B3 skies ruined by farmer!

[Marvin Jenkins]

I am not with incredulity that my recent post about a five inch newt being much underestimated appeared a few posts below this one!

Well it turns out that my only clear night matches perfectly with local farmer night plowing!!!

I realise after living in a farming local for twenty years that this needs to be done on occasion but why does a tractor need 10,000W of fronts lights and even more puzzling 5,000W of rear facing lights? Never seen my neighbours ploughing a field backwards.

I am a kilometre away and my night is utterly ruined. Said farmer is in an air conditioned GPS oriented mega tractor. Is he scared of the dark or something?

There are lights pointing off it at right angles and despite this they have managed to knock over every fifth telephone pole and gouged the tarmac out of the road at every field entrance.

To be fair the seeing the seeing was lousy.

Marv

 

[Craney]

Ironic if he is growing carrots .......🥕

 

[Varavall]

17 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

There are lights pointing off it at right angles and despite this they have managed to knock over every fifth telephone pole and gouged the tarmac out of the road at every field entrance

He was probably going after the zombies

[NGC 1502]

My sympathies……

Last time I was at the better of my local clubs 2 dark sites, exactly the same thing happened. Well almost the same thing, there was more than one BRIGHTLY lit tractor at times just 50 yards away, sweeping the whole area with FLOODLIGHTS🤬🤬

One consolation- after about an hour they packed up and departed👍👍

Getting away from lights is difficult. Even at Kelling Heath star party there’s been bright laptops unshielded.  I’m definitely not against imagers (thanks for those wonderful pics) but PLEASE spare a thought for others who have planned ahead, travelled a long way, then finally a clear night……..

Ed.

[chiltonstar]

I have agriculture on three sides! I can live with the megawatt lights on the combines, but the dust is a pain. Maybe why I have always used closed- tube scopes after a brief try with a newt!

Chris

[carastro]

1 hour ago, NGC 1502 said:

My sympathies……

Last time I was at the better of my local clubs 2 dark sites, exactly the same thing happened. Well almost the same thing, there was more than one BRIGHTLY lit tractor at times just 50 yards away, sweeping the whole area with FLOODLIGHTS🤬🤬

One consolation- after about an hour they packed up and departed👍👍

Getting away from lights is difficult. Even at Kelling Heath star party there’s been bright laptops unshielded.  I’m definitely not against imagers (thanks for those wonderful pics) but PLEASE spare a thought for others who have planned ahead, travelled a long way, then finally a clear night……..

Ed.

I go to Kelling Heath and always cover my laptop with red plexi glass as do all the people l know.  If someone is flouting the rules they need to be called out.  That is not acceptable.  Just shout at them to cover their laptop screen it is not allowed.  If they take no notice then the organisers need to be told.  

Make  them feel embarrassed. 
 

Carole

[NGC 1502]

13 hours ago, carastro said:

I go to Kelling Heath and always cover my laptop with red plexi glass as do all the people l know.  If someone is flouting the rules they need to be called out.  That is not acceptable.  Just shout at them to cover their laptop screen it is not allowed.  If they take no notice then the organisers need to be told.  

Make  them feel embarrassed. 
 

Carole

Thank you Carole. You may not remember but we have met at Kelling in years past, I bought a dew band from you and it’s still fine👍     I’m sure that the majority of imagers are aware of shielding laptops etc like yourself. But as in all areas of life it’s the minority who break the rules and are a pain in the proverbial.  There will be a minority of visual observers who are a pain, lots of ways to be a problem!!

With very best regards, Ed.

[scotty38]

On 15/09/2022 at 21:10, Marvin Jenkins said:

I am not with incredulity that my recent post about a five inch newt being much underestimated appeared a few posts below this one!

Well it turns out that my only clear night matches perfectly with local farmer night plowing!!!

I realise after living in a farming local for twenty years that this needs to be done on occasion but why does a tractor need 10,000W of fronts lights and even more puzzling 5,000W of rear facing lights? Never seen my neighbours ploughing a field backwards.

I am a kilometre away and my night is utterly ruined. Said farmer is in an air conditioned GPS oriented mega tractor. Is he scared of the dark or something?

There are lights pointing off it at right angles and despite this they have managed to knock over every fifth telephone pole and gouged the tarmac out of the road at every field entrance.

To be fair the seeing the seeing was lousy.

Marv

 

You could move to the city to avoid your one B3 night a year ruined....

Rear lights are so they can see the plough.

I've had the same here, fields all round me but I wouldn't swap my B3/B4 because of it.

I'll add a couple of 🙂 🙂 ......

 

[Mandy D]

Obviously, we get the same here in the rural Peak District along with cycles equipped with badly aimed gigawatt front lamps, often strobing. How they can see where they are going, I have no idea. Then, there is a lovely spot with clear views all around where I park and set up the telescope at the roadside. Despite the fact there is plenty of vacant space, inevitably someone always has to pull up right behind me, switch off their engine and sit there with their headlamps still on. I usually have to go and politely ask them to turn their lights off. So far everyone has been happy to do so.

[Craney]

6 hours ago, scotty38 said:

 

Rear lights are so they can see the plough.

Even more irony  ......   !!

[jjohnson3803]

Had to chuckle.  My club's nearest rural dark site is about a 45 minute drive away.  The one time I went out there during harvest, I was surrounded by several giant harvesters that were equipped with what looked like commercial aircraft landing lights.  🤨  I've not gone back out this time of year since then.  😜

[bomberbaz]

I was observing last week and two farm vehicles big mothers with 50 squillion watt headlights (I turned away to preserve my NV but they seemed mahoosive) passed me by from my roadside pitch with what seemed like 6 inches of my observing spot. 

I stood, with my back to road in front of the dob to make sure they didn't hit the dob which I realised was far to close to said road.  It was quite scary actually. 😬

[Guest]

Well seeing i will spend more then a little bit if time in a tractor i can say you have probably never operated one lol.  When i am working ground i spend almost as much time looking behind me watching the tool do its job as i do looking forward.  It is very important that you can see whats going on in front and behind the tractor.