Smoking on the grounds of a public star party

On Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:08:57 -0500, "Dennis Woos"
wrote:

You know, I never noticed before but our club doesn't have any members that
smoke while observing, or at least that I have ever seen. Smoking is
definitely something that has died out...

Appropriate choice of words.

at least among folks that I know...

Or knew.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

Chris L Peterson wrote:
On 29 Nov 2006 07:51:28 -0800, "Tom Polakis"
wrote:


"Smoking is very strictly forbidden in the prime focus cage, for
obvious reasons. However the cage always reeked of cigarette smoke
after Minkowsky had been in it, though it was difficult to work out
what he was doing with the cigarette ends. The night assistants worked
out he was throwing them onto the main mirror."


It could be worse. My astronomy advisor at Caltech once dropped a 40
pound astrocamera from the prime focus cage. He was hugely lucky that a
guy wire deflected it as it fell, and it missed the mirror. It could
have done huge damage. I believe he was disinvited from future use of
the Hale, and afterwards became a well respected solar astronomer.


Despite being barred from the McMath.... ;)

Trailer Trash ReUnion wrote:



**** astronomy clubs and the ASSHOLES in them!

Iowa Astronomer.

....and everyone who looks like them.

We hold our annual star party (WOW) in a state park and in 15 years I
have never noticed anyone smoking, so it is not an apparent problem. As
several people pointed out, just keep it sensible and there should be no
problem.

Bob

Our Club has a no smoking rule at the dark sky site our club owns. The
only place smoking is allowed is in a person's car. This seems to work
pretty well.

We have a couple of reasons for this rule, the least of which is that
we have a lot of dry brush and where we are smoking is a very big fire
hazard.

Craig
--
Remove My_Skin to E-mail me.


Dave Jessie wrote:

OK, I admit I haven't been to any of the major observing events that
take place annually around the country, or else I'd already know the
answer to this question. Perhaps some will remember a similar
question I posed a couple years ago about this matter. Anyhow, here
goes...

What's the rules regarding smoking on the grounds where folks have
set up equipment? Our 57 year old astronomy club is, once again,
arguing about this - well, some members are.

We FINALLY posted 'No Smoking' signs in our observatory after much
heated debate - and lost some members over it. The rest of us are
relieved to be out of the smoke, I assure you.

Is it the general rule that there's NO SMOKING anywhere on the
grounds of an observing event??

Clear Dark Steady Skies,
Dave Jessie

On 29 Nov 2006 06:46:19 -0800, "Tom Polakis"
wrote:

This a-hole used to smoke next to the telescope all the time, and then
they went and named the Space Telescope after him!

http://opostaff.stsci.edu/~levay/pre...g/10_12-17.jpg

The story is that the night assistants at Mt Hamilton used to stash
their cigarette butts in the mirror cell of the Crossley reflector.

Who was the astronomer who discovered a sodium emission line in a
stellar spectrum after lighting up?

Bud
--
The night is just the shadow of the Earth.

wrote:

Quite a few insist that the spraying absolutely has to be done. If
these same people would take a shower, and lay off the colognes/
perfumes, they probably wouldn't need(?) the bug sprays.


Doug Kniffen





I always wondered about this as well. It seems that
a lot of people these days (younger crowd) thinks it's
cool to not shave, not shower, but... wear musk cologne
(read dead animal here) and then go out in public.
Whats the deal ? You think I like smelling decaying flesh ?
They are also the same people who think slipping the
periodic four letter word into EVERY conversation is
necessary too. I spent half my life working construction,
I really don't need to hear anymore of that either.


We each have different ideas of what is good and bad......



AM

One club that I am in, the Orange County Astronomers, has had a no
smoking rule in its printed site rules for years. But it was ignored in
general until we had a brush fire sweep through or site two years ago.
Then the board had me put up posted no smoking signs all over the site.

This was after I had suggested that I put up the signs the year before,
and the idea was rejected ("We already have that in the rules."). But
things changed after the fire.

In general, cigarette smoke is bad for optics. In addition, at least in
California, smoking has such a bad stigma now that it is pretty much
socially unacceptable to smoke cigarettes now. But people here still
light up their marijuana joints, mistakenly rationalizing that pot is
"natural" and "medicinal". Unfiltered joints are even more damaging to
the lungs than filtered cigarettes. And they try to use a medicinal
excuse just to get high.

For that matter, alcohol and telescopes do not mix, either. Alcohol
make the eyesight degrade.

Matthew Ota


Dave Jessie wrote:
OK, I admit I haven't been to any of the major observing events that take
place annually around the country, or else I'd already know the answer to
this question. Perhaps some will remember a similar question I posed a
couple years ago about this matter. Anyhow, here goes...

What's the rules regarding smoking on the grounds where folks have set up
equipment? Our 57 year old astronomy club is, once again, arguing about
this - well, some members are.

We FINALLY posted 'No Smoking' signs in our observatory after much heated
debate - and lost some members over it. The rest of us are relieved to be
out of the smoke, I assure you.

Is it the general rule that there's NO SMOKING anywhere on the grounds of an
observing event??

Clear Dark Steady Skies,
Dave Jessie

Matthew Ota wrote:
...

In general, cigarette smoke is bad for optics. In addition, at least in
California, smoking has such a bad stigma now that it is pretty much
socially unacceptable to smoke cigarettes now. But people here still
light up their marijuana joints, mistakenly rationalizing that pot is
"natural" and "medicinal". Unfiltered joints are even more damaging to
the lungs than filtered cigarettes. And they try to use a medicinal
excuse just to get high.

For that matter, alcohol and telescopes do not mix, either. Alcohol
make the eyesight degrade.

Gee, talk about a spoilsport!

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

Davoud wrote:

Davoud:
I don't believe that my club has a written rule. But nobody smokes on
the observing field at our star parties, which are held in a county
park that is large enough to permit smokers to move some distance away
when they want to light up. In today's social climate that is
considered proper behaviour no matter what the occasion or venue. We
have bought a 10-ft dome that will house a restored antique refractor
for use in public outreach. Smoking will definitely be banned in the
observatory.

Trailer Trash ReUnion:
You better oput a smoke detector in it for proof! I guarantee you
some jerk will smoke int heir sometime - absolute guarantee of the
priveleged class (the same assholes that dont want telescopes covcered and
dont want to pay for a gate key who are the club Presidnet's best friend)!

Sorry to hear about the problems your club is having.

Davoud


You just cannot convince some people that everything a club does,
all the hard work, sacrifice, study, etc etc, is simply to give people
an opportunity they would not have otherwise - which if they cant at least
respect, at least should not abuse.

There is so much petty jealousy and envy in clubs, no matter what
you say or do. It afflicts the highest to the lowest. The average Joe
just comes and goes and smiles and is glad, but one sour appel and
everything comes apart at the seams, literally.

I take great pride in our club and that is probably my ego working,
and my weak point. We have some of the most wonderful, talented,
most agreeable and friendly people you could have in the club,
people you actually look forward to being with if only for an hour,
and then a handful of snakes! The leadership absolutely refuses to
do anything about the snakes on the premise 'we cant chase people away', and so
the snakes work their evil crap over and over again
until even a blind man could see it! Im no genius at public relations
and I will admit it - most in this group would quickly testify to that
yourself included - but there really does come a point where my
optimism wears out and paranoia almost takes over, and I keep
telling msyelf I did not join this astronomy club to be a social worker
with a small group of misfits and there is nothing I can do, and the
minute I say that I am put down for having admited defeat!

I smile and go back outside to look up at the sky! Sweet Charity -
Save us! (and he answers: Dummy, you dont need saving).

I pray you see the humor in it.

Sincerely.




--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

You are absolutely right Rod. Thanks for the reminder.


RMOLLISE wrote:

Yeah, well, _some_ of the people in 'em, anyway. ;-)

Trailer Trash ReUnion wrote:

**** astronomy clubs and the ASSHOLES in them!