JotD: You might be an astronomer if… (PWH00030)
You might be an astronomer if…
– You believe the weather is affected by your purchases;
– You get upset when someone confuses astronomy and astrology;
– You spend more time choosing a telescope than a spouse;
– You forget birthdays and anniversaries, but memorize dates of eclipses;
– You think cities should issue hunting licenses for streetlights;
– You prefer the names M27, Barnard 33 and NGC7293 to Rosette, Horsehead and Helix;
– Your observing equipment costs more than your car;
– You re-wrote “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to make it factually correct;
– People say “it’s all politics” and you think they’re talking about Pluto being demoted;
– Friends don’t bother inviting you out when it’s a clear night ;
– You pack more equipment than clothes for a two-week vacation;
– You are jealous of places with regular blackouts or power failures;
– Your midlife crisis isn’t named Harley or Tiffani, it’s Takahashi;
– Your daughter Pleiades can’t walk, but she’s already seen Orion’s belt;
– Your and your lover drive to a dark, secluded place to see meteors…and you do;
– You know that size of your equipment really does matter;
– You think Galileo was a Super-Hero;
– You wonder how the clouds know when you get your imager in focus;
– You consider Venus to be a significant source of light pollution;
– You go to Hawaii just for Mauna Kea;
– All your flashlights have red filters;
– There are no tools in your car, but you always have a red flashlight, binoculars, and bug spray;
– You are embarrassed that you don’t know the Southern constellations;
– You consider Canon vs. Nikon debates to be fighting words;
– You have more scopes than mounts;
– You think car headlights should be banned near any open field;
– You bought a solar filter just so you could use your scope during the day;
– You bought a vehicle based on the size of your scope and number of accessories;
– You no longer enjoy full moons;
– You spend $20K on a scope even though you only get 40 clear nights a year;
– Someone says “Uranus”, and rather than giggle, you correct their pronunciation;
– When people ask if you have the right time, you say, “Yes, but I’m not sure of the declination”;
– When people ask you “What’s up?”, you start identifying visible constellations;
– You know an Iridium flare isn’t a medical condition nor found at a traffic accident;
– You know more about the weather on Jupiter than Earth;
– You see night scenes in movies and calculate the time of year and latitude;
– You can say “So that’s an 8 inch, want to see my 12 inch?” without blushing;