(I think comments are working again)
Tonight, when Deanna and I got home from eating at Little India (really tasty and really affordable, downtown Redwood City) I noticed that my neighbor's massive floodlight was out. Whoopie!, I shouted to myself making my way to the backyard.
The sky was free of clouds and while the lights of suburbia dim much of what's available, without my neighbor's massive floodlight glaring up our entire yard, I quickly drilled in to the Trapezium cluster in the beautiful Orion Nebula. It was really a surprising view, not what you get on the other side of the hills, away from all the light, but pleasant none the less. After soaking that up for about a half hour (and sharing it with Deanna, briefly) I turned to the very bright gibbous Venus. By that time, Venus was already getting low in the sky (and into the neighborhood lights) but still a beautiful and alarmingly bright view.
I may head back out for a look at Saturn which should still be fairly high in the sky and if I get back out quickly, Mars may still be above the lights. Gotta take advantage of that burned out floodlight bulb :-)
maybe you should invest in a small air gun, then their light can be conveniently out more often :D
these floodlights are really annoying, and not just for astronomers.
Yes, Asa. Think of the air gun, but if you're worried about it getting back to you - well, I know someone that can take care of that light permanently! ;)
I've heard that a can of black spray paint also works quite well, and it's cheaper than a BB gun ;)
What type of telescope do you have?
COOL ASA,
I can remember sitting at the Showdown and talking about the scopes we were 'going' to get. I got a new barlow lens tonight and went wild. I checked out the clouds of Jupiter and it's Galileans. That was a momentary distraction from Mars. I have Mars on the brain. Hiking in the desert today, I could have sworn I projected to Mars; and this evening, quite apropos- from my vantage point, Mars was directly over the physical science building at ASU which is about a mile away from me. I reckon that pleasant association that I made was as serendipitous as your neighbor's floodlight being out.