Took my telescope to a state park near Flagstaff and got a reality check

I drove two hours to get to this dark sky spot, set up my Celestron 8SE, and was ready for a perfect night. Then a family pulled up right next to me with their car's interior lights on full blast, and later their kid pointed a green laser at the sky for ten minutes straight. It completely wrecked my night vision and I couldn't see a thing through the eyepiece. How do you even deal with people who have no clue at a public viewing spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_bell3d ago

Bring a super soaker next time and give them a gentle reminder about light pollution. Maybe they'll get the hint when their car interior becomes a water feature.

amygonzalez3d ago

Bring a bigger telescope next time and accidentally bump their car with the tripod.