Sky & Telescope - March 2020 - 65

to There
Reach Out and Tweet
Someone
Engaging in a discussion on Twitter, I
realized that our Moroccan adventure
wasn't unusual - many other astronomers had similar tales to tell. So, what's
the best way to navigate international
borders when traveling with telescopes?
First of all, it's important to put
your worries in perspective. I've
observed from six different continents,
and our delay in Tangiers is the only
notable run-in I've had with local
authorities. However, things can go
badly wrong. Recently a pair of Australian travel bloggers visiting Iran were
jailed in the notorious Evin Prison for
three months because they ﬂew a camera drone without a license. Thankfully, to the best of our knowledge, no
astronomers have been detained for
practicing their hobby.
The U.S. Department of State
offers a country-by-country rundown
(https://is.gd/dos_travel) listing
what's allowed and what's not, for
import and export. Other nations
provide similar listings online. Unfortunately, details pertaining speciﬁcally
to astronomical equipment are scarce.
Photographic gear is the most similar
category usually included on government websites. Bear in mind, however,
even information from ofﬁcial sources
can be out of date or incorrect. As fellow astrophotographer Cory Schmitz
advises, "Don't just trust a country's
government website - search the internet for information about traveling
with photographic equipment."
Another useful approach is to gather
"human intel" by talking to other traveling astronomers. This is often the best
way to get up-to-date news about the
situation in a speciﬁc country. Astronomy forums, message boards, Reddit,
and Twitter regularly contain such
discussions, especially in the lead-up

to a high-proﬁle event, such as a total
eclipse. Twitter, in particular, is a great
place to meet like-minded amateur
astronomers from around the world.
Regardless of what your research
turns up, it's not unusual to ﬁnd
yourself at the whims of the individual
customs ofﬁcial who happens to be on
duty when you arrive. In such a situation, do your best to be patient and
polite as you explain your intentions
clearly and honestly.

Strength in Numbers
A lot of the logistical headaches that
are a part of international travel can be
avoided by signing up for an organized
tour. The beneﬁts are numerous and
usually include taking care of customs
paperwork and visas. In addition, your
accommodations and ground travel are
normally part of the package. (Several
ﬁrms that offer astronomical tours
regularly advertise in this magazine.)
But group travel isn't for everyone.
Surrendering the ability to come and
go when you want and where you want
is the price you pay in exchange for the
convenience and peace of mind of a
group tour. In my experience, breaking away from the herd makes it easier
to meet and make friends with local
people - many of whom may have
never looked through a telescope. A

p IMPOUNDED! This 5-inch Maksutov telescope awaits its fate in a Moroccan customs
office. Although the scope may seem innocent
enough, to the overly cautious eyes of local
officials, it had a suspicious look to it.

brief view of the Moon does wonders to
circumnavigate language barriers and
bridge cultural divides.
If you can ﬁnd a local astronomy
club, it might be possible share some
observing time with its members -
something especially appealing if
you're traveling without a telescope of
your own. We managed to track down
friendly clubs in Australia and New

MOORISH MOONSET The author photographed the waning gibbous Moon as it
set behind a Moorish castle located in Jimena de la Frontera, in southern Spain.

sk yandtelescope.org * MARCH 2 02 0

https://www.is.gd/dos_travel http://www.skyandtelescope.org

Sky & Telescope - March 2020

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