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BBC Four Between 1.10 and 2.20Am

gordyb

By gordyb
in The Astro Lounge

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lukebl

lukebl

Posted
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I quite enjoyed Star Men, although I notice that the modern amateurs they interviewed (no names mentioned!) were clearly well-heeled with lovely large rural gardens and sufficient cash to spend on some very smart kit. Jealous? Moi? What about the rest of us who muddle along on more modest means, but still try to do our bit. I guess that wouldn't be good tv, although the vintage footage of the guy with the half-binocular and his obs in an urban back-to-back street was fun.

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blackparticle

blackparticle

Posted
Posted

I can imagine money that gets spent on astro gear gets saved elsewhere on less important things for many.

Just because someone has a £10k Paramount ME might mean they drive round in a £500 battered Mondeo instead of a brand new Focus for example.

Astronomy itself isn't an overly expensive hobby.. Astrophotography can start to empty the bank account fairly rapidly though. :)

But it was great to see what some of the more eccentric old boffins were up to. I think we've lost some of that in modern day 21st century Britain. You should have a look at some old photographs and video clips of the 1950s and 60s when vacuum tubes were all that we had. Crowds of men with faces pressed up against the glass of radio repair shops drooling over the latest Mullards. :)

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Jeff Marsden

Jeff Marsden

Posted
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I have not seen the programme yet but I think the Guardian newspaper article got his name wrong. It was 'John' Hosty who worked with my brother in law at Huddersfield General Post Office. I have a clipping somewhere from The Huddersfield Examiner showing John sat in a dentists chair (?) with the binoculars attached. If I recall they were 'small' battleship binoculars with only one half that worked.

Jeff

Huddersfield

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tibbs1972

tibbs1972

Posted
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I watched all the shows mentioned in this thread. Great viewing.

I'm not as setup as some people, amazing to see some people with 2 or 3 scopes setup on rails etc.

Nice to hear Peterborough get a mention during Star Men. Finally something to brag about.

I drag mine out of the conservatory every night onto the patio.

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philj

philj

Posted
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I missed the Star Men the other night but this is a repeat from when it was 1st shown a few years ago during Mars Night I reckon from your descriptions.

I recorded it then and have watched it many times. I like it because it was the 1st programme of its type to actually show amateur astronomers in a good light and that we arent all eccentrics.

Philj

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Si W

Si W

Posted
Posted
Quite like the idea of regular nightly observations. Not sure these people live in the UK though as this is not possible...is it? ;-)

When i was a lad you didn't have clouds hanging around all night getting up to no good, i blame society, not even clouds have any respect any more. :rolleyes:

Star men was good.

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jabberwocky

jabberwocky

Posted
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Good program, about six years old according to the date thingy in the credits. One of the guys is in this months sky at night mag describing how he hunts supernova, he holds the world record at 140 odd, all discovered by an amateur observing from his back garden in Britain.

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onesmallstep

onesmallstep

Posted
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Just watched Star Men on my plasma's iPlayer widget. Good shout that.

Thing is, I am now worried that I going to have to loose all of my dress sense in order to 'fit' in....

Russell

Unless you do solar observing most of the activities will be at night so no-one will see you dressed as Benny from Crossroads.

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JamesF

JamesF

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Thing is, I am now worried that I going to have to loose all of my dress sense in order to 'fit' in....

Russell

You're already getting the hang of not spelling correctly. I reckon you'll be fine :rolleyes:

James

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JamesM

JamesM

Posted
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I too watched Star Men and recognised most of the participants as they were drawn from the membership of Bristol Astronomical Society. Totally agree with the point Quatermass makes regarding the lack of female representation in the programme, not forgetting the younger folk out there too! Why didn't they include 'action' from one of the many star parties out there or the huge interest shown on internet forums? BBC was being a little bit lazy in its stereotyping, perpetuating an amateur astronomer as being a bit of a nerdy old loner fidgeting in his shed late at night (...oopps maybe I shouldn't protest too loudly! :rolleyes:) Still it was entertaining at a certain level even if it was out of date.

James

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tibbs1972

tibbs1972

Posted
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If I had room for a shed, it would be a masterpiece and I suspect similiar to garden sheds across the country, a home away fom home including the following in order of priority.

Essentials :-

Beer fridge

Kettle

Radio or TV (Satellite, preferably)

Toaster

Lazyboy

Hammock

Optional :-

Telescope

DSLR Camera

Tripod

I might have got the priorities wrong for Star Gazing, but then again with the average cloud cover here....

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russ.will

russ.will

Posted
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You're already getting the hang of not spelling correctly. I reckon you'll be fine :rolleyes:

James

Pedant alert! I'm in awe of such fastidious attention to detail. Hope you can keep it up...:o

My intent was to in no way denigrate the stellar achievements of the individuals focused upon. My point (and as I have joined the community, I'm clearly beyond caring) is that from an outside perspective, we looked like weirdos. Interspersing a few more 'mainstream' looking hobbyists, may have made the hobby as a whole, look less like it was for loners with nought but a shed in their lives.

Me? I'm trying to figure out where I can put a shed.;)

Russell

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