How safe do you feel?

[DirkSteele]

Not so much in the UK but in far way dark lands I have had some close encounters in the wild life, some of which could have ended badly if it was not careful.

In Namibia I was walking down from the observatory and two eyes were suddenly illuminated by my headlamp. But nothing more could be seen. It then charged me and I jumped back only to realise as it got close it was a hare /bunny. Attack is the best form of defence I guess.

Walking back from same observatory again, I came across three jackals and that ended in a stand off. My laser pointer and shouting would not shift them so conceded defeat and then back and used the scope for another 30 mins until they had vanished.

Another time in Namibia, my observing partner had a UV torch and switch it on. We were surrounded by scorpions. Dozens of them. Tread carefully.

The riskiest one in Namibia was coming face to face with an Oryx. It’s a desert antelope. No big deal, apart from the fact it has 4 ft long sharp horns. I also backed off though it was as startled as I was. I also ran into a porcupine. But I just watched him for a while as had not seen one before.

 

In Mozambique, a massive owl swooped at me and changed its mind at the last second when it realised I was too large to a midnight snack. It was about 3 ft tall though which I realised when it landed on the roof my of my villa after the aborted swoop and grab.

I also got surrounded by dozens of crabs on the beach on an island in the Indian Ocean while evening stargazing. Could lots of clicking but did not know why until I switched on my torch and pointed at the  ground.

 

In the desert in Oman I did a session in an incredibly dark site and in the morning as the sun rose I realised there were lots of tracks within metres of me and I have no idea what made them!

[bosun21]

I feel less safe in a city!

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

I feel less safe in a city!

True that 

[Tim]

My rule of thumb is....If I am not the scariest thing out there, then I am not out there.....

 

 

 

[Mr Spock]

If anyone approaches me in the dark I'd be more than happy to demonstrate what an EQ5 counterweight bar is for... 

 

[F15Rules]

5 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

If anyone approaches me in the dark I'd be more than happy to demonstrate what an EQ5 counterweight bar is for... 

 

..and end up on an assault charge in a police cell?

I doubt that the real Mr Spock would have thought that approach was very logical!🥴

[PeterStudz]

I really should get out to a dark or darker location. The New Forest is on my doorstep and I have tried, just taking binoculars out, to a few. My daughter likes to observe too but with just the two of us  and after a short while she does start to feel uncomfortable in these places. A small group and there wouldn’t be a problem. 

It also reminds me of our holiday in a remote part of Southern Crete. We’d taken a  small telescope and the sky was wonderful  - Bortle 1-2 - with no moon. Although in order to get away from the village lights you needed a 15 min walk into the hills. Again, Alice wasn’t comfortable for any real length of time in total darkness but we managed. 

However, on one evening & as we were getting the telescope ready, there was rifle fire out in the hills. And it was close to where we were staying. Went on for about 1.5 hrs. Needles to say that even when whoever it was finished their shooting we did not go out! 

[MalcolmM]

17 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

it was a hare /bunny

Reminds me of a Richard Prior sketch where he was describing visiting Africa for the first time. He said even the rabbits were scary in Africa 🙂I reckon you had a lucky escape 🙂

Malcolm 

[Greymouser]

21 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

In Namibia I was walking down from the observatory and two eyes were suddenly illuminated by my headlamp. But nothing more could be seen. It then charged me and I jumped back only to realise as it got close it was a hare /bunny. Attack is the best form of defence I guess.

 

Reminds me of Monty Python...

 

[whooshbang]

I prefer to get out of the town/city when i can. When i lived in centre of Bath i used to drive out to spot near Marshfield. Only ever had one person approach me and that was the farmer who's land i was set up next to (dead end dirt track) He was fine once he knew what i was up to. Now living in central Bracknell I've be scouring the countryside for dark spots. I've used Puttenham common car park a few times and the only thing i've ever encountered is the odd car pulling up, staying for half hour or so then leaving. It's a nice out the way spot. Generally when i see car headlamps approaching i grab my Mag lite put my hoodie up and watch them drive into the car park. I don't wave, I don't smile, I just stare for at least 5 seconds (but not more than 10s).

I try to position my scope behind my car so all they see when entering the car park is some bloke on his own with a 1000 yard stare and potential weapon in hand. Who do you think is more scared?

If it's the police or farmer they will approach regardless... If it's doggers, swingers weed smokers or adulterers they may find a quiet spot in the corner to carry out their business. If it's scum they'll probably think twice about approaching, but 9 times out of 10 any visitors in the night see me staring at them and do an about turn.

I had a car pull into the carpark one evening, they parked up and shined their full beam headlights directly at me. After about 5 mins i got a bit annoyed and started to walk over to politely ask them to kill their lights (please). I must have taken 5 or 6 steps in their direction and they drove off. I didn't even have the Mag Lite in my hand.

For most people driving out to a dark remote location in your car is one thing but getting out of your car alone and in the dark? Most people won't entertain it. So when they see someone out there alone in the dark they are very unlikely to get out and join you. (unless of course, they are fellow observers or cops)

That's my experience anyway!

Good luck! Get out there! And clear skies!

Oh, if anyone wants to buddy up at Puttenham in the autumn PM me.

Edited May 30, 2023 by whooshbang

[josefk]

On 01/03/2023 at 19:53, MartinB said:

@Bargy @franklin

I live in Chestefield as well!  I'm a member of the Chesterfield Astronomical Society.  We are trying to arrange group evenings every now and then at darker sites in the Peak District.  

if you set something up Martin would you post it on here? I'm miles away from Chesterfield but my parents live there and i've promised i'll take my Dad up into the peak district for some stargazing at some point soon - it would be nice to to do it with fellow SGLrs. Cheers

[MartinB]

1 hour ago, josefk said:

if you set something up Martin would you post it on here? I'm miles away from Chesterfield but my parents live there and i've promised i'll take my Dad up into the peak district for some stargazing at some point soon - it would be nice to to do it with fellow SGLrs. Cheers

Yes, I'll check with our little group but am sure it will be OK.  

[Chefgage]

On 28/02/2023 at 20:45, ollypenrice said:

All sorts of dangers threaten our security. Telescope thieves in the middle of wheat fields rank, in my view, somewhere beneath velociraptors accidentally revived from the fossil state by a bolt of lightning. Fear of the dark is essentially irrational, though not entirely. Our eyes are our primary source of information and we are genetically programmed to be nervous when they don't work - such as in the dark. We don't have to let ourselves be dominated by this programming because we are rational beings. As such, we can reflect on such dangers as...

- road traffic accidents

- accidents in the home (very common. Bathrooms are particularly dangerous and don't mention staircases or roofs.)

- muggings. (For some reason, muggers prefer city streets to isolated wheat fields.)

- falls.

- DIY. (Chopsaws, angle grinders and chainsaws are a particularly good bet, but don't underestimate nail guns, drills, hammers, screwdrivers...)

- walking while carrying glass.

Moving a few thousand bullet points down this list, you are in your field. You see someone coming towards you. You take out your mobile phone (though a half-chewed bacon sandwich would do in the dark) and, in the unlikely event of it not being an irate farmer, you say, 'Your photo is already on the cloud.'

Think it through. Your wheat field may be the least dangerous place you ever visit.

Olly

 

I really like the idea of threatening someone with a half chewed bacon sandwich

[ollypenrice]

26 minutes ago, Chefgage said:

I really like the idea of threatening someone with a half chewed bacon sandwich

But don't forget that the half-chewed bacon sandwich is incredibly rare. How many people eat half a thing so sublime and throw the rest away?  Finishing your own and murdering your neighbour to steal his is a far more likely scenario...

Olly

[JeremyS]

4 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

But don't forget that the half-chewed bacon sandwich is incredibly rare. How many people eat half a thing so sublime and throw the rest away?  Finishing your own and murdering your neighbour to steal his is a far more likely scenario...

Olly

Tut tut. Your statement is ambiguous Olly. Is a half-chewed sandwich one where only half of the sandwich has been consumed and one is using the uneaten half to do the threatening? Or is it that the person has not made the effort of chewing the sandwich completely, perhaps due to missing teeth or lack of time, leaving the whole sandwich only partially masticated, perhaps semi-liquid, state?

[saac]

56 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

leaving the whole sandwich only partially masticated, perhaps semi-liquid, state?

If that person is from Norfolk and "half-chewing" is a local custom then it may explain why everyone in Norfolk was jailed this week, for surely half chewing a bacon sandwich is a crime.  Oh wait,  apologies, I've cross threaded  

Jim 

[whooshbang]

2 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

 Finishing your own and murdering your neighbour to steal his is a far more likely scenario...

Olly

Or, Finishing your own and murdering a Pig - which carries a far less punishable crime - is far more likely scenario...

In keeping with the context of the OP I guess we should be asking "How safe does the pig feel" when outside at night alone in a field?

 

[tomato]

Just based on personal experience I’m afraid dark sites safety levels have declined over the last 30 years. Back in the late 1980s I used to visit a remote dark site quite regularly and only had hill sheep for company. A recent visit to the same location had loud modified cars on the road throughout the session and at 1 am a van pulled up next to us and a bloke got out for a chat. He was friendly enough but then declared he was going to stay the night in his van, something he did there on a regular basis.

My son in law is a truck driver who has nights out every week, he frequently sees cars, some with families in them that park up for the night in road side laybys. 
A sign of the times I suppose.

[900SL]

What about Alien abduction? I've heard on good account this is a real and present risk for the American astronomer at dark sky locations. Or will a chupacabra bite your neck? Interested bystanders need to know!

[iantaylor2uk]

57 minutes ago, 900SL said:

What about Alien abduction? I've heard on good account this is a real and present risk for the American astronomer at dark sky locations. Or will a chupacabra bite your neck? Interested bystanders need to know!

It's amazing that of all these people who've been abducted by aliens none of them had a camera on them!

[Carpy]

29 minutes ago, iantaylor2uk said:

It's amazing that of all these people who've been abducted by aliens none of them had a camera on them!

Maybe they can't get a signal on the spacecraft?

[DirkSteele]

Recall another one, this time UK based. Back in 2012, I organised an event to witness the conjunction of Saturn and Mars (less than 3-degree separation as I recall so could get them in a wide field view) with the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers on Wimbledon Common.

Towards the end of the session, a police van pulled up and an officer walked up and asked “ will you be long, as I would like to release the dogs?” Naturally, I packed down quite quickly! Guess those dogs are looking for less reputable behaviour than 6 astronomers.

[Samop]

51 minutes ago, DirkSteele said:

,........Guess those dogs are looking for less reputable behaviour than 6 astronomers.

I'm not so sure, knowing some astronomers I've come across 🙂 🙂 🙂

Actually, my son-in-law is a police dog handler and I don't think they go on "fishing trips" by releasing the dogs and see what they catch. More likely that they just needed to stretch their legs and have a run about.

[DirkSteele]

11 minutes ago, Samop said:

I'm not so sure, knowing some astronomers I've come across 🙂 🙂 🙂

Actually, my son-in-law is a police dog handler and I don't think they go on "fishing trips" by releasing the dogs and see what they catch. More likely that they just needed to stretch their legs and have a run about.

Ha, shame. I had in my mind the police version of this.

[Samop]

Haha.... can you imagine the outcry if they did that?