The Dangers of Desert Observing

[Skylook123]

Day 1 of my Year 65 on this planet began quite pleasantly. Nice card from best friend and spouse Susan, leisurely morning, got ready for a day time public outreach doing some solar scope teaching for young folks at Space Day at the Pima Air and Space Museum (80 Acres/300 Aircraft/100 Years of Aviation History)

Pima Air & Space Museum

Two of us were scheduled to set up telescopes for solar observing; my H-Alpha, and one other person's white light filter.

Very hot day, other guy didn't show, I had 140 high schoolers to entertain for two hours. Outside air temp was upper 90s, inner temp sensor on the Atlas reached 126.7F. It was a hot one, virtually no shade. But, since the audience was cycling through in groups of about 20, it was manageable. But, HOT.

An hour and a half into the session, the primary battery on the Atlas gave up the ghost. I always bring a backup, so after 10 minutes of scrambling to recover the setup, we went on.

After about 2.5 hours and four cans of diet soft drinks to keep hydrated, the audience was gone and I was packing up to go. I picked up the eyepiece case from next to the mount head case and found a rattlesnake cowering in the shade. It was only about a foot long, and eventually it was relocated to a different part of the museum grounds.

Got home, and perfect spouse Susan was grilling a monster prime rib slab that was literally the best chunk of meat I can remember having! Every day I know I made the right choice 45 years ago.

So, I picked up another battery for a day-night event tomorrow (Dr. David Levy's Sharing the Sky annual fund raiser for education, on the Univ. of Arizona Mall tomorrow from 3-10 PM). Then headed over to the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association monthly club meeting.

At home, after the meeting, wonderful Susan had a monster ice cream and fruit and whip cream desert ready when I got home from the meeting. Day was looking mighty fine. Until the main computer had a boot sector damaged, and is now toasted. Other than that, great food and a new desert buddy.

The solar setup (the students were standing between the cases and the roll up door for shade - it was over 100F on the concrete before we were done), followed by a picture of my new desert buddy I found when I picked up the eyepiece case, about two feet from where the students had been standing:

[brantuk]

Very interesting and amusing report thanks Skylook. We certainly don't get monster ice creams, slab steaks, and rattle snakes here in the UK lol. And I dread to think what health and safety would say about taking a bunch of kids out in those conditions. Astronomy's a whole other thing out there. Enjoyable read

[dweller25]

Wow, that's something we don't need to worry about in the UK - great story and a big thumbs up for your outreach project

[tom33pr]

I really enjoyed reading this!

Good stuff!

[RogerTheDodger]

A great report, and Happy Birthday Jim

[m_j_lyons]

Happy belated B-day is in order I guess. When there is very limited shade I guess everything is looking to use what's available. We've got rattlers here in the CA central valley also - the babies concern me the most as they haven't learned to control their bites yet. Just goes to show that we need to have an extra eye that can focus to earth as the other(s) focus towards the sky. Cheers.

[Skylook123]

Very interesting and amusing report thanks Skylook. We certainly don't get monster ice creams, slab steaks, and rattle snakes here in the UK lol. And I dread to think what health and safety would say about taking a bunch of kids out in those conditions. Astronomy's a whole other thing out there. Enjoyable read

I'm glad you enoyed the read! The gorgeous desert skies come with some caution warranted. As I was awaiting my first group to arrive, and pouring on the sun block, I thought of the line, "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun." Being of mixed Irish and Scot descent, and a bit of a nutter myself, I suppose the line fit me from multiple points of view.

The students were only out for 15 minutes under our nearest star, although I was dismayed when they did not seem to understand the concept of hydration, and they live here! If I was their teacher/guide, I would not have allowed them on their walkabout without each having a personal water container.

[Skylook123]

Wow, that's something we don't need to worry about in the UK - great story and a big thumbs up for your outreach project

Thank you. Our club of 375 astronomers is committed to public outreach and education, so I do nearly ten of these a month. Almost all under the night sky, though!

[Skylook123]

I really enjoyed reading this!

Good stuff!

Thank You!

[Skylook123]

A great report, and Happy Birthday Jim

Thanks; I personally have stopped counting them.

[Skylook123]

Happy belated B-day is in order I guess. When there is very limited shade I guess everything is looking to use what's available. We've got rattlers here in the CA central valley also - the babies concern me the most as they haven't learned to control their bites yet. Just goes to show that we need to have an extra eye that can focus to earth as the other(s) focus towards the sky. Cheers.

Thanks for the good wishes. I have been out in the desert observing several times a month for over 15 years here in the Sonoran Desert, yet this is the first time I've seen a rattlesnake, scorpion, or tarantula while out. I am, however, visited nearly every night out by packs of coyotes, and once had a small herd of free range cattle come right between my and my observing partner's telescope setups. Followed five minutes later by a huge mountain lion that growled at my partner from five feet away; we never saw her stalking the cattle.

[m_j_lyons]

OK - a cougar is far more a serious threat than a rattlesnake...I'll stick to NORCAL. I often get coyotes out in the early AM saying hi to me - but mountain lions are far less common in the valley.

[JohnnyD333]

I always wanted to use a solar scope. Thinking about buying an Orion Solar Filter and giving it a go (when I have some extra money) Awesome report, cant wait to get out to the desert again. My father lives in Tumacacori, Ill be out there in July. He always says Im crazy coming out in July but I love it out there.

[Beulah]

Fantastic stuff, keep it up.

[Skylook123]

OK - a cougar is far more a serious threat than a rattlesnake...I'll stick to NORCAL. I often get coyotes out in the early AM saying hi to me - but mountain lions are far less common in the valley.

Normally a mountain lion will avoid humans; I think we are viewed as predator comptetition, and that can mean a risk of injury. But there are recent incidents of the cats going rogue, especially when joggers or hikers act like prey.

In this case, the lion was following/stalking the herd, and was threatening us as the competition. We heard and saw nothing until a loud GRRROWWFF sounded out. My observing buddy cleared the side of his Toyota Tacoma pickup into the bed in one bound. We were about twenty feet apart, it passed between us and I didn't see or hear a thing until it barked. As it disappeared, I saw its shoulder was about midway up my thigh. BIG animal. But more meat on the cows than we scrawny smelly humans.

[Skylook123]

I always wanted to use a solar scope. Thinking about buying an Orion Solar Filter and giving it a go (when I have some extra money) Awesome report, cant wait to get out to the desert again. My father lives in Tumacacori, Ill be out there in July. He always says Im crazy coming out in July but I love it out there.

Solar observing, I imagine, is like lunar; one needs to feel a calling to it. In my case, I like the teaching aspect so I have used Orion white light glass filters on the 10" and 90mm scopes for about 12 years; if the sun cooperates with spots that's great, but nothing else shows up. With the advances in H-Alpha, Ca, K, and other specialized technology and accompaying price drops, many more astronomers are migrating into the solar arena. With the entry into the active cycle, there are interesting opportunities coming up in the white light as well as the esoteric instruments. We had Tucson's largest public star party yesterday, from 3 PM to 10 PM, and the sun did not disappoint, showing very interesting behavior in the white light of those around me as well as in my H-Alpha. Many features on the limb and on the surface, even in my entry level scope.

I love the desert because of the variety of life, and the concurrent harsh and fragile environment. As harsh as the desert can be, I've gone back to setup spots years after the previous visit and still could clearly see my tracks. Can't beat the clear skies and warm nights for observing! I hope you enjoy your return. July is a pretty hostile time down there with the Mexican Monsoon season, and the last few years the two legged threats have really become a problem. Our clubs have had warnings from law enforcement about the smugglers of guns and drugs, as well as the "people movers". I live about 70 miles north of Tumacacori, and we've lost our favorite observing sites even well north of me due to illegal activites of the border crossers, smugglers, and the local militia trying to intervene. More than once I've heard automatic weapons firing close by while observing. Be careful down there!

[Skylook123]

Fantastic stuff, keep it up.

Thank you for reading; I shall certainly try!

[RogerTheDodger]

And there I was thinking it was pretty cool to see Hedgehogs and field mice while I was observing

[Skylook123]

It's always exciting to have a laptop on at the observing table drawing flying insects to the glow, followed by dive-bombing bats. Staring at the screen and having one of these winged warriors swoop through can really wake a person up.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Brilliant read! I did have some unknown beasts snuffling and rustling around me when observing here "down-under" in the last few days, but nothing remotely dangerous emerged. I get the local hedgehogs back home, but that's about it.

Cheers and keep up the good work

[Adamski]

Hi Jim, sounds like you have a good wife who made your birthday very pleasant. We get Adders and Grass snakes in England but they are very elusive. The last one i saw was 7 yrs ago, it was pretty big tho. biggest i've ever seen, over 1m in legnth. They can bite like all vipers but they are not deadly unless you're unfortunate.

[Skylook123]

Hi Jim, sounds like you have a good wife who made your birthday very pleasant. We get Adders and Grass snakes in England but they are very elusive. The last one i saw was 7 yrs ago, it was pretty big tho. biggest i've ever seen, over 1m in legnth. They can bite like all vipers but they are not deadly unless you're unfortunate.

Yes, my best friend for over 45 years. Or, as we put it, by finding each other we have saved two other people from unfortunate lives.

Most or all of the dangerous creatures around our desert will avoid humans, but they also like to hide in places we might need to use. Poisonous snakes in shadows of equipment boxes and scorpions inside any old box or container are to be wary of, as well as our very common black widow spiders, that like to build quick nests/webs under trailer hitches and inside wheel wells. More than once in the last forty years I've seen small snooping cats be killed by rattlesnakes or black widows for getting too curious. Humans, they avoid unless trapped.

[Albireo380]

It seems that you have a few things to be wary of, when observing in the desert. I must admit, the chance to observe at night, under clear skies and in warm temperatures seems very nice. I usually observe at temperatures around or below freezing. 5 layers of clothes are the norm over here (in Scotland) in Autumn/Winter.

I don't fancy coming face to face with snakes, scorpions of mountain lions - although some of the Humans around here are pretty scary. I am always wary of observing anywhere near any town - lots of nutters and "boy racers" around.

I enjoyed your post.

Cheers

Tom

[Skylook123]

It seems that you have a few things to be wary of, when observing in the desert. I must admit, the chance to observe at night, under clear skies and in warm temperatures seems very nice. I usually observe at temperatures around or below freezing. 5 layers of clothes are the norm over here (in Scotland) in Autumn/Winter.

I don't fancy coming face to face with snakes, scorpions of mountain lions - although some of the Humans around here are pretty scary. I am always wary of observing anywhere near any town - lots of nutters and "boy racers" around.

I enjoyed your post.

Cheers

Tom

Thank you, Tom

VERY wise comment about the two legged hazards. Around my area, the Sonoran Desert about 60 miles north of the US-Mexico border, those hazards have increased over the years. The organizers of our two popular state-wide events had to move the location significantly away from the historical site because of recent criminal activity. Our main Interstate highway routes have seen at least three running gun battles between the drug gangs from sout of the border over the last several years.

But regarding the natural residents of our desert sites, I have been observing in the desert (shirt sleeves, bermudal shorts, sandals, in October and March!) for almost 15 years, and have personally never seen a tarantula, scorpion, Gila monster, or any other nasty other than mosquitos, with the exception of the one mountain lion and last week's baby rattlesnake. They're out there, they just keep to themselves.

I hope you can someday get to an observing site where you don't need five layers of clothing, and enjoy dark skies as well!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

During my last session down here in Sydney I surprised an opossum who was looking for food in a tree. It nearly fell out when it noticed me. Though some TV programmes suggest Australia is crawling with dangerous creatures, I have found nothing more dangerous than the opossum, assorted other pouched rat-like creatures, and the odd bat (including a few flying foxes with 1 m wing span).