Here be dolphins!

[yeti monster]

After finding the Virgo cluster of galaxies early this morning, I waited until 05:40 to start looking for Jupiter rising before sun up.

It had been a very still night and the dawn was also still. Clear sky with the usual clouds to the eastern horizon, although this morning they were below 10 degrees and not moving.

The sea almost totally flat calm, with just a gentle swell.

As the sky lightened I searched for any hint of Jupiter, but no could be found.

As I looked at the brightening sky, away from the binoculars, I noticed some movement on the water.

Training the 20x50s to where I'd seen dark shapes I saw the distinctive dorsal fins and porposing motion of dolphins!

Well in excess of 40 strong, the pod were hunting breakfast.

I watched them circling and the surface of the water started to "boil" with fish. They way dolphins hunt is to chase their prey to the surface, where it has nowhere else to go, then one pack feeds whilst the other pack shepherds. Alternating roles until either they are satesfied or the food runs out.

I watched for a good 30 minutes before coming in for my own breakfast.

What a wondrerful morning, what a wonderful world.

[Doc]

YM how dark are your skies on this oil rig of yours, surely it must have so many lights that it makes it very hard to see alot of objects. If you were able to turn all the lights off how dark is it then as I imagine in the iddle of the south china seas it's dark.

[yeti monster]

Hi Doc, the sky is increadably dark save for the stupid standby boat, burning diesel all night to power its sodium flood lights, and last night they had the SAR search lamp aimed at the rig, for some reason best known to themselves. I'm trying to get the contol room operators interested in the stars, then maybe they'll instruct the boat to save some fuel. Also, to our north, we have the FPSO:

Which is a turret moored tanker, to which we pump our produce. That is lit up like a small town, but only a problem when I have to go to the forward side of the rig to escape the afore mentioned standby boat and its stupid flood lights.

I have 4 dark areas, where the rigs own lighting doesn't interfer, and I'm going to start using a blanket or some such to sheild my eyes from as much bad light as I can.

Most of the interferring light sneaks in between the eyecups and my eyes, preventing them adjusting fully to the dark.

I wonder if I could get the welder to build be an obsy?

[Doc]

I actually use a 1 metre square piece of blackout fabric, I place this over my head and over the focuser and believe me it works really well, you see thins you don't normally see.

[yeti monster]

I can imagine what will go though the heads of the locals when they find me crouched in a corner of the rig, blanket over my head and binoculars in hand!

[Doc]

The mind boggles

[yeti monster]

Mine always boggles!

Mrs. Yeti says that I am a genius, personally, I think that I all to often wake up on the wrong side of that fine line that separates me from such status.

[Doc]

Mine always boggles!

Mrs. Yeti says that I am a genius, personally, I think that I all to often wake up on the wrong side of that fine line that separates me from such status.

You will need a bigger hard hat for work

[yeti monster]

Perhaps I should explain further, there is a saying:

"it is a fine line that separates a genius from a mad man"

[yeti monster]

Here's the now obligatory e-sketch:

Can you tell that I have little to do today?

[yeti monster]

Today I have just seen hundreds of dolphins, heading east and it looked like they were very happy. Porposing, leaping and spinning.

I grabbed the 20x60s and observed them for almost an hour as the headed past amd away from the rig.

I suppose the like it here because the Japanese aren't allowed to come hunting in these waters.

Note: If mods wish to move this thread to the non-astro section, I'll fully understand.