Took my telescope to a state park near Flagstaff and got a reality check

I drove two hours to get to this dark sky spot, set up my Celestron 8SE, and was ready for a perfect night. Then a family pulled up right next to me with their car's interior lights on full blast, and later their kid pointed a green laser at the sky for ten minutes straight. It completely wrecked my night vision and I couldn't see a thing through the eyepiece. How do you even deal with people who have no clue at a public viewing spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_bell1mo ago

Bring a super soaker next time and give them a gentle reminder about light pollution. Maybe they'll get the hint when their car interior becomes a water feature.

amygonzalez1mo ago

Bring a bigger telescope next time and accidentally bump their car with the tripod.

lisa_murray15d ago

You said "accidentally bump their car with the tripod" but come on... that's kind of a big risk, isn't it? I mean, what if they see you and it turns into a whole thing? @parker_bell had that super soaker idea which is funny but also seems like it could backfire bad if they're the confrontational type. Have you ever actually tried anything like that or are you just joking around? I'm asking because I've had people set up right next to me before and I always freeze up and just deal with it quietly... then kick myself later for not saying anything.