Observing

So tonight was Spice event #2: The observatory visit.

Terror struck early when the man who organises it phoned me up at 5pm to say it may be cloudy, and to phone him back before I set off to check it's happening. I don't like phones. I really don't like phoning people I don't know. But I did it somehow.

To the batmobile disco! Said disco then adds to the pressure. Earlier I tidied all the crap out of it, but on opening one of the doors approx 1 gallon of water poured out. Whilst I must give land rover points for having water tight doors, I must remove similar points for not having water tight roofs. The additional pressure being the interior lights didn't come on.
So, has the water got in the computer (Lights are computer controlled), and thus the computer will randomly die and leave me stranded? (Just so you don't have to worry, no it didn't).

Got to the meeting point for the observatory, and started observing. Not the stars, but what the other people say to each other. The questions they ask, the things they tell about themselves. Perhaps a more important observation than the stars...

We then went to the observatory. This here telescope be pointed at that there moon. Have a look.... Yes, that looks just like the moon I can see WITH MY NAKED EYE FOR FREE.... and this here telescope can be bought for only £500 you say....

Man then does the point over there and says that be orion is. Come inside the observatory, and we will use the big telescope to look at the orion nebula. We each get a look. It looks bugger all like the pretty photos BTW, as the man points out human vision is crap at night so you only see it in back and white.

I resist urge to ask man if telescope can show c-beams off the shoulder of orion. More out of fear that he will instantly get it, and engage me in a discussion about nexus 6 models.

It then goes cloudy, so no more stars really. Everyone outside, where the man and his assistants can point to the occasional star that appears thru the clouds and say that's blah constellation. This bit of the evening is slightly less of a success, as whilst the people in the know are clearly enthusiastic, they're also geek to the power of N and babble a lot whilst trying to impart what they know.

Overall, I'd say this one was a success. Next week: New members night.