SEANW
ALKE
R^ /S&TFOCAL POINT by Dennis Kelly
Some specifi c suggestions:- Have any star charts or atlases clearly
visible. Also, if you’re observing with
binoculars, you might wish to have a
book about binocular astronomy on
hand. Most people, including police
offi cers, don’t know that binoculars
can be used for astronomy, so you
could be mistaken for a stalker or
window peeper. - If you park at a site away from home,
leave a paper or cardboard sign on
your dashboard that says “Amateur
Astronomer at Work.” - If your telescope has an unconven-
tional design, you might want to put
some refl ective tape on your tube
or mount. Remember, most people,
including police offi cers, think that
a telescope only looks like a classi-
cal refractor. Refl ective tape might
prevent the police from thinking your
Encounters With Police
A criminal justice expert who also stargazes offers safety tips for amateur astronomers.
AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS NEED dark
skies and a minimum of stray light.
Yet many of us live in metropolitan
areas, with their light-polluted skies.
Observing closer than one might wish
to people and their homes can create
extra safety concerns for the stargazer.
As we’re all aware, unfamiliar noises or
suspicious fi gures in the dark can result
in calls to the police to investigate.
Amateur astronomers pose a special
challenge to law enforcement because
they work at night and engage in
practices that might be unexpected and
unclear to non-astronomers. No human
being is really good at rapidly assessing
ambiguous situations in the dark, not
even a police offi cer.
I might best sum up the following
pointers for amateurs with this overall
recommendation: Make your activity as
clear as possible.rig is a weapon. (I don’t know anyone
who would put refl ective tape on a
weapon.) As an added benefi t, refl ec-
tive tape on your mount might help
you avoid tripping over it in the dark!- If you’re using a device with a light
screen, write or tape something on
the outside of the screen related to
astronomy. It could quickly answer
the question as to why you’re, say,
crouched behind a wall at night. - Don’t observe in totally unconven-
tional locations such as unsecured
cemeteries or abandoned properties.
The police are more likely to assume
in advance that anybody encoun-
tered at such sites is up to no good. - If possible, wear clothing or other
indicators that identify you as an
amateur astronomer. Some astron-
omy clubs now issue patches, cards,
and clothing, which serve that pur-
pose nicely.
Two fi nal issues worry me the most,
but I have no answer for them. Many
telescopes have red dot fi nders, and
many amateurs use green laser point-
ers, either of which police could confuse
with being part of weaponry. Another
issue is fl ashlights, many of which can
look like gun barrels in the dark.
Police aren’t out to frighten or hurt
amateur astronomers. But only a hermit
on a desert isle would be unaware of the
many recent cases of unarmed citi-
zens who have been shot by police. As
amateur astronomers, if we leave a path
of “cookie crumb” clues for law enforce-
ment to make instantly obvious what
we’re doing, hopefully they won’t notice
that red dot fi nder until after they ask
for a quick view through your scope!
¢DENNIS KELLY, an amateur astrono-
mer for most of his life, holds two crimi-
nal justice degrees, a B.S. from Northern
Michigan University and an M.S. from
Michigan State University.84 AUGUST 2019 • SKY & TELESCOPE