Anyone been getting out for some stargazing?

[04Stefan07]

It is absolutely freezing! It is currently 5.8 down here but it is a clear night with a nice Moon! Would love to go out but it is way too cold. I feel more sorry for the people up in Canberra, it's around -1 now! :cold::cold:.

I still need to test out my new modded telescope with the more stable tripod, been itching to try it out!

Wish I had a little observatory with a heater to keep warm :lol:.

Has anyone been able to get out in the past few weeks?

[Steffen]

Anything above -10˚C in a dry, not too windy night is perfectly manageable with proper clothing, and perhaps a thermos full of a hot drink. Below that you need to be careful that the cold doesn't creep up on you in a dangerous way. You get used to the cold after a while, it's always easier towards the end of winter than at the start of it.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Ric]

Currently 1.6ºc at my place but the apparent temp is -0.2ºc

Would have been a good night bar the 5/8 cloud cover.

[pgc hunter]

Seems like alot of the crappy cloudy days in Melbourne are giving way to freezing clear nights lately. But no observing.... tired from work and get home too late to do any lunar and saturn observing.

Cold nights are my fave conditions for observing, despite the ridiculous amount of dew, seeing tends to be good and transparency is A1. My best obs sessions, both in terms of transparency and seeing, have ended with the hum of the heater outlet as my parents turn it on as they prepare to go to work.

I don't mind the cold unless it gets to -20C or so....

[04Stefan07]

The nights have been so clear! Again though it is 5 degrees :mad2:

[Irish stargazer]

Nights are chilly alright. Im looking at getting a a portable gas heater for camping which should take the chill out of a long night observing/ imaging. Anyone have an recommendations?

[Larryp]

Hi John-I have a "Companion" gas heater that runs on butane cans, and it works very well:)

[andyc]

Was up at Heathcote on Sat at the ASV site - superbly clear after early evening cloud and showers dissipated. Had clear skies from 10pm, and the dew finally got the primary about 3:30am. Chilly, with a light frost too, reminiscent of some milder Scottish astronomy nights! But would have loved a heater more substantial than my camping stove.

Sab, really interesting about the seeing... you're dead right, on Sat Saturn was easily the best I've seen it. Like a photograph, and not a hint of a wobble at 300x. In Scotland, the cold nights were usually poor seeing, probably because of the air masses involved, but here it seems to be the cold quiet ones.

Stefan, I can only recommend, in the absence of a good Icelandic wool jumper, lots and lots of layers, a set of thermals, hat and gloves!!

[Kunama]

Completely clouded over with freezing rain here last night with the telescope left in study, me and the mrs sitting in front of a log fire sipping Galway Pipe 12 Year Old Grand Tawny. -7c yesterday, hovering around zero this morning.

[Max Vondel]

I dragged out the 12" dob to St Ives Friday and Saturday nights
Close to the park so light pollution wasn't too bad.
Wonderful star clusters, the galaxy centre overhead
and I spent quite a bit of time there.
Finally Saturn for the GF

The experience also inspired me to mount some handles on the dob for easier transport!
:thumbsup:

[rustigsmed]

Definitely cooling down over nights!

Grabbed the snowboarding jacket and beanie lastnight in Melbourne. That did the trick although the hands were frozen. i know its cold if the legs and feet get cold, not this time.

took the goto dob out, even though there were light winds on the ground level the jetstream was doing pretty well, think i may have got some of my best data on saturn for the season (please let it be so! i just want one nice picture, c'mon!!).

Took some moon and nearby spica shots too, they both fit in frame, although it was a bit of a last minute decision, i didn't recheck the focus so think thats going to ruin the pics.

nevertheless a nice night of viewing, some crisp views of the Moon, a few doubles and Saturn. :)

my dog also loves it when i go viewing too as he gets some 'night fetch' time - everybody wins! he even knows when my DSLR does a count down that he gets a few in a row haha.

[multiweb]

:cold::windy: Weather is an absolute shocker in Sydney. Forecast for the week-end looks good though. Can't wait.

[Ric]

Not much down here at the moment Marc, grey cloud as far as I can see.

Saturday night looks like a good one, expecting a -3ºc or better. :cold::stargaze:

[shelltree]

I don't mind the cold weather, at least it means clearer skies and no mosquitos or toads! :D I always tend to do more observing in winter anyway, I'm really looking forward to June's new moon. Hoping it will be a cracker after last month being a rainy, yucky mess :( C'mon weather, you can do it!

[mithrandir]

This is as close as we've got to any stargazing since we left home. The weather has been a drought struck farmer's dream.

Small hexagonal bits of ice over St Moritz and it's SWMBO's birthday.

Stupid iPad putting things downside up.

[multiweb]

:lol: Well... technically you're not downunder anymore. You're 'upabove'. Maybe got to reverse the gyro in the iPAD. :P

[doppler]

Stargazing!
Yea, but the star is our sun and it's showing lots of sunspot groups at the moment. :) The weather has cleared up here at the moment 23 deg during the day and 14 deg at night but the moon is almost full. It is geting close to the dry season looking forward to that.
Cheers Rick

[pgc hunter]

Hey Andy, yes some of my best nights have been cold and very dewy. Most of my most epic sessions ended with the hum of the heater outlet as my parents wake up to prepare for work while I am wrapped up and try to squeeze out the last few minutes of darkness. Sounds like some very good nights lately, bummed that I can't go out, finish work late so too tired. Transparency during this time of year also seems to have an edge over the summer months. Very, very heavy dew last few nights, when leaving work at 7:30pm, my car was wet and had to use the wipers to remove the mist from the windows. These still calm nights are the best.

While winter is a cloud and drizzle fest here, when a high pressure cell parks over us and gives us clear still conditions, it can be a real score. Exactly that is predicted to happen on Monday and Tuesday.. might have to call in sick ;)

[naskies]

After spending time living in "real" cold, I've noticed that Aussies, in general, are horrendously bad at dressing in layers :D Think of those poor Canadian astronomers who spent all night outside observing/imaging in -20 deg! :lol:

One trick I've learned is to start your layering early in the night - so that they're always feeling on the slightly too warm side of things. If you're already cold, putting on a huge jacket won't do much as you'll struggle to warm it up with your body heat.

Those little chemical hand warmer packets are also great too - just pop a few inside your jacket / gloves / etc and you'll feel toasty warm :)

[Camelopardalis]

I've been using a battery powered vest to great effect in our delightful climate, sounds like I need to stick it in the suitcase ;)

[Irish stargazer]

Thanks Laurie

I picked up one of these yesterday. It works very well indeed-just enough heat to make the difference between packing in an imaging session early due to cold or staying on another hour or two.
I might also pick up one of those Gasmate heaters that attaches to the top of a 3/8" gas bottle in case my wife decides to come along next time-she hates the cold and complains a lot;). Only $35 at Bunnings.

[Larryp]

:thumbsup: