Whats been your most dissapointing astronomical moment?

[Andrew*]

Here's a funny and kind of dissapointing Mars story. I showed some friends of mine Mars when it was at it's absolute best - after dinner and a few bottles of wine. My friend Pete spent ages at the eyepiece muttering to himself in amazement. Later when we were all back inside an the scope was put away he said something like "Really amazing with funny swirly patterns, but what I can't figure out was why there was this huge hole in the middle, kind of like a donut!". It was my old M715 Muksutov and I thought I'd made sure everyone how to use the focus, but looks like I missed Pete who was last in line. I guess Pete missed the big Mars show... But he did get so get to see some really cool tube currents

Same happened to me, also on mars. A friend was at teh eyepiece and I say, "so what do you see?". He says, "it's got this huge black hole in the middle....

Sorry, this is off topic. I wasn't so much disappointed by this as amused!

So, disappointing... Hmm... Well, yes - Mars was rather disappointing last year for my first telescopic view.

Partial solar eclipse earlier this year was also disappointing as it was clouded over until just after lasat contact.

But the event that takes the crown must ahve been missing the Perseids this year. I thought it was on the evening of 12th (August?), but when I woke up the morning after, everyone was saying how amazing it was, and I realised then that it was the morning of the 12th, so I'd missed it...

Andrew

[mik]

Flocking my xlt150 newt and testing it next to an un flocked 150p and found no difference

Mick

[Wedge]

For me, I havn't really had a truly disappointing moment. Although a few things underwhelmed me (slightly) at first, the more I thought about them after, they were still so amazing!

Mars - I could initially see no detail, only the red colour. But what an amazing colour that was - exactly like in all of the other photographs. I eventually persevered and did indeed see a little detail at a later date.

I have never found M31 disappointing. It is incredible taking into account how far it is.

I would think the most disappointing moments would have to be either not being able to find M33 or missing the Transit of Venus!

[Wobbly Bob]

For me, MARS, it was the object that really got me into astronomy. Saw a large red dot out my window, so bought an ETX90 to find out what it was, of course it was Mars, still a big red thing.

Not all bad though. later on after gaining another scope (10" Dob) I thought I could see some markings on the planet, so sketched what I could see. Had a look at that months astro mag and amazingly, the sketch matched the mag. Chuffed to bits.

[661-pete]

There seem to be a lot of comments about Mars in this thread, and I have to say this does not surprise me in the least! For all that it's one of our closest planetary neighbours, and spectacular imagery courtesy of Nasa, Mars is an amazingly difficult object for astronomers! I (briefly) centred it on the 10" Newt when it was at perihelion recently, put in the high power EP and barlow, and then called my wife out. But I had to warn her "don't expect much". Maybe, in better seeing, something might have shown up, but neither of us could see more than a uniform disk: honestly, how those 19th century astronomers could conceivably have dreamt up Martian 'canals' - as featured in every Mars-related SF story from HG Wells onwards - beats me! I was shown Mars through much better equipment a few months ago - courtesy of one of the best planetary observers/imagers in the country: but I could still barely make out even an ice-cap.

Most amateur astros don't spend much time on Venus, which is hardly surprising: it has to be one of the most boring telescopic objects in the sky. Also what I didn't appreciate at first, was that through most of a Venus appearance, it is actually in the less-interesting gibbous phase: the more spectacular crescent only occurs for a short period either side of conjunction, when Venus will be more poorly placed anyway.

[MartinB]

Variable stars! I really should take notes and go keep going back to them.

[Nostromo]

There seem to be a lot of comments about Mars in this thread, and I have to say this does not surprise me in the least! For all that it's one of our closest planetary neighbours, and spectacular imagery courtesy of Nasa, Mars is an amazingly difficult object for astronomers!

Yes Mars isn't best placed at the moment and just isn't worth looking at now. I've seen amazing detail on it when the seeing was sharp over the last few years. I've seen Olympus mons on a steady night in London when it was last around, and I've seen the blue atmosphere on the limb a while ago. Sadly it isn't going to be good for a while. Also Jupiter and Saturn aren't going to be decent at our latitude for another few years, and they are the only planets worth looking at. Deep sky stuff can be rewarding but planets have so much more impact for me especailly with binoviewers. That's why I'm getting into deep sky and imaging really - no planets! - to see planets I'll need to pack as much aperture into an airline portable package as possible and go south... Nick

[saturn5]

I have 2 major downers.

Mars in my 10"newt

Mars in my 6" newt.

[barkis]

The whole of 2008 for bad bl***y weather.

Ron.

[oohmygod831]

The whole of 2008 for bad bl***y weather.

Ron.

i'll second that

[part timer]

Another vote for 1999's eclipse.

I do not have, have never had and may possibly never have funds to go eclipse chasing so I dreamed of a British totality.

First read (in one of my first astro books) it was going to happen in late 1983 and patiently waited nearly 16 years for it. Made my plans ridiculously far in advance.

in short ,

before eclipse :sunny: During eclipse after eclipse :sunny:

The weather has spoilt many things for me but I've always known that I'd get another go even if it was in many years. However that was probably my only total solar eclipse and I was really really depressed for ages afterwards. I believe at the time I may even have used the word 'bum' .

On the bright side I did manage almost the entire Venus transit in 2004 although it was a close run thing with clouds before and after the event.

That doesn't mean I've forgiven the cloud gods though!!

[Cloudwatcher]

"Do I have to?"................ The wife's response when,after an age of star hopping I found Albireo for the fist time and invited her to take a look.

[661-pete]

First read (in one of my first astro books) it was going to happen in late 1983 and patiently waited nearly 16 years for it. Made my plans ridiculously far in advance.

16 years huh! My 'wait' dated from Feb 1961 so it was over 38 years! I first heard mention of the forthcoming 1999 bonanza while watching - wistfully - the live TV coverage of the 1961 event, outside broadcasts from France, Italy and Yugoslavia (with of course PM in attendance). The first time an eclipse was ever broadcast live, I think it was. I remember crouching, fascinated, before the family's prized (12" Black & White) TV set, in the few minutes before I had to set off for school, listening to the prognostications and doing a quick calculation to figure out how old I'd be in 1999 .... I didn't 'plan' anything that far ahead though!

[michaelmorris]

This one's easy

The 100% cloud cover for the August 1999 total eclipse. Clear at 07:30 hrs, Clear at 13:00 hrs. 100% cloud cover during the whole of totality. [removed word]!!!!!!! :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby:

[geoff_k]

Usually the clear night that happens straight after something that you really wanted to see the night before like an eclipse or occultation.

I remember it took me five attempts to get an image of a Lunar Eclipse for example. The first four it rained or was cloudy or I was busy.

Mars is generally a let-down although not always. I'd still like to see NGC7000 and the Veil Nebula but no chance until I can get to a really dark site.

The main problem is, we are spoiled by alll those fantastic images from the Hubble, etc.

Still can't beat seeing stuff for yourself no matter how fuzzy.

[ChrisEdu]

Indeed - there's definitely a buzz from finding something and seeing it with your own eyes!

[supernova]

Indeed - there's definitely a buzz from finding something and seeing it with your own eyes!

A Dob comes to mind, bring it out dump it on the ground and enjoy then take it in and then--

Remember

[ChrisEdu]

Here's a funny and kind of dissapointing Mars story. I showed some friends of mine Mars when it was at it's absolute best - after dinner and a few bottles of wine. My friend Pete spent ages at the eyepiece muttering to himself in amazement. Later when we were all back inside an the scope was put away he said something like "Really amazing with funny swirly patterns, but what I can't figure out was why there was this huge hole in the middle, kind of like a donut!". It was my old M715 Muksutov and I thought I'd made sure everyone how to use the focus, but looks like I missed Pete who was last in line. I guess Pete missed the big Mars show... But he did get so get to see some really cool tube currents

LOL What did you tell him?

[Nostromo]

well I didn't want to let him loose on the world thinking Mars looked like a donut, so I explained it was out of focus and the "hole" was the shadow of the secondary mirror. I was met with a bit of a blank and kinda gave up there. I recall he wasn't particulary impressed. But most other folks who looked couldn't see much surface features anyway I think you need to learn how to "see" planets all over again. Anyway that was years ago. Pete came down my way from London with his GF to stay over a month ago or so and I showed them some DSOs and they liked M13 a lot so all's well there

Nick

[ChrisEdu]

I think I'd have told them they'd seen a new galaxy or something!

[Nostromo]

or a celestial donut. Or perhaps a startling new headline grabbing discovery - we should have called the Sun

[661-pete]

When, as a teenager, I bought - out of my limited funds - a cheap-O schoolkid's newtonian built from a kit (made mostly of cardboard, I remember) - well, I put it together wrong without realising my error, and couldn't bring it to focus. On first light I pointed it to Jupiter and was impressed with the size of planet image I'd got - until I noticed the rather suspicious line across the disk and the blob in the middle that happened to match the shape of the secondary. :oops:

When I finally did get it to a focus, I was a bit disappointed. It showed me Jupiter's Galileans and craters on the moon, and not a lot else.

I didn't buy my next telescope for another forty years...

[Bruce MacDonald]

Yes for me it was the eclipse from Cornwall in '99. I suppose I can say I have stood in the shadow of the moon but the sense of disappointment not seeing the action after waiting so long was crushing.

:crybaby:

I will get to see a total solar eclipse one day but not any time soon. August 12, 2026 looks like a good one.

http://www.eclipse.org.uk/eclipse/0312026/

On the other hand there have been plenty of highs - transits of Venus and Mercury, fireballs, etc.

[Brandon]

I dont have a astronomic disappointment yet since I just kinda started but I do have an ebarrassing moment with a scope. kind of like the mars story above in a way.

my most disappointing time was with a microscope. the assignment was to draw cells from a stem tissue and I spent over an hour drawing until my teacher looked through the scope and told me I was looking at a bunch of air bubbles (not plant cells)

[Insomniac]

Since I was 8 years old I knew where I'd be on 11 August 1999. Almost my entire life I'd been looking forward to my trip to Cornwall and booked up two years in advance.

Just over a year later my wife became pregnant and the baby was due about two weeks prior to the eclipse - my wife was happy to let me go, if there were no complications.

The only complication was that my daughter was two weeks late and was born on the day of the eclipse itself! She was considerate enough not to be born during the eclipse, so I managed to see a near total eclipse from Essex instead. As it turned out, I got a better view than I would have in Cornwall and got a daughter too.

So in the end not really a disappointment, but it felt like one as 11th August approached and it became more apparent by the day that I wasn't going to Cornwall - but I have to admit that I was very well compensated!