Signs your an avid astronomer and may need help (feel free to add your own)

[DavidU (Dave)]

You insist on a 5D mk11 and an L f2.8 300mm lens for the family snaps camera.

You tell the wife you ordered a tripod for the family camera and when it arrives she asks," why is it so big and whats all the wires for ?"

When you look at any family photo you always look for dust motes and hot pixels.You wonder how it would look with a good colour balance and stretch in CS5. You also think of re doing it in HDR !

Your family computer has 1.5TB of RAW files at any one time

At night you drive around with the sun roof fully open so you can check transparency and cloud cover.

[that_guy (Tony)]

Patch of dirt with a line through it reminds you of a galaxy

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Originally Posted by sheeny

There's a few more signs and symptoms here:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=33024



Al.

Yes, Al,
There are some GREAT ones in that thread

Two of my favourites

The rear window of your car has a centre spot so you can collimate the rear view mirror.

and

Your letter box is Polar Aligned

Great work !!!

[pgc hunter]

When you dare discuss your proposed nocturnal activities with your spouse on your anniversary:

[kingkong01 (James)]

Police have approached you in the park with large bright lights held out to the side, to see what you’re doing in the dark, and you refuse to open your eyes because it will spoil your night vision.

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

I just made a cuppa and the frothe in the middle looks like a spiral galaxy.


Adrian

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by AdrianF

I just made a cuppa and the frothe in the middle looks like a spiral galaxy.


Adrian

It's the cloud warping your mind.

[stanlite (Grady)]

you can name all the types of cloud formation and the appropriate curses for each one

[cybereye (Mario)]

Originally Posted by Allan_L

You need a bigger truck to transport all your gear to the next star party.

Guilty as charged!!!

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by stanlite

you can name all the types of cloud formation and the appropriate curses for each one

This is off the top of my head:

High clouds: 8000m to 14000m

Cirrus (Ci)= high level wispy cloud. Indicates approaching cold front. Very high level, not uncommon to be in an airliner at 35,000ft and see these well above you.

Cirrostratus (Cs)= uniform, layer cloud that looks like a "blanket", usually very thin and allows some sunlight to pass through.

Cirrocumulus (Cc) = Appears as several very small "puffs", thicker than Cirrus and cirrostratus.

Mid-Level Clouds: 3000m to 8000m

Altostratus (As)= a thick, transparent layer that allows some sunlight to pass through

Altocumulus (Ac) = appears as hundreds of small "puffs".

Altocumulus Castellenous (ACCAS) = patches of cloud showing some vertical structure similar to cumulus, indicative of moisture and instability in the atmosphere. Often seen as a precursor to thunderstorm activity.

Low Clouds: 0 to 3000m

Nimbostratus (Ns) = rain bearing stratiform cloud, often uniform greyness. Occurs in unstable environments and shows more vertical development than stratus and stratocumulus. Seen on cold fronts. Rain produced may be rather heavy.

Stratus = (S)most boring cloud on earth, slate-grey layer cloud, may produce drizzle

Stratocumulus (SCu)= Similar to stratus but shows more vertical development, produces drizzle or light rain.

Fog = stratus cloud at ground level.

Vertical clouds: 500 to 20000m

Cumulus (Cu)= "fluffy" white clouds, bubbly in appearance and indicates some instability in the atmosphere. Size ranges from only a few hundred feet tall to several thousand. Often seen on summer days when rising thermals cool to the ambient dewpoint temp and condense into what we see as the rising, bubbling structure of a cumulus cloud.

Towering Cumulus (TCu) = massive, towering cumuliform cloud, often found near thunderstorms or themselves may form into storms. Usually contains heavy showers, with tops reaching well over 10,000ft.

Cumulonimbus (Cb) = thunderstorms, can grow to over 20,000m, but more typcally around 10-12000m. Known as "Charlie bravos" in aviation slang.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

You ask you family in the photo to start to lean slowly to the west as your tripod doesn't have a terrestrial rate.

[stanlite (Grady)]

you set up under cload cover and start taking images because its been days since your last hit and you figure IR still penatrates cloud and you might as well catupre some good IR subs well the cloud lasts.

i think it has been cloudy for to long ...

[GrampianStars (Rob)]

When your other half says:-
"Did the earth move for you too"
your reply is #$%^&* ruined my shot

[shelltree (Shelley)]

You've decided to lose some weight and as a "treat" after losing 'x' amount of kilos, you're considering getting an ED80 and EQ mount with auto-guiding...

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

... when the pen in your breast pocket is actually a green laser powerful enough to bring down a stealth fighter.

... when you have to wait until sundown to figure out where you are and where north is.

... when you overhear "Uranus" in a doctor's waiting room and you assume that they're talking about the seventh planet.

[pgc hunter]

-You have to attend AA (astronomers anonymous) meetings because your family can't deal with your cloudy weather induced temper anymore

-YOu divorced your wife because it's cloudy

-You jumped off a bridge because it's cloudy

-A clear night is the new Magic mushroom

-You start hanging out with your freinds again rather than be the nocturnal loner you used to be coz it's cloudy

-You ended up with twins.....because it was... well.....cloudy

[Suzy]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

This is off the top of my head:

High clouds: 8000m to 14000m

Cirrus (Ci)= high level wispy cloud. Indicates approaching cold front. Very high level, not uncommon to be in an airliner at 35,000ft and see these well above you.

Cirrostratus (Cs)= uniform, layer cloud that looks like a "blanket", usually very thin and allows some sunlight to pass through.

Cirrocumulus (Cc) = Appears as several very small "puffs", thicker than Cirrus and cirrostratus.

Mid-Level Clouds: 3000m to 8000m

Altostratus (As)= a thick, transparent layer that allows some sunlight to pass through

Altocumulus (Ac) = appears as hundreds of small "puffs".

Altocumulus Castellenous (ACCAS) = patches of cloud showing some vertical structure similar to cumulus, indicative of moisture and instability in the atmosphere. Often seen as a precursor to thunderstorm activity.

Low Clouds: 0 to 3000m

Nimbostratus (Ns) = rain bearing stratiform cloud, often uniform greyness. Occurs in unstable environments and shows more vertical development than stratus and stratocumulus. Seen on cold fronts. Rain produced may be rather heavy.

Stratus = (S)most boring cloud on earth, slate-grey layer cloud, may produce drizzle

Stratocumulus (SCu)= Similar to stratus but shows more vertical development, produces drizzle or light rain.

Fog = stratus cloud at ground level.

Vertical clouds: 500 to 20000m

Cumulus (Cu)= "fluffy" white clouds, bubbly in appearance and indicates some instability in the atmosphere. Size ranges from only a few hundred feet tall to several thousand. Often seen on summer days when rising thermals cool to the ambient dewpoint temp and condense into what we see as the rising, bubbling structure of a cumulus cloud.

Towering Cumulus (TCu) = massive, towering cumuliform cloud, often found near thunderstorms or themselves may form into storms. Usually contains heavy showers, with tops reaching well over 10,000ft.

Cumulonimbus (Cb) = thunderstorms, can grow to over 20,000m, but more typcally around 10-12000m. Known as "Charlie bravos" in aviation slang.

In my opinion, this one wins - no sane person can list off all those clouds off the top of their head, surely. Oh, wait -you live in Melbourne don't you?!.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

When you FINALLY pack away all those Eyepieces, and pack away the Camera and camera adaptors and cables because you have given up on both Visual Astronomy and Imaging.

. . . . . so you can put a video imaging CCD into your scope and do 'LIVE' astronomy broadcasting to the world.

I can't help myself

[astro_nutt]

How about swapping shifts so you can have the night off cause it's a new Moon?

[Inmykombi (Geoff)]

You also know you are in trouble when you spend your lunchbreak outside trying to find VENUS naked eye in the daytime....

You keep trying till your lunch goes cold as you want to show your workmates that you arent really crazy after all.....

You know its there but just cant pinpoint it.