Keeping warm at -6C?

[Terry B]

Originally Posted by DavidTrap

How uncivilized! Impatient baby? Hope you got a chance to change before going in. I saw the sunrise from work last Thursday - still getting over that!

DT

Yes it was a baby. It didn't come out thought until 8am this morning. Very tardy but healthy mum and bub.

Originally Posted by BPO

How did you measure that temperature? Was it with a calibrated thermometer or sensor within a Stevenson screen? Also, what was the RH at the time?

My mountaintop site routinely experiences low temperatures (-10 to -20 average winter) but the RH is also very low, so the cold is quite bearable, so long as one is properly dressed for it.

I'm not quite that anal.
I just have an electronic thermometer in the observatory. It gets some heat from the computers so probably isn't perfect. Just an estimate.
As for the car themometer. I have know idea how accurate they are. I'm not getting out of the car to check.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

We get sub zero temps for a couple of weeks here, west of Brissie.
Layering is best.
I made myself a set of polar fleece long johns. Made extra long to cover the ankles and half my hands.
Water proof ski pants
Water proof hooded jacket lined with polar fleece.
An over sized mans knitted jumper
2 pair of socks, first pair on are cotton.
Snow boots, mine are rated down to -15
Around my neck I wear, again home made, a double thickness , polar fleece neck muffler. It can be pulled up above my ears
On my head is a fleece lined knitted beanie with ear flaps.
Most important though is to keep moving. Take a stroll around the yard, keep the blood circulating.
Oh, and my latest purchase is a pair of USB heated gloves. I also have powered heat pads that I can slip into my shoes. They both can run off a separate power pack so I'm not tethered to the computer. But I'm an imager, I'm tethered to it anyway. LOLOL

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by Poita

Okay, so I was out last night to play with the hyperstar, and it got down to -6 last time I checked, the scope cap and everything exposed was covered in a layer of ice, and one was forming on me.

What do you folks do to keep warm in these situations?

Interestingly, the home-made dew-shield made from a camping mat kept the corrector plate completely dew free all night, I think the fan on the QHY8 coupled with the thick dew-shield helps keep slightly warmed air flowing over the front of the scope.

For yourself: vodka works well.
For the scope: the corrector won't fog up if you have a long dewshield that also encase the hyperstar and the QHY8 unless you're imaging right at the zenith then you need a dew heater around the corrector cell. The QHY8 will heat up the front of the corrector.

[erick (Eric)]

Originally Posted by peter_4059

+1 for the Hepworths freezer suit. I bought one a couple of months ago and it makes a huge difference.

If only they came without the reflective panels. I like to vanish into the dark.

[kustard (Simon)]

Yeah get yourself a Hepworths freezer suit, they are the bees knees

[RB (Andrew)]

I bought all four freezer suits and a vest from Geoff (GTB_an_Owl).
Two suits for my sons, one for me, a jacket only for me and a vest for me.
We use them on the farm all the time and of course when I'm doing important astro work.

Geoff's great to deal with and I also buy my license for ESET Smart Security from him every two years, he's an agent and put me onto it.
Very happy with his service and advice.

[cfranks (Charles)]

I have some of these http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZIPPO-HAND-W...item5ae8493050 I use 2 or more at a time, depending on how cold I am. Properly filled they last me all night.
Charles