VICTOR^ MOUSSA^ /SHUTTERSTOCK.COMFROM OUR READERS
After reading Dennis Kelly’s “Encoun-
ters with Police” (S&T: Aug. 2019, p. 84),
in addition to climate change, envi-
ronmental toxins, nuclear devastation,
and the zombie apocalypse, I now fear
being gunned down by law-enforcement
offi cials while stargazing.
According to Mr. Kelly, my Schmidt-
Cassegrain could be mistaken for a
mortar, and that 20-inch Dob I’ve been
eyeing for purchase could be misinter-
preted as an ICBM. Yet somehow I’ve
survived more than 50 years of celestial
sightseeing without having to put refl ec-
tive tape on telescope tubes or mounts,
or having a single incident involving
local law enforcement.
Law-enforcement professionals are
obligated to implement investigative
procedures bound by the restrictions of
reasonable suspicion and probable cause
before questioning a private citizen,
let alone resorting to the use of deadly
force. By contrast, in our constitutional
democracy it’s not incumbent upon
stargazers to prove innocent participa-
tion in a harmless pastime. It’s sadden-
ing and alarming to learn that the civil
rights of private citizens may have been
eroded and constitutionally based evi-
dentiary burdens perverted to a point at
which even stargazing has been recast
as inherently suspect criminal activity.
Raymond G. Gregory
Gaylord, MichiganLike Dennis Kelly, I too have had several
astronomical encounters with police.
One day the police knocked on my
front door. “We have a report of an
anti-aircraft gun in your backyard.
Could we please take a look?”
Then, in 1970, a building blocked my
view of Comet Bennett. So at 4 a.m. I
carried my 15-cm Newtonian down the
predawn street to my local schoolyard.
A police car stopped me, and the offi cer
asked, “Whose backyard did you steal
this from?” Fortunately, Comet Ben-
nett was of naked-eye visibility from the
street, so I pointed it out. “Well, I’ll be!”
came the offi cer’s reply. I walked away
with Comet Bennett as my alibi.Well-Rewarded
I was informed in April that I was
selected for the Astronomical League’s
Leslie Peltier Award for 2019, and I’d
like to thank the editors of S&T for
their part in my receiving this honor.
It’s something I never really thought
about achieving, and it’s amazing to
me that one can be honored for doing
something so enjoyable. Observing
the night sky is what provides the
necessary balance in my life, espe-
cially when I need it the most. I’m
rewarded every time I look through
an eyepiece at a celestial wonder.
Tom Reiland
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania◗ Note from the Editors: The Astronomi-
cal League (astroleague.org) presents
its annual Leslie C. Peltier award to an
amateur astronomer who has contributed
to astronomy observations of lasting
signifi cance. Named in honor of amateur
astronomer Leslie Peltier, the award was
created in 1980 and fi rst presented in- Tom Reiland penned the article
“The Herschel Hustle,” which appeared in
the March 2019 issue (p. 30).
1, 2, 3, Red Light
Dr. Ken Wishaw’s article on the
effects of different color low-light-
level illumination on the human
eye’s ability to see faint stars (S&T:
July 2019, p. 34) was fascinating. I
was reminded of one other way to
increase your eye’s limiting magni-
tude: breathe 100% oxygen.
I used to work for an observa-
tory at an elevation of 3,200 meters
(10,500 feet). A few of us would have
symptoms of hypoxia on our fi rst day
at the summit, so the observatory
always had medical oxygen tanks on
hand. One night I did a test, spending
5 or 10 minutes outside looking at the
sky, then breathed O 2 for 5 minutes
and went back out. The difference
was dramatic. Even without a long
period of dark adaptation, my fully
oxygenated eyes could see twice as
many stars!
To be fair, my pulse-ox level up
there was usually in the low 90s toTo Observe and Protect
6 NOVEMBER 2019 • SKY & TELESCOPE
Today my astronomy is with a 20-cm
SCT from my 9th-fl oor balcony. I set
up only when it has gotten dark, and I
never speak of it to other tenants.
Ken Pilon
Toronto, OntarioAbout 30 years ago I also had an
encounter with police. I was in a park-
ing area on the north end of Fort Lau-
derdale Beach happily checking out the
Moon, nebulae, and a few double stars
when I noticed a cloud bank moving
in, so I started to break things down.
Two police cars pulled in shortly after
I opened my trunk. I fi gured I was in
trouble as this area closed at 9 p.m., and
here it was around 1 a.m.
After the offi cers questioned me
about my scope, I asked them if they
had ever seen a crater on the Moon up
close and personal. They hadn’t, and
the end result was that they kept me out
there a lot longer, then told me there
was no need to leave on their account.
To this day I have no idea how they
explained where they were that night.
Ken Cottrell
Friendship, New YorkThe solution is simple: Call your local or
state police in advance. The dispatcher
will inform whoever covers that area of
what you intend to do. Or, better yet,
invite the offi cers to drop by for a peek
through the telescope. If you’re a club,
you might pick up a new member!
Allison McCullough
Lagrange, MaineNot every contact with law enforcement
needs to be a confrontation.