Privacy question

Hi all.

I would like to get a telescope, but before I ask advice on which one to
get, my main concern is where I will be using it.

Idealy, at this time of year I'd just like to point it straight out of a
bedroom window, but that would not look good from the neighbours point of
view.
My only real option would be to go out in the back garden, which is quite
small and overlooked by adjacent houses, and would limit my view to 90 deg
overhead view.
I would love to start by looking at the moon, but this would mean pointing a
scope towards houses.
Are any of you in the same situation as me.?
How doe you avoid the peeping tom accusations.?

Thanks in advance

Steve

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I would like to get a telescope, but before I ask advice on which one to
get, my main concern is where I will be using it.

Idealy, at this time of year I'd just like to point it straight out of a
bedroom window, but that would not look good from the neighbours point of
view.
My only real option would be to go out in the back garden, which is quite
small and overlooked by adjacent houses, and would limit my view to 90 deg
overhead view.
I would love to start by looking at the moon, but this would mean pointing
a
scope towards houses.
Are any of you in the same situation as me.?
How doe you avoid the peeping tom accusations.?

Thanks in advance

Steve



I had a similar problem in that early evening viewing of Mars meant pointing
my scope pretty much down the side of a house beside mine, next to their
teenage daughters window... He notices this and came to ask about it and I
showed him what I was looking at, a week later he had his own telescope and
him and the daughter are out every clear night... My advice is go round and
have a quiet word with them, make sure they aren't the sort of people who
would make a fuss out of it.

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I would like to get a telescope, but before I ask advice on which one to
get, my main concern is where I will be using it.

Idealy, at this time of year I'd just like to point it straight out of a
bedroom window, but that would not look good from the neighbours point of
view.
My only real option would be to go out in the back garden, which is quite
small and overlooked by adjacent houses, and would limit my view to 90 deg
overhead view.
I would love to start by looking at the moon, but this would mean pointing
a
scope towards houses.
Are any of you in the same situation as me.?
How doe you avoid the peeping tom accusations.?

Thanks in advance

Steve


I used to be concerned about what the neighbours might think too Steve. But
needs must, I just put a brave face on it and (I think most importantly) I
make myself obvious. That is, I do not duck away when car headlights light
up my room like the sun or if people are walking over the brow of the hill
that lets them see in my window. In fact, its rare for me to notice if
people are watching me as my eyes are fixed on the sky. I did once see a
couple of the neighbours chatting on the street (after putting the rubbish
out) and I'm sure they were wondering about what I was doing, but I knew
that if they followed the general direction of where my scope was pointing -
as I think they would to see if I was looking in any of their windows - then
I was either looking at a window or the huge, super bright, almost full moon
above them. I didn't close my curtains or try to hide or anything, so I
figured (not that I cared) they would guess that the moon was my target.

These days I no longer care. I figure that if someone thinks I'm watching
them (man, they would need a huge ego to think that) they will either close
the curtains or chap my door. If they chap my door they can have a look
through my scope Your back garden sounds good, at least until the
neighbours get used to seeing a telescope pointing in their general
direction, if above them. Just be obvious about it, not suspicious. And
don't use it on a cloudy night That is if your back garden lets you
see the moon. If not then just set it up in the open window, don't even
glance towards the houses across the street and occasionally stick your head
out the window looking straight up. People need to realise that peepers
(probably) wouldn't use an incredibly expensive, large aperture telescope to
see across the road when a cheap pair of bino's would more than suffice...

Cheers
--
K.

"Kipper" wrote:

People need to realise that peepers
(probably) wouldn't use an incredibly expensive, large aperture telescope to
see across the road when a cheap pair of bino's would more than suffice...

Ah but they don't get the thrill of seeing it all upside down

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

"Subz" wrote:

said something gutteral like, say "MOO-oon" and he
nodded as if it was okay that he'd just branded me as some kind of pervert
with a "mature-ladies" fetish... or worse.

Is "Moon" the word of choice here?

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

"Subz" wrote:

said something gutteral like, say "MOO-oon" and he
nodded as if it was okay that he'd just branded me as some kind of pervert
with a "mature-ladies" fetish... or worse.

Is "Moon" the word of choice here?

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

"Subz" wrote:

said something gutteral like, say "MOO-oon" and he
nodded as if it was okay that he'd just branded me as some kind of pervert
with a "mature-ladies" fetish... or worse.

Is "Moon" the word of choice here?

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I would like to get a telescope, but before I ask advice on which one to
get, my main concern is where I will be using it.

Idealy, at this time of year I'd just like to point it straight out of a
bedroom window, but that would not look good from the neighbours point of
view.
My only real option would be to go out in the back garden, which is quite
small and overlooked by adjacent houses, and would limit my view to 90 deg
overhead view.
I would love to start by looking at the moon, but this would mean pointing
a
scope towards houses.
Are any of you in the same situation as me.?
How doe you avoid the peeping tom accusations.?

Thanks in advance

Steve

I think is depends on how you get on with or approach your neighbours. I
took the proactive option and told them I had bought a telescope for looking
at the night sky. The main reason I made the approach is my garden faces
west and most of the objects I want to look at appear over their house..i.e
south east.

I think the best option is to approach them before they approach you...it
could prevent potential embarrasment. Remember that most people (who havent
used a telescope) will be unaware that pointing an 8" SCT at an object 20m
aware will result in a very magnified image - upside down image..

For any other times - I load my scopes in to the car and drive into the
middle of Salisbury Plain, no light polution there, just big craters

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I would like to get a telescope, but before I ask advice on which one to
get, my main concern is where I will be using it.

Idealy, at this time of year I'd just like to point it straight out of a
bedroom window, but that would not look good from the neighbours point of
view.
My only real option would be to go out in the back garden, which is quite
small and overlooked by adjacent houses, and would limit my view to 90 deg
overhead view.
I would love to start by looking at the moon, but this would mean pointing
a
scope towards houses.
Are any of you in the same situation as me.?
How doe you avoid the peeping tom accusations.?

Thanks in advance

Steve

I think is depends on how you get on with or approach your neighbours. I
took the proactive option and told them I had bought a telescope for looking
at the night sky. The main reason I made the approach is my garden faces
west and most of the objects I want to look at appear over their house..i.e
south east.

I think the best option is to approach them before they approach you...it
could prevent potential embarrasment. Remember that most people (who havent
used a telescope) will be unaware that pointing an 8" SCT at an object 20m
aware will result in a very magnified image - upside down image..

For any other times - I load my scopes in to the car and drive into the
middle of Salisbury Plain, no light polution there, just big craters

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I would like to get a telescope, but before I ask advice on which one to
get, my main concern is where I will be using it.

Idealy, at this time of year I'd just like to point it straight out of a
bedroom window, but that would not look good from the neighbours point of
view.
My only real option would be to go out in the back garden, which is quite
small and overlooked by adjacent houses, and would limit my view to 90 deg
overhead view.
I would love to start by looking at the moon, but this would mean pointing
a
scope towards houses.
Are any of you in the same situation as me.?
How doe you avoid the peeping tom accusations.?

Thanks in advance

Steve

I think is depends on how you get on with or approach your neighbours. I
took the proactive option and told them I had bought a telescope for looking
at the night sky. The main reason I made the approach is my garden faces
west and most of the objects I want to look at appear over their house..i.e
south east.

I think the best option is to approach them before they approach you...it
could prevent potential embarrasment. Remember that most people (who havent
used a telescope) will be unaware that pointing an 8" SCT at an object 20m
aware will result in a very magnified image - upside down image..

For any other times - I load my scopes in to the car and drive into the
middle of Salisbury Plain, no light polution there, just big craters