I got a flier from a "professional astronomer"

I think I'd look around the area and see if an am.astronomer lived near by who
could do a bit of "Sidewalk Astronomy" for you, I'd say you could offer a small
fee to them and they'd do it for you. Let them try it one weekend to see if
anything would come of it first.

If I was coming, I'd bring my own scope!


--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

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"user" wrote in message
...
Seems this guy is a school teacher. During the school year he is
available on the weekends and holidays. He's also available all summer.
He will come to your property (I own a B&B) and bring his 10" f/6
Discovery telescope for a two hour tour of the night's sky. For this he
wants $80. If he has to travel 25-50 miles, he wants an extra $20. If it
is over 50 miles, it is by quote. We are about 40 miles away.
Sounds interesting enough.
I have three rooms that rent for as low as $70 in the off season, as
high as $105 in the peak season, and $85 for the times one would not
call peak nor off peak, as well as weekends in the off peak season. The
place is modest but comfortable. Our main focus is on fishing, swimming
and boating. In the winter we are near some cross country ski trails
that are snowmobile free. We have some lake frontage. We have a 12'
jonboat (no motor) available to our guests or they may bring their own
boat.
I'm not sure if our average guest would be interested. I'm not sure if I
could raise the rates $35 to cover this expense. Does it sound
expensive? If you planned on going to a B&B would you pay an extra $35
for this? Thanks.



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It's worth pursuing. I don't know how big the market is, but view it as
like a hunting/fishing guide or something -- it's another kind of outdoor
recreation.

Sounds like an interesting idea, but I'd tend to go the route of finding
an amatuer who likes to share the sky. Good chance you could find
someone who'd be happy to do it for much less or nothing. One thing,
the guy with the flier is probably a good speaker who can put together
an organized "program." A lot of us enthusiastic amateurs are less
than articulate. Being able to communicate this stuff well to a group
is a real skill.
Marty

In article , user
wrote:

SNIP_
I'm not sure if our average guest would be interested. I'm not sure if I
could raise the rates $35 to cover this expense. Does it sound
expensive? If you planned on going to a B&B would you pay an extra $35
for this? Thanks.


Many years ago, I did a similar thing for a resort in the Pennsylvania
Poconos that was a few hours from home. In my case, my wife and I got
two weeks vacation every summer in return for my running a class for
guests of the resort. My astronomy classes were just a small part of
the activities there, which included lessons in riding, tennis, etc.
Fees were built into the price of lodging.

We passed out planispheres, taught everyone the constellations, and
shared views of the planets and DSOs through an 8" cassegrain. It was
actually a lot of work, but I loved doing it, and the classes were
ALWAYS very well attended. The resort kept wanting me back each year,
but after about four years of this, I decided to move on to other
things.

The problem with asking an astronomy club to volunteer on a regular
basis is that after a while they will become undependable.

Starry Skies,
Rich

user wrote:

Seems this guy is a school teacher. During the school year he is
available on the weekends and holidays. He's also available all summer.
He will come to your property (I own a B&B) and bring his 10" f/6
Discovery telescope for a two hour tour of the night's sky. For this he
wants $80. If he has to travel 25-50 miles, he wants an extra $20. If it
is over 50 miles, it is by quote. We are about 40 miles away.
Sounds interesting enough.
I have three rooms that rent for as low as $70 in the off season, as
high as $105 in the peak season, and $85 for the times one would not
call peak nor off peak, as well as weekends in the off peak season. The
place is modest but comfortable. Our main focus is on fishing, swimming
and boating. In the winter we are near some cross country ski trails
that are snowmobile free. We have some lake frontage. We have a 12'
jonboat (no motor) available to our guests or they may bring their own
boat.
I'm not sure if our average guest would be interested. I'm not sure if I
could raise the rates $35 to cover this expense. Does it sound
expensive? If you planned on going to a B&B would you pay an extra $35
for this? Thanks.

Lot's of good comments already. My 2 cents:

I agree that this isn't the best NG to ask, since most of us
would not be impressed by the equipment, and could bring our own
and look ourselves. Also, I agree that some of us have done
basically what you've been offered for free at star parties, so
we might think he is overcharging. ;-) Would J. Q. Public be
interested? Maybe, IF the guy is really a good presenter and has
equipment good enough to allow really good looks (which IMO a 10"
Dob doesn't quite qualify), but some people might say, "Gee that
doesn't look anything like the Hubble photos I've seen." The
price per se is not terribly out of line, considering that the
guy has to make a living.

How will you deal with cloudouts, etc.? If the guy heads your
way when it is clear and it is cloudy when he arrives do you pay,
do you pay just for travel time, what? If you do this, have all
such points in a signed contract before you begin.

Personally, when I go someplace to relax I like to relax,
which means I like places with quite, confortable nooks to sit
and read and think in, and a place where I can get a massage (the
LEGAL kind, just in case there are any smart asses out there
about to chime in :-) ). But that's just me. Certainly, unless
you already have all the business you can handle, the idea of
offering additional activities to broaden your establishment's
appeal is reasonable.

Good luck,
Russell

I would.

"user" wrote in message
...
Seems this guy is a school teacher. During the school year he is
available on the weekends and holidays. He's also available all summer.
He will come to your property (I own a B&B) and bring his 10" f/6
Discovery telescope for a two hour tour of the night's sky. For this he
wants $80. If he has to travel 25-50 miles, he wants an extra $20. If it
is over 50 miles, it is by quote. We are about 40 miles away.
Sounds interesting enough.
I have three rooms that rent for as low as $70 in the off season, as
high as $105 in the peak season, and $85 for the times one would not
call peak nor off peak, as well as weekends in the off peak season. The
place is modest but comfortable. Our main focus is on fishing, swimming
and boating. In the winter we are near some cross country ski trails
that are snowmobile free. We have some lake frontage. We have a 12'
jonboat (no motor) available to our guests or they may bring their own
boat.
I'm not sure if our average guest would be interested. I'm not sure if I
could raise the rates $35 to cover this expense. Does it sound
expensive? If you planned on going to a B&B would you pay an extra $35
for this? Thanks.

I guess I need to be more specific in my answer. I would welcome the
opportunity to look through a good telescope with tutorials from an expert.
If I were going to a bed and breakfast, I would be going for more than that.
How about a romantic evening? The scope would be in addition to a nice
bottle of wine, dinner and ? I don't think the answer to this question is
purely financial. I think it is worth pursuing.

"user" wrote in message
...
Seems this guy is a school teacher. During the school year he is
available on the weekends and holidays. He's also available all summer.
He will come to your property (I own a B&B) and bring his 10" f/6
Discovery telescope for a two hour tour of the night's sky. For this he
wants $80. If he has to travel 25-50 miles, he wants an extra $20. If it
is over 50 miles, it is by quote. We are about 40 miles away.
Sounds interesting enough.
I have three rooms that rent for as low as $70 in the off season, as
high as $105 in the peak season, and $85 for the times one would not
call peak nor off peak, as well as weekends in the off peak season. The
place is modest but comfortable. Our main focus is on fishing, swimming
and boating. In the winter we are near some cross country ski trails
that are snowmobile free. We have some lake frontage. We have a 12'
jonboat (no motor) available to our guests or they may bring their own
boat.
I'm not sure if our average guest would be interested. I'm not sure if I
could raise the rates $35 to cover this expense. Does it sound
expensive? If you planned on going to a B&B would you pay an extra $35
for this? Thanks.

You'd be better off spending $500 on a 10" Dob and learning to use it yourself.
It ain't that hard.
rat
~( );

email: remove 'et' from .com(et) in above email address

"MrB" wrote in message
. ..

If I were going to a bed and breakfast, I would be going for more than
that. How about a romantic evening? The scope would be in addition
to a nice bottle of wine, dinner and ?

Are you under the impression that Michelle Thaller sent that flier?

I appreciate all the answers... We are in NY's wine country. Actually
I'm close to NYC, my younger brother runs the place 3/4's of the time I
hold the mortgage however. He's not the brightest bulb, but he's very
physically fit so I never call him dumb, but if I bought a telescope,
I'd be surprised if he could run it.
We are on Keuka Lake (a Finger Lake) not far from Hammondsport, NY.
Within twenty minutes away you may have heard of Corning, Hornell or
Watkins Glen, NY. Within forty is Elmira, NY. Rochester and Syracuse are
a bit more than an hour away. Compared to home, this is very dark. The
lake is much quieter than the larger Finger Lakes.
Deer hunting is super popular around here. So is fishing. We don't
encourage people to race around in high powered boats or jet ski's. My
personal 14' semi-v boat has a tiny 5 hp, 4 stroke engine because it is
quiet, doesn't make a huge wake, doesn't make a lot of pollution. People
in this area tend to respect the environment. I assume astronomers can
appreciate that.
I'm thinking that I'd be throwing my money away, at least at this point.
We purchased this place about 5 years ago. It was in fair condition.
We've done a lot of remodelling, but could use a little more. Certainly
another row boat would be more popular, or something with a small motor.
This is what we are known for. The astronomy will wait.
Thanks again.