of the time the astrologer failed to meet deadline and we simply used to make up his predictions for the day in the office" -- true story.

Before a couple of years ago I could count on at least one question a month about Nibiru and particularly looked forward to dealing with them, but they seem to be thinning nowadays. Haven't seen a Mars/Moon hoax email this year strangely.

As Robh said, probably one of the most difficult things is when people don't ask questions at all. They're the hardest nights and they usually co-incide with a small group and cloud meaning you really earn your money and go home somewhat hoarse.

Great poll and questions!

Oh and BTW jjj -- you've mis-spelt "Elenin" ...


Best,

Les D

Edit: P.S The question I am asked most is " ... and where can I buy a laser like that?" followed by "Will that laser burn skin too?" -- to whch I normally reply: "I don't know? Stick out your hand and we'll see ..."

[jjjnettie]

Again??!! :rofl:
cheers Les

Oh, I forgot all about the "Face on Mars" business.
And while we're still on the Red Planet....how about Bio-Station Alpha. :rofl:

[leon]

Although I agree, that some of the above questions, can bring us to tears so to speak.

I do believe that some people ask these questions in good faith, as they really don't know much about the astro world, and have taken everything that is printed, said by the media, and so on as gospel.

Maybe, unless it's completely stupid, give them the some points for at least asking in the first place.

Some of the comments here seen to suggest that we are a bit above the general public who have no idea about Astronomy, as we would have no idea about some of the hobbies and such, that they may be proficient at, and regard us as dills when we ask stupid questions.

Leon

[GrahamL]

I've given up on the astrology/ astronomy conversations , and quickly change the subject whenever it pops up.

[jjjnettie]

I made it clear in the beginning that "I'm not in any way putting people down who ask so they can be informed, that is GOOD. "
And I'll talk any ones ears off if they keep asking questions.
It's the only way anyone learns. And when I don't know the answer to a question, I'll learn too by doing some research.
But the answers fall on deaf ears, all too often.
I had a close encounter with 2 Nibiru believers last Saturday....oh boy.

[renormalised]

That's only going to get worse as the next 16 months or so rolls on. It'll be bedlam for much of next year.

You know what's going to be the most hilarious event of them all....when nothing at all happens and then these twits are left with an empty, disappointed feeling and wondering why it never occurred. Then, you'll start hearing all the excuses in the world as to why nothing happened and new "amended predictions" as to when it was supposed to occur. Or you'll be hearing about how we "dodged a bullet" etc. Anything to rationalise their fantasies and in some cases their insanity.

But, and I'll take the opposite view here, if it actually occurs (for whatever reason), then we're all going to be left carrying the can and with a lot of egg on our faces. Though, it would be something we'd have little or no control over, if it's a natural disaster. So why fret and worry about it.

[leon]

Maybe My response was a bit strong, if so I apoligise, however there are some people who really dont have a clue, and to them it is a genuine question, IMHO.

Leon

[jjjnettie]

OH no need to apologise Leon. We're all friends here. :)
Yes, there is a line that can be crossed. And no one likes to feel they're being patronised.

[kustard]

One of my favorite quotes from Futurama:

Professor: "I'm sorry, Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all."
Fry: "Oh. What's it called now?"
Professor: "Urectum. Here, let me locate it for you."

But seriously, having astronomy and astrology mixed up almost drives me to murder. My wife now warns people if they ask me about my scope not to call it astrology as she knows how I go off at people about it.

[kinetic]

My dome story...

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=525212&postcount=32

Steve

[Rob_K]

"What's your star sign?"

"Dunno, mumble, mumble."

"What?! You do astronomy and you don't even know your star sign? Hahaha (hysterical laughter)..."

True unfortunately, it happened word-for-word. Bright young thing, teenage girl at one of our club's observing nights.

Bring on Nibiru, Elenin, 2012, whatever. We need a purge. :lol:

Cheers -

[Pinwheel]

The press do it to me, example is a light plane crashes & the tv say's "it's an Ultralight", Few days later a Gyrocopter crashes reporter states "it a home made helicopter ultralight aircraft" when an airliner goes down it's a plane crash & never a jet airliner, and the best one of all is they never learn from their stupidity or get it right even after 20 plus years. Idiots:rofl::rofl:

[hotspur]

I try and avoid any discussion with general public re matters of astronomy.I find it unbelievable that many people believe the crap they see on main stream media.Its just too hard to try and explain how things are,so I generally avoid it.

Even recently,an image I took of milky way (see below),and it was seen at a local photography club.No body could understand I took the image with a wide field lens,all thought I must have taken it through a telescope.But the the real head shake was-"but how did you know where to point the camera,you cannot see that with your eye"

And that just shows how few people go outside and look up on a new moon night:shrug:

[Hagar]

You Girls are just to nice. Haul back and belt them one ore just toss in a comment like. " he is nailed to a cross in the backyard for asking stupid questions."

[jjjnettie]

In my head I'm saying......
"exactly what part of the male anatomy is necessary to make the mount work??"

[AstralTraveller]

Well, let me start by making it plain that responding to such a thread when my desktop widget tells me the world will end in just 489 days is uncommonly generous of me. :P And I mention time for a good reason. I do less than a half dozen 'Discovery Nights" a year at the Science Centre but almost always there is a time waster. The audience is predominantly family groups with young children (including a few too young for the entertainment we offer) and it is a busy job to get the kids to the eyepiece and looking straight down the barrel without it ending in tears - especially mine. There's instructions to give ("Don't hold on to the scope.") and steps or ladders to position. We always have more people than scopes (just) and there are quiet moments so there is the possibility of getting into a longer conversation which I welcome. I'll happily rabbit on about star formation or cosmology or point out some constellations and I'll dispel myths and legends.

The only thing that annoys me at all is the 'what should I buy and how much does it cost questions' coming from people you know straight off will never buy or use a scope. I mentioned this to my wife who related the story of telling a couple how prices have come down ('yes') and scopes are actually quite cheap ('really') and you can get something quite good for $400 ('that much!! I thought you said cheap'). What are they thinking? :screwy: Have you priced fishing reels, or fishing boats, golf clubs, cameras, hiking gear, bicycles ... I know the sky's the limit in astronomy but entry level is actually quite cheap and anyone who is put off by the cost was never serious. Meanwhile I could have have been talking to a 10 year old about the reason parts of the moon are brighter than others or that the rings of Saturn are made of all the luggage lost from airports around the world ....

BTW want to know the question I like? The disco nights are held at a meteorlogically challenged location and even when the sky is 'clear' the seeing is generally 'carp'. But every so often the conditions are good, the scope is good and something like Saturn (Saturn is the crowd favourite) is just gorgeous and I get comments like "That isn't real" "You've got a picture there" "Thank you for that". The chest puffs out a bit, I go home with a bigger than usual smile and I put up with another 5-10 shirty nights.

Great thread JJJ. :thumbsup:

[AstralTraveller]

The shaft??

[wavelandscott]

Enjoyable poll and discussion!

[stephenb]

All of the above....

and I haven't seen the Mars hoax email this year either! I did receive a 'Moon twice the size when seen from the Arctic circle' email/image. Obviously photoshopped. I went to great lengths to explain to several friends that just because the Moon is at its closes to Earth, doesn't make it appear twice its normal size, even from the Arctic Circle!

I have tried in vain several times to explain to a few 20-something Gen Y work colleagues about the Apollo Missions, the complexities, why humans have not returned to the Moon, why only three were sent at a time, why the flag appears to be waving. why there are not stars in the background of the photos etc etc. It just doesn't sink in. They just bluntly tell me 'I never happened' and no amount discussion will convince them. No amount of reasonable explanations and discussion will ever convince them - a byproduct of the internet culture where anything and everything can be photoshopped and faked on You Tube, in my opinion.

[jjjnettie]

The Moon Landing Conspiracy is in the lead !!

[iceman]

Ah yeh, this happens ALL the time.

Even recently when I was on tour up and down the east coast with a work colleague, giving seminars about social media to real estate agents, my colleague repeatedly (even though he knew his mistake immediately) introduced me as having the biggest 'astrology' website....

Even when they know, they keep slipping up.

[mithrandir]

Moon Landing, Nibiru, NASA is keeping it quiet... are all essentially the same - conspiracy theory wackos.


Seconded.


I haven't got one, but there was a 365 days of Astronomy podcast telling the how the story started a few weeks back.

Blame the Uranus jokes on the astronomers who wanted to call it Zeus - a Greek god - and then latinised the name because all the other planets have Roman names.

[Trixie]

I had my telescope out at a cycling camping weekend not long ago and some of the kids were excited about looking at Saturn. They loved it and called their mums over. Two of them came over reluctantly had a quick look and their comments were "Oh I thought it would look a bit better than that", and "oh it isnt very big is it?" then walked off again. I felt a bit deflated! Luckily a complete stranger came up later and asked to have a look and his response was "wow that is amazing" he walked off a few steps and came back saying "wow that is really really amazing, thank you so much".

That was pretty much my reaction when I first looked through my telescope, totally blown away. I always thought saturn would be a winner for non astronomy fans but I guess I was wrong!

[noswonky]

I've had that one too. My stock answer is:
"Well... how far can YOU see without a telescope?"

[cfranks]

No. You are not wrong, you/we are unable to cope with the excitement of shows like Big Brother'!
I showed Saturn to a friend in the late 80's and he still talks about the pleasure he got from the view. Keep up the good work.

Charles

[Paul Haese]

I don't think anything on the list peeves me off. I like converting idiots to real knowledge. I find it a good challenge and if it is ok for them to talk utter crap to me about their idiot hobbies I figure it is good for me to bore them to death with my astrology.:P

I always make sure I have a cloud filter handy on those nights when there is a bit of cloud about. ;)

I like to entertain people with questions like, how do you know that the Apollo program was faked? Were you on the program? Have you got any documented evidence?

I especially like questions about Nabiru. I find those the most entertaining and fascinating. Several people have shown me "real" photos of Nibiru near the Sun in a sunset photo. Hey it must be real because it is in the photo right? :rofl:

People generally don't read books out in the real world. Wikipedia is now the only recognised source of information which can and does contain misinformation and inane rubbish. People learn everything off the main stream idiot box, don't watch documentaries, don't do any critical thinking or think at all. They have been treated like mushrooms for so long they have become more like vegetables (yes I know mushrooms are fungi). The modality is for the populace to be ignorant and placated with crap on television so they don't wise up and murder all those taking advantage of us.

In other words, people are only as stupid as the utter crap they are fed. I figure it is my obligation to help them to learn and I really enjoy that. They only ask stupid and ignorant questions because they don't know any better.

Just my take on this whole thing and I think it all depends on how one looks at things.

[strongmanmike]

When even my wife (love her to death) tells people that I photograph planets :rolleyes: ..well, we have no chance :sadeyes: To most people these are all just words that don't relate to each other in any way other than they are astronomy type words.

Mike

[DavidU]

:lol:

[Alchemy]

None of them annoy me, I generally don't engage on much astronomy stuff, unless I'm speaking to someone already into it.

Must admit I'm surprised at people believing the landing hoax, and mars being bigger than the moon...... But happy to let them believe whatever they like.

[GeoffW1]

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[multiweb]

Makes sense now... never could find my horoscope on this website. :P

[Matty]

one for the fellow dob owners out there is "can you take photos with that". Which has been asked of me about a thousand times since i got the scope.They are always so dissapointed when i say no.

[multiweb]

You could though.

[avandonk]

Being a very grumpy person when I witness idiocy, whenever I was in a newsagent I would demand that the astrology magazines should be put under fiction not under science with the astronomy magazines. This behaviour of course led me to find many new friends not. Now I do not care as the real stuff is on line.

I could go on but I will not for now.

Bert

[NorthernLight]

my favorite is: so you have a telescope, have you seen the amerikan flag on the moon?
And when I start explaining why this small object cant be observed with a telescope on earth, they take it as a proof that there is no flag, discarding my explanations as an unwillingness to believe.
Sorry to all Fox Mulder copy cats: I dont want to believe.

[Steffen]

But the Roman name for Zeus is Jupiter, which was already taken. Uranos is the sky god in ancient Greek mythology.

That said, the only language in which "Uranus" sounds funny is English, which is a funny language in more than a few ways ;)

Cheers
Steffen.

[Analog6]

I voted Mars etc but the Moon landing conspiracy is up there too for me. My OH knows he can always get a rise by pretending to believe it.

[Amunous]

I took a complete noob that showed some interest in astronomy out to a viewing night. I had my trusty laser pointer with me so i could point out various things to him.

He asked me if he could have a go, i obliged. He then preceded to point it at things and spout the names back to me all good showed me he was paying attention, then he gets to Jupiter.

While holding the laser on Jupiter he asks "Do you think that its hitting the planet?". I nearly died of laughter. Poor kid.

He didn't even understand when i tried to explain to him that even under the best conditions you would be lucky for the beam to travel a kilometer.

[jjjnettie]

I never let anyone else use my laser pointer now, unless I know they are a fellow Astronomer.
3 times I've let "laymen" use it. I explained most carefully, each time, that the beam is very dangerous and will permanently damage eyesight if used irresponsibly.
The first one deliberately pointed it through the windscreen of an on coming car.
The second pointed it at his mates face.
The third pointed it at their dogs face.

Is it any wonder that the authorities wish to ban them??

[barx1963]

I get the perving on neighbours one all the time. I just smile and ignore. Once showed Saturn to a friend who was amazed there were actually rings, she said she thought that was something someone had made up!

Malcolm

[astroron]

I had a guy who used to bug me with Have you seen any UFO's lately:mad2:
He told me a story of how he saw four bright lights over a Boing 747 that was at 10.000 meters at night ,when I asked him how he knew it was a 747 he quite blithely told me he could see the lights on the wings :eyepop:
I then showed him it was impossible to see them as a 747 at that distance would only be a little dot moving across the sky:rolleyes:
He has never asked me that question again:D
He is also a Nibaru Nut.

[OICURMT]

Uhh.... just tried your astrology website... appears to be down.

http://www.iceinthespacebetweenyourears.co m.au/

Guess you forgot to pay the bill... ;)

OIC!

[RB]

:lol:

[Baddad]

Hey! Harden up.
You all are endowed with a gift. The yearning for knowledge. The ability to understand available information. Some one many months ago stated their favourite saying, "Never argue with a fool. They will pull the discussion down to their level and beat you with experience."

This one is mine:
“He who knows not and knows not he knows not: he is a fool - shun him. He who knows not and knows he knows not: he is simple - teach him. He who knows and knows not he knows: he is asleep - wake him. He who knows and knows he knows: he is wise - follow him.”

I learnt a long time ago that people who can teach me something, interest me a great deal.

@ jjj, Excellent thread. There are very few ladies like you on this planet.

It is a fact of life. People are all individuals. 6 billion different characters.
Put some of us into an elite group of actors, business tycoons or astrologists (yuck). I assume they would view us in similar vein as we see people who ask those peeve-ing questions.

It is good to be passionate toward your hobby. Most people will not share that passion. Just the same as those ... astrologists. They believe themselves to be right and whether that is right or wrong they still deserve respect.

I am possibly the worst of all. I can not tolerate them.
Maybe that is why I like this thread so much.

Cheers

[NorthernLight]

seconded

[seeker372011]

Had this real wierdo a couple of weekends back when I took my solar scope to support a club fund raising barbecue...guy kept calling us interceptors and wanted to know how we were communicating with NASA and whether we were using radio or something else...

[AdrianF]

I just been asked a good question by one of my apprentices. He asked if it was true that earth would be in darkness when comet Helen (elinen?) got between us and the sun. He read an article somewhere that we would be in darkness for 2-3 days.

Adrian

[Shano592]

"There are no stupid questions ... only stupid people." - Mr Garrison, South Park

To all of the above topics, you should be getting some mileage out of them, by having thoroughly misleading answers to all of them.

That way, you sound like you have studied up on everything, yet you are pointing people in all sorts of directions.

It is a surprising amount of fun.

[Jen]

When ever i mention that i have a 12inch dob :D i always get the saying oh you should see the size of mine (then they start to play pocket billiards) :rolleyes::rolleyes::screwy: my reply is oh honey this 12inch scope satisfies me at night time more than you ever could :P:lol::lol:

Oh and quite often i get, why was the moon out during the day is that a one off thing to see :help::rolleyes:

[rider]

"Astrology, astronomy whats the difference?"

my answer...

-Not much really,
Professional astronomers use telescopes to make a living.
Professional astrologers use the gullible to make a living.

[stephenb]

I hear you Bert, I've tried the same for a while but I keep running out of newsagents to buy from.



lost luggage. I'm going to use that next chance I get... :lol:

[RB]

Here's a Youtube clip that will dispel any concerns about Nibiru, End of the World in 2012, sudden polar shifts or the Mayan calender.

Show it to people that have these concerns and put them at ease.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRRCjux1sbg&feature=fvwp&NR=1

:)

[Rattler]

I have in the past often been asked...........

"Hey, go get your microscope out and let's look at the stars....."

".....have you even seen a flying saucer flash past in this?"

Of course, there were some when I was younger that preferred to point the telescope at the Units a few blocks away and then complained that the image was upside down and thus the "microscope" was broken!! "Is everything upside down in space?" - once I tried to explain.

Oh well.

[ChubbyStarstuff]

I do have to laugh at some of the comments I've tried to field just setting up the scope all on my lonesome, but easily-bored onlookers can take that the wrong way ("smarmy ******* thinks he's better than us") and you end up arguing from the bottom of a bottomless pit...

One thing I know I'd have loved at the time - answers I could use to fill the gaps. (Preferably tested and confirmed by painful experience!)

Oh how shameful it is to say "I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question. Let me look in to it and let you know..." Many times I feel like I've lost them, right there. But just once, it wasn't in vain. I heard my simplistic explanation of the lunar eclipse two days later in the local, with the young bloke correcting one of his mates. So occasionally it sticks!

So do people here with this (unfortunately, painfully acquired) expertise have a favourite response to the biggies? I did like the Saturn's rings as lost luggage "misdirection"...

What an interesting thread! :D

[ballaratdragons]

. . . and teaspoons that vanished when washing the dishes, and socks from washing machines . . . :rofl:


I remember a bus load of Melbourne people arriving at the Ballarat Observatory when I was a member there.

They arrived in the dark hours, all got off the bus and where looking up, pointing, and all seemed concerned about something.
Ian, one of our club members walked over to them and said "what's the matter?"
They all said (almost in unison) "there must be a bushfire somewhere near here."

It was the Milky Way :rolleyes: :lol: They had never seen it before!

Best dopey questions I have been asked:
*Do you believe in real Aliens? (are there fake ones? :P )
*How many Planets have you discovered?
*I can't see the Galaxy spinning! How come? They do on You Tube. (I love this one :lol: )
*How many people live in that Galaxy? (when looking at M83 galaxy)
*If I look in the front end of your telescope does it work backwards and become a microscope?
*Are the pictures in there? (Man looking into the open end of my 12" dob while I was trying to look in the Eyepiece :lol: )
*I'd love to take one of these [telescopes] out on my boat to the middle of a dark lake. Would that be better? (to which I sarcastically said: yes if you polar align it correctly)
*and about a thousand more I have forgotten over the years :)

and a Classic I received just recently: (asked with very serious concern)
"You know those clowns on the visiting Planet Nibiru, do you reckon they are going to be friendly or do you reckon they are going to zap our brains out? It's exciting isn't it!"
:lol: :screwy:

and yes, the multitude of times I do 'Astrology' :mad2:

Aren't people fascinating :lol:

[Sardukar]

I'm convinced people deliberately ask stupid questions to deflect their own sense of unease about the lack of knowledge they have on the subject of astronomy.

Not much you can do about it really, just smile and go back to looking at stuff thousands of light years away :D

[sjastro]

The one I find amusing is that the ignorant are the original thinkers, the educated can't think for themselves.

Steven

[FlashDrive]

:D That's a "pearler " that one .... puts a smile on my face every time I hear that. :D

Flash. :hi:

[naskies]

Hehe it's a funny one... but I'm not sure about dopey! Considering that a lot of macro photographers use a reversed SLR lens (you literally attach it backwards) to act as a magnifying glass, I'd call it a reasonable question :D

[Stardrifter_WA]

I don't so much worry about being asked stupid questions, as there are lots of those, but one has to wonder what they actually teach kids in school.

[MLyons]

Profound concept.............food for thought.

[MLyons]

One of the strangest questions I've been asked was when I was explaining to someone about basic astrophotography.............well.. .......wasn't actually a question, more like a sudden realisation of the scale of things and an outburst indicating that the guy was actually doing a bit of thinking....albeit a little misguided.

The guy looked at me in deep thought and then, his eyes suddenly opening wide, exclaimed: "Wow!...You must have an awesomely powerful flash......"

Martin

[Stardrifter_WA]

It is a remarkable bit of thinking. It really makes me wonder sometimes. I was at Perth Observatory many years ago doing eyepiece projection of the Sum when I had a TV news person ask me why I didn't look into the eyepiece!

At the time I was using a 14" SCT and had made a mask with an off-axis 4" cutout. So, I grabbed the cut out and put it under the eyepiece. Remarkable it smoked!!! It was on the news that night why not to look at the Sun. :eyepop: Gee, I learnt that in grade 4!

[leonie-macaroni]

Leonie points out Jupiter to a friend.
"How do you know that's Jupiter?" She demands.
I tap my forehead.
"'Cause I'm psychic and that." I say, waggling my eyebrows.
"Ooh, cool." She smiles.

Completely accepting the notion of psychics rather than the existence of planets.:doh:

[ballaratdragons]

It was a Dobsonian Reflector, not a Refractor :P

[jjjnettie]

LOLOL I had exactly the same question from my sister and bro in law.
My reply to "How do you know?" was rather lame...."because it is......" LOL

[seanliddelow]

Common question when people see me with my telescope:

"Do you want to be an astrologist?"

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.................. .:mad2:

[Ric]

A good one that I get from time to time is "how far can you see with this scope?"

My answer is that I can see back in time with it which usually leaves them scratching their heads for a while over that one.

[Mliss]

:thumbsup: awesome reply!!

this thread is so funny...

[TinyBlueDot]

Another one - not really a comment/question per se- but when they have science doccos, and show computer animations of comets, supernovae, planets etc. and put whizzing and explosions of sounds as if you'd hear this in the vacuum of space.....Grrrrr.....:mad2:

[bmitchell82]

As a astro photographer i always get asked. so you stay up at night to take photos?... eerrmmm no i take pictures of space at midday..?

and the other one i really like is.

" So you take photos of stuff in space do you use a camera? "

They all make me laugh so its sometimes easier just to show pictures of what you use to take photos then show the photos :) makes for a easier transition as most people cannot fathom the reaches of space!

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Hi,

When I turned 50 and officially becoming a "Grumpy Old Man" I have less patience for stupid questions / jokes, and tend to bite back quickly.

It's usually fairly obvious when someones there just to be a clever dick.!
I like people coming for a look, but keep it one on one or a small family group. They generally contact me, so I get a chance to ask a few questions before they come.
This helps weed out the time wasters.
I don't do public nights any more, had some bad experiences.

Justin

[rainwatcher]

I have done several nights for scouts over the years, of all ages, and i can tell you they can be a tough audience, lots of probing questions (once you get over the Uranus one) no pun intended. Enjoyed it. I like kids that want to learn and are inquisitive.

[smithcorp]

Sorry to re-animate an old thread, but my mother-in-law reminded me the other day that she had gone out to see the blue moon in August but was disappointed not to be able to see the colour.

[Baddad]

I'm rather glad to read this thread again. I chose to quote Ric's post because I consider that quite clever. Nice one Ric. :)

Cheers

[Rob P]

Bottom jokes are timeless and cross many cultural boundaries. Feed your inner 8 year old :rofl:http://uk.reuters.com/article/2008/07/31/uk-britain-joke-life-idUKL129052420080731

[brian nordstrom]

;) Gotta love it aye ? .
The uneducated , shining thru again .
Poles dont lie , just ask any politician :hi: ..
This is a cool result , shows the inteligence avaliable here at Ice in Space .:thanx:.and cool .:thumbsup: .
Brian.

[Nico13]

This would have to be the best thread, thanks jjj.

The moon landing conspracy would be the one that annoys me the rest I have a bit of fun with.

My most recent was the transit of Venus and when telling a former work mate "Engineer" that I was going to watch the transit and if he wanted he could come round for a look.
He asked what time and when told around midday would be fine he replied "Oh can you see that in the day time".

Not only did this happen once but twice with a second person also well educated. I had to stop myself from LOL :rofl: while I explained.
Well meaning questions but funny. :P

Loved the lost luggage, Saturn will never look the same any more when I look at through the scope I'll have trouble not LOL :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Had lots more funny questions all meant well and completely innocent but you just gotta laugh at some of them and try not to offend as it kills the interest.

Thanks again jjj this has made a great read and a good laugh. :thumbsup:

[alocky]

One of my favourites - and it's more bizzarre than stupid, was 'If Jupiter exploded, would it affect us?'. I have no idea where that came from.

On a more positive note, what are some of the best questions? My personal favourite, from a kid who would have been about 10 on a Perth Observatory tour after I'd explained that the reddish hue of Mars was largely due to iron oxide - 'how can the iron have rusted when there's no oxygen in the Martian atmosphere?' Even more amazingly, he didn't want to ask the question out loud because he didn't want to sound stupid in front of the tour group, and his mum dragged him back to ask me in private.

[ourkind]

I constantly get "how do they know what the sun is made up of if they've never been there?!?!" :mad2:

But I always get a laugh when I show someone images of the sun and due to the filter the background is black and they ask "Did you take that photo at night???" :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[hotspur]

Some great reading,love the lost baggage from airports around the world make the rings of Saturn,if you told people at an astro night that,in a serious tone-they would believe you!

Not sure about astrology bashing though-I'm not into that,sure the newsagent thing is annoying,but I've taken a different view point to astrology-sure I do not believe it,but had a few astrology chicks come out to observatory and had a wonderful observing night,they were all Fiona Horne look a likes,smelt better than the usual cigar smoking astronomers that visit here,they bought absinthe-very nice! The only 'fly-in the ontiment' that night was my wife kept making regular visits into observatory-not sure why she has never been in there before:shrug:

I usually do not do astro presentations to the public,its just too annoying-all those dumb questions,and beliefs the general public have.

Its a credit to those here that regularly do that kind of thing,and put up with such rubbish.

[Baddad]

Hi All,:)

This has been a real eye-opener for me. I was aware that some people are a bit thick but not that thick. Its a shock to hear that so many people are so unaware of the environs. To know so little about their surrounds presents the reason that creationists are so successful.:rolleyes:

That question/answer re: "How do you know that?" "Because I'm psychic!":lol:

Love it. A pearler.
So, to improve your credibility at public viewings, we all become psychics.:lol:

Cheers:)

[Varangian]

I play AFL as well so I am around blokey blokes a bit, I just get called super geek a lot, I take it as a compliment. There is nothing more pure in life than pointing your scope at the stars at a dark site.

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop: really an AFL player amongst us woohooo who do u play for :question: :P :D:D:D:D

[Varangian]

Ha ha no not any more. I played for the Sydney Swans for a while.

[Jen]

Awww bugger my dad is a huge swan fan :D

[Varangian]

Sorry to disappoint. I actually meant that I play AFL (as in the code now) but I did also play AFL (the league) a fair while back now, anyway you're more famous than me, you're making the papers :thumbsup:

[Jen]

Haha:D

[Varangian]

Would it though? Honest question. I'm assuming the answer is possibly? The first issue is how could Jupiter blow up, but if it did... Jupiter keeps the asteroid belt from straying towards the inner planets, if there is no more Jupiter is there potential for the belt to become unstable?

[GeoffW1]

The book and film, 2010 - Odyssey Two

[Vegeta]

The question that really annoys me is the neighbors one. Every time someone asks me if I've been spying on my neighbors, or to spy on them, it really gets under my skin and i feel like shouting:mad2:, But my all time favorite is when someone sees my cousin's Celestron C8 and tell him that it was a waste of money because the tube is too short to "see far":rofl:He gets annoyed and tries to hide his annoyance, and I just laugh (hahahaha...cough Noobs...cough).:D

The funniest was when my mum's friend came over and was asking if i could see the sun at night :D

[JB80]

I love Uranus jokes. I'm giggling right now.

What bugs me most are the astrology mix ups and the idea that the scope is used for something other than astronomy.

[MattT]

Steady on Marty, might start a fundamentalist riot!
Matt

[Auspom]

i haven't read all 7 pages so sorry if this ones been covered.
ppl who answer posts in begginers forum completely ignoring the origional post. e.g. "i'm looking at getting onto ap and was wondering what mount you would recomend?" this alost always ends up with an answer like " get a 300mm dob. you get more bang for your buck"
yeah, that really annoys me.
Scott
footnote.
I have nothing against dobs and have one myself. it's just the total disreguard for the origional post that gets up my nose

[jjjnettie]

Scott, I can answer that one.
We get quite a few join the forum, with no experience in either photography or astronomy, saying, "I have $5000 and want to take astro pics".
While we don't mind buying their gear off them cheap, 3 months down the track when they find that the learning curve is quite long and slow, we usually try the more ethical method. Get them to dip their toes in the hobby first, see if it's for them, before splashing out all of their hard earned dosh.
It's the rare bird indeed who can pick up both sides of the hobby quickly and successfully.

[Auspom]

i take your point jjjnettie. that was just an example. there is also the " i have x amount to spend on an ep and someone will always sugest an ep for xxx amount. please don't think i'm having a shot at iis. its a ery helpful forum. sorry if i've caused any offence
Scott

[jjjnettie]

Oh no offence taken at all. :)
We all have our pet peeves don't we.
I'm with you on your last point. If you say you have $200 to spend on an ep, it's pointless giving them links to something that costs $800. It's demeaning.

[alocky]

I'd considered that, but the probability of the particular gentleman being familiar with any form of Arthur C Clarke's story was extremely low. It probably came from an earlier 'factoid' of the evening that if Jupiter had been somewhat larger, it might have become a star.
It wasn't a stupid question - it was the context in which it was asked that made it stand out as a very strange one...

[bloodhound31]

"Can you see the lunar landers with your scope?"

[inline_online]

I've been asked in the past by some people "Can you see the girl next door getting changed?"
My standard reply is "My telescope is so powerful I can see her changing her mind!!":lol:

[Ric]

:rofl:Good one Dan. :thumbsup:

[julianh72]

I was going to go with the "Moon Landing Conspiracy", but I can deal with conspiracy nut-cases by just ignoring them.

However, for some reason, I feel compelled to reply to educate everyone who sends me the email about "Mars looking bigger than the full Moon". It staggers me that I get these emails forwarded from people who are normally smart enough to know better - and in many cases, I have to remind them again that I already corrected them 2 years ago!

("Well, yes, I now know it was a hoax last time, but this time it comes from NASA!") :shrug:

[nebulosity.]

"Can you see craters on the Moon?" Doh! :astron:

[rcheshire]

No interest whatsoever is an option not included in the pole.

[taminga16]

I mocked this uo sometime ago and attached it to my telescope with some clear laminate.
Greg.

[sn1987a]

[I was going to go with the "Moon Landing Conspiracy", but I can deal with conspiracy nut-cases by just ignoring them.]



The "Moon Landing Conspiracy" Ha! I just smash them with......

"What are you saying?. Are you telling me that the generation that stopped the Nazis, invented nuclear power, the jet engine, the Laser, the silicon chip, the computer, sent men into orbit, built rockets, ICBMs, satellites, eradicated Polio and Smallpox, went to the bottom of the Marianas Trench, started the green revolution,.... that mighty generation couldn't if they put their minds to it, send fearless men 250 thousand miles through space, land them on the moon and get them back?. C'mon mate!".

[clive milne]

Actually... when people use the term(s) conspiracy theory or conspiracy theorist in the pejorative tense, it peeves me off.
The argument reduces to the logical fallacy; argumentum ad hominem (which is the converse of appeals to authority)

[Tropo-Bob]

Nothing annoyed me more than showing people from an Astromomy Club a globular cluster and being asked what galaxy is that. :mad2:

[thunderchildobs]

Why are these stupid questions?

For someone who knows nothing about astronomy or has never looked through a scope I would have thought that these are valid questions.

Brendan

[julianh72]

I hear what you are saying, but I think they bring it on themselves by their belief that there IS in fact some sort of "Global Conspiracy" which tries to keep the population in the dark on what they are really up to, by offering all sorts of "diversions", including (but not limited to) the supposed faking of the Moon landings, imminent doomsday from a close encounter with Planet X, the Roswell Incident, 9-11 and the "controlled demolition" of the WTC towers, the GFC, and so on, all often alleged to be master-minded by some shadowy group of Zionist bankers!.

What else are we supposed to call this sort of collective self-delusion?

I think it is helpful to recognise that group of people who live in their own distorted reality field, who reject evidence because it doesn't correlate with their chosen bizarre theories, and with whom reasoned debate is just futile. When you realise you have encountered one, don't waste any time trying to correct them - just walk away. They're pretty easy to spot on the whole, because the "knowledge" that they are privy to is just too important to not pass on. It usually takes just a couple of minutes before they will quietly take you aside and say something like " Not many people know this, but..."

[julianh72]

I don't see that as a stupid question ; I would see it as an indication of some interest, and an opportunity for a bit of enlightenment.

"Yes, it's stunning, isn't it. Its a globular cluster with about 10,000 stars, and it's in our own Milky Way galaxy. In fact, everything you can see above you with the naked eye is in our own Milky Way galaxy, which has about 300 BILLION stars. Here, let me show you what another galaxy looks like... “

[cometcatcher]

One problem with this... I'm related to some of them! :screwy: :rofl: :help:

[Pinwheel]

I've had "Can you see planets & stars during the day?" & I've reply, Yes! you can see a big star if you look up at lunch time & a planet if you can see your feet! :lol:

[julianh72]

But seriously, you CAN see Jupiter and Venus in daylight with the naked eye, if you know how and where to look, and quite easily with a telescope - not to mention Saturn and a few of the brighter stars.

[gaa_ian]

After reading the results of the survey, I agree with the #1 beef of most AA'a "The Moon Landing Conspiracy"
Just plain stupid :screwy:
The growth in "National Geographic" channel conspiracy shows has a lot of responsibility for the growth of this type of Pseudo Science rubbish !
I saw another one the other day about caves in the earth that are portats for aliens. I must have heard the commentary "Ancient Alien Theorists suggest" 50 times during the show.
I would like to know Who these "theorists" are :ship1:

[speach]

Fed up with 'black holes' about to suck us in the other end of the universe, or where ever.

[astroron]

Ian, the Glass house mountains are supposed to have caves underneath them that are energy bases for alien craft to refuel :screwy:
Cheers:thumbsup:

[gaa_ian]

Ron, that does not surprise me at all.
One day I am sure the mothership will appear over Mt Tibrogargan
Clearly the caves at the top of the mountain are portals :-)

[Waxing_Gibbous]

I can honestly say that no-ones actually said any of those to me.
But the standard of education is pretty good here.
Must be a NSW / Queenslanders thing. :D

[Starlite]

The mothership dropped some galactic tourists off at the Gold Coast a few weeks ago.;)

[GrahamL]

I must get back to my birth state more often, the new beginning is almost upon us.
:D

[gaa_ian]

And can you believe some people would say they are just clouds !!!
Unbelievers :abduct:
They will see :screwy:

[Starlite]

Just clouds, My little grandson and I take photos of interesting cloud shapes,when I pointed this one out he said it looked liked a dragon attacking a starwars battle cruiser and when we printed some photos that's when we saw the white silver ufo. For 2 minutes we thought we had snagged a ufo, all we snagged was a couple of downlights reflecting in the glass window. And a pic of a great white pointer shark that had a head-on with an oil tanker.:)

[PCH]

You're spot on with your descriptions there John - the dragon etc and the white pointer I mean - amazing similarities imo :)

[clive milne]

I think a more interesting question is; when did they become an homogeneous demographic, characterised by a uniformly erroneous belief system?

The answer is, they are not and never were. The term 'theorist' has become implicitly pejorative and makes no distinction between bat5hit crazy tin-foilers and highly credible whistle blowers with physics and engineering degrees, long and distinguished careers in forensics or military intelligence, etc.
The thing has got legs of its own and evolved somewhat, but the genesis can be found in CIA document #1035-960 (In response to criticism of the Warren commission) it directs 'propaganda assets' (that would include the media) to effectively define certain events off limits to inquiry or debate. <--think :question: It formalised argumentum ad hominem as THE default response to those who would question the establishment's narrative. It is simultaneously an act of cynical genius to consciously weaponise a (previously neutral) term ie) 'conspiracy theory' for a political end, and an act of colossal stupidity to do so with a literary device that reduces to a logical absurdity.
The corollary to this is a little more subtle, it is the premise that; by virtue of association to a group who maintain a similar belief system, you and your belief system are intrinsically superior. This can be validated by sharing the notion amongst ourselves that there is a degree of kudos attached to thinking in some particular way and reduced status if you don't.
Wherever you see either tactic used, by definition the argument is invalid, not withstanding that their conclusion may in fact be correct, however.
Wherever you see either tactic being employed by someone or some organisation that is aware of the psychology behind it, it is a sure sign that they stand to benefit from manipulating you.... they are not your friend.


best,

c

[louie_the_fly]

People ask "how far can you see with that thing?". So when I give them some sort of an answer they generally have trouble comprehending it. When I say the light you see now left xxx years ago, well forget it.

I'm sure this type of question is raised in every hobby. We have a similar long running thread on a Porsche forum. "Stupid things people have said about your Porsche". Needless to say the Volkswagen reference comes up quite regularly.

[gaa_ian]

To be honest I don't mind any kind of question. What does annoy me is when you give people the answers & they want to argue the point. IE: Conspiracy theory's that have been disproved by the most basic application of a bit of science. (The moon landing Conspiracy C#*p, tops my list)

[jjjnettie]

I regularly get PM's on FB asking me to photograph certain regions of the Moon. Apparently there are Alien bases up there that NASA is covering up.
Then there is another dude who takes pictures of all the alien space ships that are orbiting Earth.
Life is too short to put up with nutters.

[Eden]

I think the stupid questions are the ones which go unasked.

[alocky]

This is absolutely true in the case of genuine inquiry - but there are two types of questions that regularly occur at scientific conferences and in public forums that I would cheerfully call stupid. 1 - a question designed solely to demonstrate that the questioner knows more than anybody else in the room, usually irrelevant and often asked because they've been looking forward to asking it so much they haven't been listening.
2. A question designed to infuriate - for example 'lunar hoax, climategate, etc...'
Of course I've never asked either type...
Cheers,
Andrew.