Dumb Star Party Ideas

[RapidEye]

Hmmm, some GREAT ideas so far!
A couple more...

1. Tripod 110m hurdles - at night, in the dark of course. You could leave the bumper lights on for added effect
2. Martini mixing contest, using starblast OTA's as the jigger
3. Campfire starting contest using 6" Refractors and 10mm chinese plossles - see who can use the sun to get the bonfire going the fastest
4. Laser tag using green lasers - pumped up of course. The first one to go blind loses.
5. Light Bucket Basketball - set up a couple of 18" dobs at either end of the observing field as the bucket.

[RB (Andrew)]

You guys crack me up.......

Everyone at home is wondering why I have tears running down my eyes.

[davidpretorius]

hey rocket,

now you can see how you get to 5 to 10 posts a day!

i have not watched tv in weeks, these guys get on these rolls and the entertainment is worth gold!!!

It is a wonderful mix of aussie dry humour and very deep understandings of astronomy and equipment plus a generous dollup of willingness to help the noobies out!

[rumples riot]

Here mine.

1. Inspecting all OTA's with a torch to make sure they are working, especially important while the owner is checking in his EP. The Torch must be Million candle power.

2. Coke can lobbing competition into Dobs. First to fill a dob gets a free smack in the mouth. Don't laugh to hard I had someone try and use my scope as a bin once.

3. Maybe also a flare competition to see how many flares will totally obliterate the sky.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

The Dobs are copping a lot of abuse here.

How about something for the Goto-ers?
War of the SCTs! Use your GPS Goto SCTs + fork mounts with alt-az motion as remote-controlled robots crawling around the sheep paddock and trying to bash each other senseless. Last surviving corrector plate wins!

[acropolite (Phil)]

How about a sausage sizzle under a dob secondary using the sun....

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

We could have Low-flying Helicopter Joy-flights over the viewing area at night so you can look down and see everyone! (I can see David and Mike and Steve and there's Geoff over there). Don't worry about the dust blowing around, just wipe it off with a tea-towel.

[rumples riot]

Steve H, I don't think having the last surviving corrector would even do it. Last surviving dec motor would do it. The race would be over in 2 minutes. SCT's are good scopes but the motors are crap. It would look like a heap of broken down darlecs and then there would be the smell of burning plastic. LOL cool.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Damn. There goes my idea... How about corrector plate birdbaths? Point at zenith, add water & a half handful of birdseed on the back of the secondary.

[ving (David)]

umm... how did i miss this thread!!!

in all seriousness tho, you could have a red-light disco

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

We could test the new motorised focuser.

It is a portable trolley-mounted Holden 308 V8 with a belt drive running to the focuser knob.

Best part is it fits all focusers!! Just wrap the belt around the focuser knob and fire her up . . . Varrrooooommmmmm!!!!!!!! FULL FOCUS!

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Dob mount rides for the kiddies.

Just take the OTA off, sit the kids in the rocker box and spin

Wheeeeeee

[Little Dragon]

Put gun powder in the telescope tube then drop in a bowling ball, aim it and light it. Now it's a cannon.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

You could take the corrector plate off the SCTs place them at one end of the viewing field, take the spiders out of the newts and place them at the other end of the field. Hook a heap of vacuum cleaners set on blow up to the visual back of the SCTs and to the bottom ends of the newts, you'd have to drill a big enough hole in your newt mirror for this game, and turn them all into Nerf ball cannons and have a game of real life star wars, rebel vs the empire. Like BDs old avatar

[ving (David)]

hiya arry!
kicked dad off hey?

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

great minds think alike hey 'arry

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Or you could use water balloons instead fo nerf balls. You might need to use big compressors instead of vacuum cleaners to generate enough air pressure though.

[slice of heaven]

You guys need some clear skies

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

How about taking 'arry's idea a bit further and put the gunpowder in the dobs, turn them upside down and see how high your rocket will go

[Daring Dave]

Ummm Free Alcohol..

After a few hours nobody would know what was what ..

'It's a star...No it's a planet.'

It's a star....Mate you will see stars in a minute !'