Astronomer's worst nightmare?

rogerg (Roger) · #1 31-01-2008, 02:47 PM

Setting the scene: My observatory is located close to one boundary of our property, about 4m from a patio on the neighbours place. The patio has party lights. Never been a problem, they (were) understanding people.

Sequence of events:

1) Thurs 24th sea container turns up out the front of neighbours property.

2) Fri 24th through Tues 29th neighbours are packing up the contents of their home (rented) in to the sea container.

3) Wed 30th (yesterday), I'm doing astronomy and notice the party lights and spotlight on the patio are turned on, it looks like no one's home - oh well, they forgot to turn them off before going out for dinner. The wind was strong so I closed up the observatory before going to bed anyhow.

4) Thurs 31st (today), Truck turns up at 7:00am and collects sea container!

Oh-oh.

5) I check the back - patio lights still on.

My immediate conclusion is that the neighbours have left, moved interstate, never to return, and have accidentily left the back patio lights on.

I'll be trying to contact the landlord in soon if they're still on this evening - they would be costing the landlord a reasonable amount of money (estimate about 1,500 watts total of lighting).

Side issue/concern: hopefully the new tennants will be as respectful of astronomy as the last ones were.

Disclaimer: I didn't know the place was rented when I built my observatory there, I might have put it elsewhere.

I find it all a little ammusing at this stage, hopefully it won't turn sour

Roger.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #2 31-01-2008, 02:49 PM

Roger, are you able to access the meter box and kill the main switch?

rogerg (Roger) · #3 31-01-2008, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Roger, are you able to access the meter box and kill the main switch?

Perhaps - I'm a little cautious of that at this stage, as I didn't actually talk to the neighbours before the left to be sure the place is completely empty (no fridge, etc that would require power). It is an option I may have to investigate.

ving (David) · #4 31-01-2008, 02:58 PM

go take the globe out if theres no one there

rogerg (Roger) · #5 31-01-2008, 03:09 PM

Ving - correct, that is another option. 20 party light globes and one spotlight - so a few, but do-able

dugnsuz (Doug) · #6 31-01-2008, 03:21 PM

...are you a good shot Roger!?

Good luck.
Doug

leon · #7 31-01-2008, 03:23 PM

Not good, I had a bloke next door that used to leave the out side flood lights on at night so the two dogs he had could see each other in the dark, yep true...

Anyway I explained to him what i was doing and he has been fantastic, and i never see a light on when I'm out there, he can see my observatory and knows when I'm working, so the motto is, communicate and all will be well.

So if your new neighbours come, go and have a chat, and they would, I'm sure be most considerate.

If not bribe them, with food, drink, money what ever it takes.

Leon

Matty P (Matt) · #8 31-01-2008, 03:27 PM

What are the odds of your new neighbour being an Astronomer?

Rodstar (Rod) · #9 31-01-2008, 03:28 PM

Letting the neighbours come and look through the scope can help with light pollution. Did for me, anyway!

Yeah, I'd be turning off the mains if there is no activity for a few more days...

Night Owl · #10 31-01-2008, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerg

Setting the scene: My observatory is located close to one boundary of our property, about 4m from a patio on the neighbours place. The patio has party lights. Never been a problem, they (were) understanding people.

Sequence of events:

1) Thurs 24th sea container turns up out the front of neighbours property.

2) Fri 24th through Tues 29th neighbours are packing up the contents of their home (rented) in to the sea container.

3) Wed 30th (yesterday), I'm doing astronomy and notice the party lights and spotlight on the patio are turned on, it looks like no one's home - oh well, they forgot to turn them off before going out for dinner. The wind was strong so I closed up the observatory before going to bed anyhow.

4) Thurs 31st (today), Truck turns up at 7:00am and collects sea container!

Oh-oh.

5) I check the back - patio lights still on.

My immediate conclusion is that the neighbours have left, moved interstate, never to return, and have accidentily left the back patio lights on.

I'll be trying to contact the landlord in soon if they're still on this evening - they would be costing the landlord a reasonable amount of money (estimate about 1,500 watts total of lighting).

Side issue/concern: hopefully the new tennants will be as respectful of astronomy as the last ones were.

Disclaimer: I didn't know the place was rented when I built my observatory there, I might have put it elsewhere.

I find it all a little ammusing at this stage, hopefully it won't turn sour

Roger.

Do you own an air rifle?

Or can you get to the fuse box and pull the lighting circuit?

CoombellKid · #11 31-01-2008, 04:21 PM

My neighbours live too far away for their lights to annoy me, aaaaargh I love
the bush!!! : ) nice dark skies too ; )

regards,CS

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #12 31-01-2008, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoombellKid

My neighbours live too far away for their lights to annoy me, aaaaargh I love
the bush!!! : ) nice dark skies too ; )

regards,CS

AJames · #13 31-01-2008, 04:34 PM

.. being a visual amateur astronomer on the surface of Venus.

Can't get worst than that!

rogerg (Roger) · #14 31-01-2008, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoombellKid

My neighbours live too far away for their lights to annoy me, aaaaargh I love
the bush!!! : ) nice dark skies too ; )

regards,CS

Yeah. I lived for the first 26 years of my life on a 10 acre property surrounded by state forrest, no neighbours, observing late at night with INXS or U2 or whatever playing at whatever volume. Then I bought this place with my partner.

It's taken quite some adjusting to try and get used to neighbours, I still don't relaly like that side of it. Hence neighbourly relations are not my forte

(poor neighbours)

It was really cool to finally have a post box to check each day though, and a corner store to walk to

CoombellKid · #15 31-01-2008, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerg

It was really cool to finally have a post box to check each day though, and a corner store to walk to

Yup! my mailbox is a 50km round trip. And a corner store would be handy,
especially when you run out of tally ho's

regards,CS

Glenhuon (Bill) · #16 31-01-2008, 06:58 PM

I loved my bush trips, could sit out there all night with the 60mm and not a light for miles, except my ciggy. My neighbours in WA were good, used to turn out the party lights on the patio if I was in the yard with the telescope. They were pretty close, could lean over the fence for a chat as thier block was 1 metre lower than mine. Remember showing them 2 Iridium flares in one night, just by saying, "have a look over there in about 30 seconds", talk about the WOW factor

Bill

abellhunter · #17 02-02-2008, 11:11 AM

The building boom of the late 90s and
2000s came from all directions to my
dark site. my observatory now came
under assault from all directions.
The towns at the bottom of the
mountains turned into cities and
the light pollution domes were
growing.

Even my once dark rural neighborhood,
where everyone knew to keep lights
off for the observatory was under
attack. All those friendly neighbors
had been replaced by flat landers.

They came up from the city, bulldozed
the entire land, pin to pin. Killing
all the Manzanita, Red Shank, Sage
& Mountain Mahogany. Then they drug
up a pre-fab and bought the biggest
brightest security lights they
could find.

These people were ruthless! They
had no respect for anything but
their own narrow vision of mountain
living. Even the clubs dark site
(Orange County Astronomers) not
far from me was affected. i can
still remember when you could
only see ONE light from the
OCA dark site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County_Astronomers

There had always been bylaws and
covenants in regard to outdoor
lighting. i mean Palomar Mountain
was nearby too. But this newest
migration of flat landers without
a clue were blatantly breaking
the laws and respect of the
locals. i tried to reason, i
tried to shield the lights,
i even tried to buy them off.
Nothing worked.

Well it came to the old adage:
"Love it or leave it." i left it!
and i'm glad i did when i did.
Because if i had waited any
longer, there wouldn't have been
any buyers in today's market.
Not to mention that i would
have been stuck under a sky
that never gets dark.

So my 28" StarMaster, 17 1/2 truss
dob, and C-14 are in a very dark
storage container. But don't cry!

i am now off the "Mainland" for
good on a 100 mile by 50 mile island
in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Yes the Big Island of Hawaii with
the darkest skies and 2 mountain
peaks over 13,700 feet tall.

i am now a regular at the Mauna Kea
Observatories.

See:

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/

Here at nearly 14,000 feet above sea
level i am currently making observations
with a pair of 20 X 125 mm astro
binoculars on a heavy duty fork mount.
The views from this location are some
of the best in the world.

Not to mention that the weather here
is great. i live by a warm clean blue
ocean, swim with dolphins and tropical
fish. See the whales and their calves
swim by in what can only be called
Paradise.

But i'm now ready to find a new home
for all my scopes, libary etc...

So, i am committed to building one of
the Worlds Finest Amateur Astronomy
Observatories in the Southern Hemisphere,
for all of us to use! You can see my
web site of the old Anza Observatory and
all of the equipment that will be part
of the project.

See my observatory that i wish to
move to the Southern hemisphere here:

http://www.anzaobservatory.com

and the best observing run in my life:

http://www.anzaobservatory.com/gosouth.html

If there is anyone interested in this
project or has any comments suggestions
or ideas please eMail me at:

humphreys@greencafe.com

May you & yours always be in fine health and
great calm, with gratitude and warm aloha,

Lance Humphreys aka "abellhunter"

p.s. i'll be in Coonabarabarn for a star
party this month........

http://web.mac.com/anne_adkins/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

....... and take a good look at maybe moving the
observatory there.

GrahamL · #18 02-02-2008, 01:42 PM

That would of been a slow and tortureous ride lance watching the city move to the country..I spoke with a guy who had a pretty safe observing site once .. house on his own island several hours boat ride up the inside of vancouver island.. no roads, power or people

.. he sounded like he was pretty happy to live out his days up there with his wife and scope

Glenhuon (Bill) · #19 02-02-2008, 02:01 PM

quote:
Even my once dark rural neighborhood,
where everyone knew to keep lights
off for the observatory was under
attack. All those friendly neighbors
had been replaced by flat landers.

Now where have I heard a similar tale. Ah yes, the Scottish Highlands they call them "White Settlers" there. Also known as "South Mouthers" in Shetland.

Hope you find a good site Lance

Cheers
Bill