The night I ate a bug while chasing Jupiter's moons

I'm outside with my 10 inch dob on a humid Tuesday, finally got the seeing to cooperate, and I'm leaning in to check the moons when a June bug flew straight into my mouth. Swallowed it, coughed, lost the target, and by the time I reacquired Jupiter the clouds rolled in. Has anyone else had their observing session killed by something totally stupid like this or is it just me?

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diana_king15d ago

That seeing was probably not as good as you thought, honestly. Humidity and a 10 inch dob usually means you're fighting thermals off the primary mirror for the first hour anyway, which makes the moons look like they're swimming. So that bug might have done you a favor by making you step back and cool down, not that it felt like it at the time. The real killer for me is always tree branches, they wait until I'm perfectly focused on a transit and then the wind blows one right into the eyepiece view. Also, swallowing a June bug is a rite of passage, but next time try aiming for the gap between your cheek and gum, that's what I do, it gives you a second to spit it out without losing your place in the sky.

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