Joys of public viewing

[West End Wendy]

Took my travel setup (ST-80 and Horizon tripod) to a party in the fens near Peterborough last night and set up in a dark part of the garden.

Within minutes I was surrounded by a group of kids and adults who all wanted to have a look through the scope. They gasped admiringly at views of the moon and asked countless questions.

Over the course of the next two hours I had a long line of party guests of all ages queueing up to view Andromeda, M13, the double cluster and even a rather small and wobbly Jupiter and accompanying moons.

In the end I spent very little time at the eyepiece myself but it was still one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in the hobby.

It's amazing how you can move people with a humble little 3" achro and a dark sky.

Tim

[hayju01]

Peoples interest in our hobby is quite encouraging sometimes usually preceeded with 'I've always meant to get into astronomy'

One of my most enjoyable evenings was when i was set up on my front lawn in my cul-del-sac and had my next door neighbour then a couple of paramedics (after they had attended to their patient) and then the milkman all intrigued by what I was doing and wanting to take a look, very rewarding.

If only the misses would take an interest :-)

[faulksy]

wish my missis would have a look as well

[GJBC]

In the end I spent very little time at the eyepiece myself but it was still one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in the hobby.

Tim

have to agree sometimes seeing and hearing the pleasure of other people just makes it all worth while. My Fav is when you show a total newbie Saturn with all the rings showing and you get that hair raising WOW then a ten second silence whilst the comprehend what they have just seen..... just does it every time.

Glad you have fun

[marcopolo]

I quite often used to set up my scopes on the street pavement. People were fascinated when seeing the moon or Saturn. But get technical for even a few seconds and the eyes would glaze over......oops. Keep it simple!

The funniest occurances were people spotting me from about 30 yards away, grabbing their kids and crossing to the other side of the road to pass me.

Marco.

[Bobcat]

wish my missis would have a look as well

My missus does look through my scope... unfortunately I now need another scope as I don't get a chance to view through it

I've got my scope in the living room and so many guests who visit have commented on it and asked questions about it..

[Doc]

I remember when I took my 16" LB to Kelling, I hardly used it as there was always a queue behind me to look through it.

But then that to me is a part of the enjoyment of this hobby.

[Adz]

A great story and a feeling that I can completely share with you. I love bringing this passion to people from the ones who have no idea, to the types who think they already have everything sussed

[JimStan]

Twice a year, our club hosts a Public Star Party at the Antietam Battlefield, a famous site of a Civil War Battle. We generally have around 300 or more people show up at each of the events. We also have several other public viewing sessionis at libraries, campgrounds, etc. throughout the warmer parts of the year. Our club has won awards from the Astronomical League for being one of the most "outreach conscious" clubs in the country.

I usually take my little Meade ETX-90 to these events, and train it on one of the brighter, larger targets in the sky at the time. ( I know the scope's limitations ), and am often pleased to hear, "wow! that is the best view of xxxx that I have seen all evening! " Pure aperture is not always the thing that is going to capture the public's attention. A really good eyepiece, the choice of the right target ( the public NEVER gets tired of viewing the Moon , for instance ! ) and knowledge of what you are showing them is often the best combination for winning the public's approval !

Cear skies ! Jim S

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Sharing the views with others is always fun. I recently had a similar experience at our first year student camp, and before that at the campsite in France.

[tom714uk]

wish my missis would have a look as well

Mine said the other day yes she would like to look at the moon. Then when I'd got the scope set up she told me off for playing with it when I should have been doing something else!

[Alkaid]

Not so good for me regretfully, if I set up outside our house on a weekend the scope seems to attract un-desireables who's first question is "how much is it worth" and then casually eye up the house for signs of a weak entry point.

It's our first house and there's no garden

We are moving soon

I have take the scope to a family barbecue with nice big garden and better dark skies and everyone really enjoyed the views of Saturn.

Isn't it annoying though when someone tries to look for the first time, they grab hold of the eyepiece, shake the image to death and then move the scope off target. Then say 'I can't see anything!"

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Not so good for me regretfully, if I set up outside our house on a weekend the scope seems to attract un-desireables who's first question is "how much is it worth" and then casually eye up the house for signs of a weak entry point.

It's our first house and there's no garden

We are moving soon

I have take the scope to a family barbecue with nice big garden and better dark skies and everyone really enjoyed the views of Saturn.

Isn't it annoying though when someone tries to look for the first time, they grab hold of the eyepiece, shake the image to death and then move the scope off target. Then say 'I can't see anything!"

Nothing the application of a bit of mains current to the EP cannot solve

[JimStan]

Boonesboro, MD is having their annual "Boonsboro Days", an event that draws handicrafters from all over the E. Coast to the town to demonstrate and sell their wares. Our Astronomy Club has one of its biggest outreach opportunities, and we bring a bunch of handouts, photos, charts, etc. to familiarize the public with our fine hobby! We have two solar ready telescopes, a Meade 8 inch with a glass solar filter on the front, and a Coronado Ha Sunscope. One is used to view the sunspots, and the other does a great job of showing the prominences on the visible edge of the photosphere. This weekend, there have been plenty of each to amaze the public.

Several individuals have expressed an extreme interest in our club, and with the first meeting of the new school year just around the corner, it has been an excellent opportunity for us to recruit new membership !

I hope you have similar opportunities.

Jim S.

[JimStan]

I thought you would like to see the old "expert" in action. One of these days, if my Wife continues to encourage me (that's her in the background ) , I just MIGHT figure out which end of the telescope you are supposed to LOOK INTO ! ! !

Actually, this is the solar-filter equipped 8 inch Meade we were using to observe the sunspots. They put on a good show for us today. Hopefully tomorrow will be as successful !

Jim S.

Whoops, it appears to be a Celestron ! ! ! Told you I was just a mixed up old guy !

[onesmallstep]

Hi

It's amazing how all sorts of people gravitate (no pun intended) towards scopes. When the astro club I'm with set up public astronomy sessions we always set the scopes up first. It also helps that you chose the classic 'wow factor' targets to show them.

[JimStan]

BTW, that picture of me was taken in fun, but it is amazing how many people have no idea of where to look into a scope, especially the Newtonian kind.

One of our members was standing next to the scope with a picture of the Sun and its spots, and was asked on at least a couple of occasions, whether she was holding THE PICTURE in front of the scope, and was THAT what they were seeing when they peered through the eyepiece !

Although we had the Coronado set up, and there WERE some prominences on the visible edge of the sun, several people had difficulty seeing them. You really DO have to learn how to see through a telescope !

Over 450 people looked through the scopes on Sunday alone and almost as many on Saturday, when there was a lot of cloud activity ! Many stopped and asked about our club and its activities. As I have said before, outreaches are a GREAT opportunity to recruit new members.

Clear skies ! Jim S.

[JonnyP]

BTW, that picture of me was taken in fun, but it is amazing how many people have no idea of where to look into a scope, especially the Newtonian kind.

.

I bought my current Celestron 76mm reflector from a large electrical superstore. When I was looking at the scopes the salesman wandered over and mentioned that he couldn't see a thing through any of them.

I suggested he might get a better view (of the ceiling) if he took the 'lens' cap off the end of the tube.

After buying the scope, the next door neighbour showed interest in coming over. My brother as well. One of the guys I ride with. As posted above, a lot of interest. The head mistress at my daughters' school suggested that I give a few astronomy talks when it gets darker. Good grief, I can barely find the moon and I'm supposed to be teaching 7 year olds..... I'd better start learning!

[onesmallstep]

I bought my current Celestron 76mm reflector from a large electrical superstore. When I was looking at the scopes the salesman wandered over and mentioned that he couldn't see a thing through any of them.

I suggested he might get a better view (of the ceiling) if he took the 'lens' cap off the end of the tube.

After buying the scope, the next door neighbour showed interest in coming over. My brother as well. One of the guys I ride with. As posted above, a lot of interest. The head mistress at my daughters' school suggested that I give a few astronomy talks when it gets darker. Good grief, I can barely find the moon and I'm supposed to be teaching 7 year olds..... I'd better start learning!

Thrown in at the deep end - best way to learn!!!

[saturn4me]

Thrown in at the deep end - best way to learn!!!

Why is it that most wives/girlfriends dont get it/Dont like it/dont want to show an interest.Ok so some might but is it the case that most dont and if so why is that? My wife thinks its boring and would rather watch/talk about strictly come dancing or x factor.:)

[Anweniel]

Seems I'm one of those lucky few, my OH worked countless extra hours (without my knowledge), to save enough to buy my telescope for my birthday. We share an interest in space and I get forgiven for being a geek often

Although my partner is not so keen on waiting paiently for clouds to disperse (or not as is more usual!) or staying up to strange hours to catch that perfect viewing position, she does share some of the wow factor when I show her something new in the EP.

As for public displays, well I've not really been that involved before with anything like that but I do get the impression from many other amateur astronomers that they are usually very keen to show off their equipment and the views from them, well we are all proud of gear no matter how humble it is!