One Over the Eight, A Cautionary Tale...

[ghostdance]

Just come in from a couple of most frustrating hours swaying at the eyepiece. We'd been out to a restaurant, where a few beers were, ahem, necessary. Delightful evening, but I was champing at the bit to get home, get the scope out and see summat upstairs (steady...) as tonight was the first proper clear one in at least...ooh, ages...

Ever been slightly drunk in charge of a small (or indeed large) telescope? I mean, I initially found M57 no problem but from then on apparently could not find an elephant in a small room, with 'ELEPHANT!' painted on it. I even had to Intelliscope M31! Where the heck did everything go?! Apart from the Pleiades and Hyades, I was lost....Casseopia was truly a drunken 'W', and what happened to the great square of Pegasus? Wonky or what?!

Never has a eyepiece case been so baffling...and the red torch...well, thought I was in a nightclub.....

Finally contented myself with some nice clusters that didn't dance all over the place (no idea what they were, somewhere in Perseus I think but not the double cluster) and gave up when I started bumping into and talking to the fence (to whit....'been here long? I can stand up perfeckly on my own, you know....')

A warning to us all: alcohol and optics only mix in a bar

[Dave In Vermont]

Are you certain you didn't order the mushroom-soup?

Colourful Skies,

Dave

[laser_jock99]

Beer & Astronomy do not mix well. Best reserved for cloudy nights......

[Paul M]

Not sure about involving optics but stargazing can be fun while tipsy!

When we have BBQ's up at our caravan in Cumbria people know that as soon as it gets dark they'll be getting educated.

Even before dark my fellow participants get excited asking if they'll be able to see the "Play Station" tonight?

And then: "Thatsch nosht a pl.. a pnalet .. a prlanet .. thatsch a sht[hic]ar"

[Paul73]

Beer & Astronomy do not mix well. Best reserved for cloudy nights......

A nice cold beer while drifting around the cosmos is one of life's great pleasures. :)

Paul

[JamesF]

I'm not a fan of alcohol and astronomy when it comes to wanting to study something in detail.  A glass or two whilst reclining in a comfy chair and touring the night sky with a few friends either with the naked eye or a pair of bins is quite pleasant though.

James

[Paul73]

Agreed. If you are doing proper observing, you tend to end up with a half drunk flat beer.

What a waste.

Paul

[Davey-T]

Had a pleasant unexpected hour observing with bins in the middle of the night, got up at 2am looked out the window as usual and saw Orion glittering away so went out for a quick browse around a lovely clear sky and promise of winter things to come.

No drink involved, only hot chocolate. 

Dave