What's The Funniest Thing That Has Happened To You?

[pbyrne]

Astronomically speaking of course.

I had an incident some years ago, I was observing the sun with a four inch refractor, when I was finished I removed the filter then the phone rang and I went to answer it. When I went back outside I was greeted with the unmistakable smell of melted plastic:eek: and the sight of smoke coming out of the diagonal. I had left the diagonal cover on with the filter off and it melted onto the diagonal glass. I felt such a dipstick.

Thankfully I already had a William Optics diagonal on order so I was only a couple of days without one.

A lesson on the power of the sun.

[Ant]

I was trying to find Mercury - which was very low down in the west.

I decided to stand on my front wall (It's only a short one 3'), but while I was walking, well, shuffling, from side to side long the wall - I fell off!

Got back on the wall and thought nothing of it.

Next two of my neighbours came and asked if I was all right - felt a right prat.

Ant

[Tim]

Funny for others to look at?

Skating across my frozen patio completely out of control while desperately clutching my HEQ5 mount and telescope.

The funniest to listen to was one night when I was lying in a hot tub with my Mrs, looking up at the night sky, and the ISS went overhead. My fairer half made the comment, in all sincerity,

"It's a wonder they dont crash it into the stars isn't it?"

I nearly drowned from laughing Bless her !

[Macavity]

Forgetting my wheelie pillar was sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. (Don't ask?) But basically, I tripped over it, and head-butted the fridge-freezer. It seemed but a minor blow, until I felt a warm, trickling sensation on my cheek...

Dangerous pass-time, this astronomy...

I guess being "trapped" outside (desperately wanting a wee!) while my neighbour argued with his significant other via his mobile... for ages and ages. In the end, I just "hailed him heartily" as I passed by - My need being greater than his?

[Robert Watson]

It was just about getting dark and saturn was overhead between tele cables i was showing my sister in law saturn i said just turn the focus untill you see saturns ring going through the planet,Oh look see they go right across the sky when i looked see was looking at the tele cables

[brantuk]

It was dusk and I was setting up my cpc on a wedge at a campsite in the peaks. As I did a small crowd started gathering round and started asking questions. I mounted the tube on the wedge, went round the back to tighten the bolts, and the whole kit fell backwards, unbalanced me and I ended up on my back trying to hold the thing off from hitting the floor.

The humiliating bit was that the missus had to come and lift it off me lol. Then once I'd persevered and set it up properly, I forgot it was still in alt/az mode - so every time I tried to goto something it just pointed at the floor. In the end I just gave up and went to bed lol.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I really am a git for searching my targets out and seeing nothing only to find i STILL have the dust cap on my scope.

[jleach29]

I would have to say one of my special trips to my dark sky site which is about 2 hours from my house, I was going to test my new camera so I just brought my barndoor mount and my camera.....when I got there and pulled my camera out only to realize that the battery was still in the charger at my house. Round trip 4 hours, gas $30, feeling like a jerk.........priceless!

[martin_h]

Out in the garden at 2AM last year bent over peering through my 1st scope lost in it all when an 8ft banana plant decided to fall over and land on my back! I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

Or, more recently, astro related of sorts, while building my obs/deck at the back of the garden one of the last jobs was to build some steps, so up on the deck to cut the treads then back down to fit them, and yes i came down the steps I was building and put my foot through the hole where the tread I was holding was going to go!! Went base over apex Ouch!

[Wobbly Bob]

Three of us at a darksite scouring the sky with Binoculars. "Oh look M44" says one, "where" say the two of us, "look, follow my arm"

Now thank goodess it was dark and we knew each other well because we bunched up behind each other (very very close) all trying to point at the same spot in the sky with the bins

[Talitha]

Actually, i have two of them.

The first one happened a number of years ago during the only Leonid shower i ever stayed up all night to watch. The Leonids take place in November when my night temps are already falling well below the freezing point, so i set up a lounge/lawn chair on the deck and tossed a sleeping bag over myself like a blanket.

After going into the house for a warm-up break at about 1am, i came back outside and decided to slip into the sleeping bag to stay warmer. All went well until i sat up to grab the zipper pull... the lounger folded up around me like a taco shell.

Not once, not twice, but three times in a row.

The second one happened a few summers ago when i finally got to observe a lunar event i'd been wanting to see since forever: sunlight slowly pouring over Mons Rumker. A number of things had to happen at the same time, which is why i'd never been able to view the event before then. The Moon had to be above the horizon, the terminator had to be in 'just' the right place, and the weather had to cooperate.

Well, everything came together beautifully. The Moon was above the turbulent 30 degree airmass, the terminator was poised and ready, and the night was drop-dead gorgeous. To that, add chirping Crickets, hooting Owls, singing Whip-Poor-Wills and howling Wolves... you couldn't have invented a lovelier ambiance if you tried.

The event would take several hours from beginning to end, but i was ready. My thermos of tea was within reach and a filled travelmug was at my elbow... life was good. For almost two hours, i watched as the sunlight slowly began crawling up the side of the volcanic clusterdome and i was in moonatic heaven. Then something happened when the event was about half over... i actually fell asleep at the eyepiece.

I guess the Crickets' droning mantra was a bit too soothing. One second, i was sitting there thoroughly enjoying my private geek-fest. The next second, my forehead was slamming down onto the eyepiece.

[DarkerSky]

This is a fantastic read

What a dull life I must lead - I dont have any real funny moments. Although I do remember reading in one of the astronomy magazines several years ago about one guy whose beard got frozen to the scope tube on a rather cold night !! Ouch !

[Beulah]

My next door neighbour often arrives back after a night out when I am outside observing. It's amazing I can stand there in the garden yet she does not notice me. Guess it's something to do with poor dark adapation on her part.

Anyway one night she walked down her path and was emitting some ungodly noises from an ungodly somewhere - and straight afterward I called, "Hello!"

Her reaction was priceless...

[661-pete]

I was greeted with the unmistakable smell of melted plastic:eek: and the sight of smoke coming out of the diagonal.

I suppose it must be said: lucky it was your diagonal and not your eye (or any other part of your anatomy). Diagonals can be replaced...

I think I've told this one before ... after an imaging session, I'd put one of the 5Kg counterweights flat on the kitchen worktop. The worktop is slightly damp, has a film of water on it. It also has a slight tilt towards the front edge. I'm standing by the sink drinking a glass of water. The counterweight is slowly sliding on the film of water, towards the worktop edge. Eventually it reaches the edge. Guess where my big toe is at that instant. Go on - GUESS!

I suppose there are other 'counterweight' stories to better that one.

[tinvek]

cut and paste from my thread in june last year

since i restarted my interest in astronomy, i've been waiting for jupiter to become more favourable but over the last few months the gods of work and cloud haven't been cooperating and so clear nights have been when i was in work (night shift)and the cloudy nights when i was off work.

last night was the first of 5 off in a row and looked like being the same with the added sadism of having clear skies till 8.30 pm ish and then a cloud bank rolling in. went out to a friend's and when i came back there wasn't a glimmer of light in the sky.

decided to have a bite to eat and then bed, got watching a couple of progs recorded on sky+ and so eventually went upstairs, looked through the bathroom window as i put my clothes in laundry basket and the moon was litterally appearing from the cloud bank with stars visable to the west. watched and waited and yes the clouds were definatly moving to the east so got dressed again, shot down stairs grabbed the c80ed on the AZ3 mount, new 2" diagonal thats hardly seen any use yet and the televue 9mm. trod on one of the cats, poked my self in the eye with the finderscope whilst unlocking the door and went outside, standing in the dogs water bowl on the way through the back porch (did i mention i was wearing slippers ?)

up the garden, didn't fall in fish pond and set scope up, waited a minute and there it was, shining bright as it appeared from behind the cloud, funny how eyes play tricks, you'd swear it was moving faster than the stars as the cloud disappeared and now its almost as if changed direction, oh hang on its a helicopter

waited, 5 minuted passed, then another 5, then nothing happened before 10 passed by quickly whilst i wasn't looking before it appeared. yes this time is definatly the one, even with the stock 25mm eyepiece i can see 4 moons nice and bright, change to the televue and its just out of view dissaperaing as i focus the blur to a point, adjust the slow mo control and it dissappears ! what? why? oh hang on its the new diagonal, not the old erecting prism, go the other way and there it is 4 moons, nice bright sharp image banding on view:hello2:, made all the waiting, wet foot, watering eye worth it :D:D .

stood there making suitable sounds of appreciation for 30 mins or so humming holst to my self before packing everything up, turning round and standing with the dry slipper in the biggest dog [removed word] i've ever seen