On Sat, 04 Oct 2003 00:51:46 GMT, "Moontan13"
wrote:

I think the main danger is being alone in a remote location.

Being alone in a remote location, all other things being equal,
doesn't place a person in danger. Being alone in an area where crimes
against lone individuals is high is a different situation. Likewise,
being alone in a harsh (life threatening) environment can place a
person in danger.

In general there are ways of coping with the minor dangers that some
of us may face while observing alone. (If there are major dangers one
ought to seek out a different observing site.) A knowledge of the
specific dangers along with some preventive measures should suffice.
Cell phones (where reception is possible), first aid kits and letting
others know where you're going (along with your latest estimated time
of return) should be adequate for most observing alone situations.

A few isolated thoughts on group observing:
Group observing can put a greater number of people at risk when real
dangers are present. Group observing can bring about a false feeling
of security. Nevertheless, in general observing with a group is
likely to be safer than observing alone.

Don't go alone.

The safety/danger circumstances surrounding remote locations can vary
dramatically from location to location. Not all remote locations are
equally dangerous. Some (perhaps even most) are safer than the
interiors of our homes. Most dangers in remote locations are more
imagined than real, the result of being in an alien environment or
unfamiliar territory. Fear of the unknown and unseen are common
fears.

I'm not saying there are no dangers. We all live under dangerous
circumstances. Meteorites fall from the sky at lethal velocities
every day. Airborne pathogens are common. The West Nile virus has
spread over vast areas. Sleep deprivation makes one more susceptible
to many diseases -- as well as to more accidents. But we're
astronomers! We accept (some) risks whenever we go outside with our
telescopes.

Instead of allowing our fears to control our lives we need to take
reasonable and appropriate precautions and continue with our nocturnal
practice of placing our eyes behind our eyepieces -- with companions
if desirable and possible, otherwise alone with measures and
precautions sufficient to deal with our imagined fears and/or actual
dangers.

Lastly, observing alone from a remote location has some genuine
advantages. One becomes more attuned to the natural world -- the
sights and sounds of nature. One feels a greater, more personal
connection between oneself and the universe.

Bill Greer