How keen are you to observe tonight? -6 enough?

Gem (Grant) · #1 07-07-2011, 04:29 PM

The skies clear... the forecast changes from clouds to clear... and the minimum temp for tonight is revised to -6...

The scopes out in the yard cooling as I type! The question is: do I have enough warm clothing!!!

jenchris (Jennifer) · #2 07-07-2011, 04:35 PM

I'll be out there in the awful cold of SEQld - going to get down to 10 tonight might need a pullover.

midnight (Darrin) · #3 07-07-2011, 04:44 PM

Down to 0 tonight over here but the dew from the last few nights has been a joke. We've had a fair bit of rain and it's just lingering around and last night I brought my gear in and it was dripping in water from the dew. Sky was nice and clear though.

-6 though mmm. When I used to live in Kingaroy in QLD, one night it got down to -7 (the record low I think) and that was friggid. Horrible in fact.

stay warm!!!

& good luck!!
Darrin...

jenchris (Jennifer) · #4 07-07-2011, 05:22 PM

Starfest is going to be -7c take your hot water bottles....

Terry B · #5 07-07-2011, 05:30 PM

I've certainly been out when it is well below zero. I wear ski clothes and ignore the ice on the scope.
Tonight though I'm on holidays in the blue mountains. It's cold but overcast. Better have a nice red instead.

Sarge (Rod) · #6 07-07-2011, 06:04 PM

Melbourne looking clear for tonight.

At +6, should be a little more comfortable than your -6 Grant.

Rod

GrampianStars (Rob) · #7 07-07-2011, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gem

The skies clear... the forecast changes from clouds to clear... and the minimum temp for tonight is revised to -6...
The scopes out in the yard cooling as I type! The question is: do I have enough warm clothing!!!

C'mon man up

A BIG steak for tea

A heated jacket and away you go
http://www.gettoolsdirect.com.au/mil...t-size-xl.html
I find an Alpaca scarf does wonders

-5's alright @ nite!

graham.hobart (Graham stevens) · #8 07-07-2011, 06:55 PM

it's clear down here too but I just took my tripod head off to fit my ADM accessories upgrade to the CGEM and my tripod blew over outside! Might be a tad unsettled!
Graham..

GTB_an_Owl (Geoff) · #9 07-07-2011, 06:57 PM

i really don't know why some people have trouble with cold nites - honest

geoff

leon · #10 07-07-2011, 07:07 PM

Not a problem I imaged once when the grass snapped under my feet, the scope froze but the dew heaters worked as expected, I love the cold.

Leon

RobF (Rob) · #11 07-07-2011, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTB_an_Owl

i really don't know why some people have trouble with cold nites - honest

geoff

Heck Geoff, I haven't even had reason to do my new freezer suit jacket right up yet. I'm so snug down to 5 degrees with it unzipped at the front and without the hood (and that's only Tshirt and undies!). I think I'll be safe for astrofest if we get a coldie for sure. Surprisingly comfy although you do score the odd swish swish joke of course

GrahamL · #12 07-07-2011, 08:00 PM

Thermals are a must imo when out and about in sub zero temps
In a tent below 0.C I think all the blankets and bags we heap on
will still have you cold without that close body insulation that thermals provide ... put on top of this as much or little as you want and you will always be warm... head, feet , fingers ,excepted of course

Gem (Grant) · #13 07-07-2011, 08:54 PM

Well I spent an hour out there - not -6 yet though. The seeing conditions were terrible. Everything was fuzzy.

Worked through some new objects (for me!) in Ara and Corona Australis:
IC 4651 - OC in Ara
NGC 6352 - a very faint, diffuse GC in Ara
NGC 6362 - another fairly diffuse GC in Ara
NGC 6541 - a quite beautiful GC in Corona Australis - very underrated!

Plus a few oldies...
Wasn't any colder than other nights yet, but the clear skies should get it down in the wee hours. Worst I have had this year (for observing) has been -5 and it isn't that cold yet tonight.

lepton3 (Ivan) · #14 07-07-2011, 10:54 PM

Just come in from some observing as it has clouded up. It was 3C here in Adelaide. Dewing like crazy, but the heater kept the C11 clear.

Seeing was better than poor, but not good. Got some decent saturn and moon with the C6 and DMK camera, and have about 80 minutes worth of comet PANSTARRS with the C11 (at least I hope so -- it's pretty faint and I won't see it until I track-and-stack.)

GTB_an_Owl (Geoff) · #15 07-07-2011, 11:01 PM

side benefits of the freezer suit Rob

you don't scare people on the observing field - they hear you coming
and you show up so clearly in all the nite photo's

conversely - no-one knows who is who in a group shot of people in freezer suits

geoff

h0ughy (David) · #16 07-07-2011, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTB_an_Owl

side benefits of the freezer suit Rob

you don't scare people on the observing field - they hear you coming
and you show up so clearly in all the nite photo's

conversely - no-one knows who is who in a group shot of people in freezer suits

geoff

lol they do when they see me Geoff.

Waxing_Gibbous (Peter) · #17 07-07-2011, 11:51 PM

You great, big Begonias.
I grew up in the wilds of British Columbia (queue Lumberjack song)
At -6 we're still in our singlets and complaining the beer is too warm.
It's not until -30 that we start contemplating a jumper.

Mind you, at +26 I have to retire the lap-pool and don't re-emerge until April!

Sarge (Rod) · #18 07-07-2011, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lepton3

Just come in from some observing as it has clouded up. It was 3C here in Adelaide. Dewing like crazy, but the heater kept the C11 clear.

Well Melbourne is Melbourne. Set up, colliminated, got a couple of vids of the moon with the web cam, went looking for Saturn to start a long night of viewing and, pow - clouds. 100% cover.

Well at least it's not -6, but that's not much comfort.

Rod

pgc hunter · #19 08-07-2011, 01:16 AM

Yeh full Melbournecast, wouldn't bother anyway even if it was clear. The seeing is an abomination lately. SE Aus is stuffed with an extremely powerful jetstream killing NSW and Vic.

Don't mind cold temps, but add a light breeze and it gets feral real quick. -6 in perfectly still conditions wouldn't bother me.... but give it 10k's of wind and the life is sucked out of you.

I've still yet to see it drop below 0C here though this winter.

Gem (Grant) · #20 08-07-2011, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waxing_Gibbous

You great, big Begonias.
I grew up in the wilds of British Columbia (queue Lumberjack song)
At -6 we're still in our singlets and complaining the beer is too warm.
It's not until -30 that we start contemplating a jumper.

Mind you, at +26 I have to retire the lap-pool and don't re-emerge until April!

I did work outside at -45 once - 12 hour shift in the coldest Alaskan february in 50 years. All the locals stopped work at -40, but we Aussies had gone all the way to Alaska to practice in cold weather - so why stop at -40???