Seeing as all smokers are now exiled to the icy wastes, we could at least try and boost British astronomy...waves small Union Jack flag...
So, pubs with telescopes outside, ideal for spotting new celestial objects, with a hotline to Jodrell Banks for confirmations..-- not_morrison_rm, Nov 22 2014 London Monument Telescope http://en.wikipedia...reat_Fire_of_London [bs0u0155, Nov 25 2014] Gets my vote.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 22 2014 [+]-- 8th of 7, Nov 22 2014 On the hotline...
"No sir, those are the fairy lights. Again."
[...]
"Have you by any chance recently been struck on the head? Maybe fallen over?"
"So, we have corroboration that it's pink?"
etc.-- pertinax, Nov 22 2014 Well, there are bound to be a few false positives, but that's scinece for you...your my beshtest ever pal, you are (hic)
Is it just me or did the HB server go down for a bit?-- not_morrison_rm, Nov 22 2014 Nice +-- blissmiss, Nov 22 2014 But , but, you , if you look, here, this end, look down the wide end, its weeny, can you see, scieni, sientiffic, the littlend is smaller, islt like a microphone, I mean oscope, in reverse.-- pocmloc, Nov 22 2014 " ... and we have received confirmation from Project Spaceguard that the NEO object reported last night by Mr. A Hancock, using the 150mm Newtonian reflector in the beer garden of The Hand and Raquet, East Cheam, is not in fact a gigantic mass of nickel-iron destined to destroy all life on the planet within hours, but is in fact is a spurious reflection from an illuminated Christmas decoration placed on Mr. Hancock's own house by his friend Mr Sid James as part of an unauthorized advertising scheme ..."-- 8th of 7, Nov 22 2014 I'm not British nor a smoker, but still like this idea! +-- xandram, Nov 24 2014 Probably safer to serve alcohol at observatories... Hmm, what would be worse (or better, depending on your point of view), drunk experts or drunk amateurs?-- neutrinos_shadow, Nov 24 2014 Arguments between drunk experts and drunk amateurs.-- pocmloc, Nov 24 2014 "schnoball? umm... lemme talk to a reeeal 'schtronomur" - Carl Sagan
Oh, and I'd really love to see the security cam pics of a drunk & a Dobson.-- lurch, Nov 24 2014 Telescopes with pubes outside?-- RayfordSteele, Nov 25 2014 That would be Essex, most likely.-- 8th of 7, Nov 25 2014 I like very much the idea of telescope as public sculpture. It would need to be big and bronze. Durable, so people could hang on it. All of the glass bits would need to be carefully esconced deep inside. The skyward end would need to be out of reach. The landward bit would need to be above urinal height. I wonder if the landward optic were set in far enough so as to be ungreasyfingerable whether the scope would still work?-- bungston, Nov 25 2014 // telescope as public sculpture //
Sounds fun.
Would you envision this being in a fixed position so you just hope to be lucky that something passes in front of the lens, or will it be movable?
You'll need to have someone clean the lens occasionally. So maybe rather than attempting o make it indestructible, simply make it very robust, and include instructions for users to clean the lenses, etc. Then mount a security camera next to it to discourage vandalism.
Oh, and be sure not to install it in a park that is closed after dusk...-- scad mientist, Nov 25 2014 //in a fixed position so you just hope to be lucky that something passes in front of the lens,//
Robert Hooke baked this way back <link>-- bs0u0155, Nov 25 2014 Interesting idea by Hooke to use public funds meant for building a monument to build a giant scientific instrument at the same time, but was the telescope ever actually open for the public to use?-- scad mientist, Nov 25 2014 To use as what, exactly ?
What about a large sculpture of Sir Isaac Newton, standing next to a model of his reflecting telescope that actulally works ?
Or a statue of Gallileo ? For extra irony, maybe that couldbbe set up where it's clearly visible from the Vatican.
"Eppur si muove …"-- 8th of 7, Nov 25 2014 Dang. I thought the word was "Pubes." Nevermind.-- Grogster, Nov 28 2014 random, halfbakery