(meteorobs) Police and astronomical observations

[Richard Taibi]

This seems like a "quiet" time on the list, so I hope others won't mind a 
brief off-topic issue.

Thanks to the two observers who shared their experiences with police while 
observing the sky.  It is reassuring to know that police inquiries occur on 
an international scale!  Jeff's idea about carrying a telescope to "prove" 
you are an amateur astronomer sounds like a good one, if you don't mind 
lugging it around.  I had a brief idea during my encounter of offering to 
let the cops listen to my tape-recorded observational notes.  I hoped that 
might eliminate their suspicions that I was a felon up to something.

Another unsettling incident comes back to my mind, when I volunteered to 
observe grazing occultations with Dr. David Dunham about 20 years ago.  On 
one occasion, I had my refractor set up, aimed at the moon and a local 
policeman drove up, lights and sirens on, to investigate the scene.  To the 
layman, a telescope, with its long tube, aimed at the sky can summon up an 
image of an artillery piece, I guess.  As in "tom's" incident a look thru 
the scope convinced him I was who I said.  In these days of worrying about 
terrorists, I suppose the police are even more vigilant than about 20 years 
ago, and perhaps more suspicious.

So, perhaps those of us who travel to a public site to observe need to give 
some thought about how to explain ourselves should the police drop in to 
chat!  Dr. Dunham had some explanatory literature written up to give the 
police if the situation arose.  Perhaps this is another idea, too, for us to 
emulate.

Best wishes for good uninterrupted observing!    Rich