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Amazing Arcturus


mattjanes100

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Through a combination of too much wind and too many non-astronomers disturbing my peace and quiet at Badbury Rings in the Cranborne Chase AONB, my plans for this evening were scuppered somewhat and I packed up early.

Was planning to find Neptune and try some deep sky objects before the moon rose but the tube was getting blown about way too much unfortunately. 

There was also the minor problem of a camper van parked across the way, whose occupants kept peering out at me in a very disconcerting way! Eventually they asked if I was going to be there all night, by which time I was already heading for the exit.

Despite this, a couple of great sights this evening. The milky way was very clear at this Bortle 4 location so I spent a good chunk of time just taking it in before being distracted by the magnificent kaleidoscope of Arcturus!

Hopefully the clear skies stay with us next week.

Thanks for reading and if anyone else has any good stories about unusual characters at remote sites or how to deal with them, I'd be glad to hear!

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32 minutes ago, mattjanes100 said:

There was also the minor problem of a camper van parked across the way, whose occupants kept peering out at me in a very disconcerting way! Eventually they asked if I was going to be there all night, by which time I was already heading for the exit.

Sorry to hear about your evening, Matt. It's a right pain to head out, set up and then be disturbed and find yourself on edge. I find that once my nerves have gone, that's it for the evening.

Although it is diificult to guarantee a 100% disturbance free session at a darker site, I generally make it a habit to check out the area I want to observe before doing a session. I'll do this a couple of times in daylight and at night, a general surveillance so to say before planning an evening out. If there's a whiff of human activity, I check that site off my list.

I don't really have any stories. I've been startled by flocks of birds suddenly flying across the field of view, bitten by multiple spiders, mosquitoes, and ants, heard petrifying rustles in the hedgerows but what really scars me are the wild dogs here in east Spain. Some of the locals use dogs for hunting boar or hogs and for a tiny number of these locals - for one horrific reason or another - at the end of the season if they don't shot them, they just let them go. It's their howl which is the scariest thing at night. Sometimes it sounds like someone is being brutally murdered, other times it sounds like they're extremely close and itching for a fight. In such a situation there is nothing I can do. I just suck it in, wait it out, pack up and head home.

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It is a subject that often arises on here, and you can imagine some of the tales. It is really worth putting some time and effort into finding a suitable dark site and maybe avoiding the obvious public places. Rob is spot on about researching a place by day and night, during the winter months public intervention decreases in my experience.

I would suggest scanning an OS map and Google maps for places out of town and try some private venues. Cricket clubs, local football clubs, angling societies, council run yards, churches with gated car parks etc are all worth a try. Find out who the secretaries are and write them a nice polite email seeking permission. I have a few templates I use and tweak them to match the venue.

Our group managed 4 sites doing this and more recently secured an agreement with a private site that is fenced, gated keycard access, can't be seen from the rural lane, with car parking and even a toilet. Excellent all round vision. No street or direct lighting, the place is priceless. Cost...well we all had to chip in a few quid for public liability insurance but thats the only cost. We have to call the security box when we arrive, and upon leaving confirm the gates are locked. Half of our group are female as well and they won't go out to a public place on their own.

If you spy a place PM me and I will help you put together an opening mail for request of use. 

Good luck. 

Edited by JG777
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Thanks to both for the feedback. I had previously used this particular spot and was completely alone all night so thought I'd found a winner, but perhaps you are right that it will likely be deserted when the cold nights arrive. The Cranborne Chase area is a pretty large expanse of Bortle 4 so I'm sure I'll be able to dig around and find a better spot. Will go for a daytime drive around a few potentials!

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I mostly observe from home and security is one of the reasons (lack of time is the other). However when I do I have so far encountered mostly nice people who wonder what  I'm doing.

Once I was set up on the front lawn of a hotel on holiday an a very drunk man kept coming out of a wedding party for a cigarette and would strike up a loud conversation with me from 20 meters away across the lawn. Other than that the only dodginess I have encountered is spooky animal noises!

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It can be annoying, you really do have to get familiar with certain places that you feel reassured and confident to access. I will not use large parking spaces at all, this season planning for extended overnight trips in remoter country and as far away as possible from any trace of a light dome. It is as you imply worth while seeking out potential discrete spots by doing some day time reccies.

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