How do you manage an all-nighter?

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

Quite a while back I asked how everyone manages to keep motivated enough to make it outside at night. Now I'm wondering, how do you make it past midnight and into the wee hours? Preferably without 10 cups of coffee, because I'd rather be outside than on the loo every five minutes.
Also, how do you survive the next day?

[Bart]

Get a sleep during the day, late afternoon preferably. Watch what you eat as some foods and big meals make you drowsy, try snacking on nuts and dried fruits and I always try to stay a touch on the cold side as it tends to keep me awake. YMMV!

[glend (Glen)]

I am lucky enough to have an observatory and that helps a lot as it is comfortable and my feet are not on the cold damp ground. As I primarily image these days I can get the system running and come back inside. I have to admit when I go out to the dark site (Bretti) it is hard to motivate myself to go much past midnight, and that's even with a group of like minded people ( although a glass of Port helps ward off the chill). Once you get past midnight things can improve but dew is usually killing off many people's setups by that time, that or falling battery power.
If your interested in a particular target that does not rise high enough until after midnight, just go to sleep and get up then. I admit that's hard if your not using a backyard observatory.

[N1 (Mirko)]

Have a list of targets for the whole night, i.e. including those that can't be seen well or not at all until the wee hours of the morning. Include some challenges. Browse the forums for stuff that supposedly can't be done with your scope, then go out and do it anyway. Besides those, reasons to stay up are improving seeing conditions and less light pollution. Take a camera and try to do some photography as well. When I travel to a pristine site, the privilege of being there is enough motivation in itself. Short naps of 20-30 minutes work for me too, as does (to a limited extent) pre-sleeping.

Most importantly, take your time taking in your targets. The longer you spend on an object, the more it will reveal. My list for a whole night usually contains 20 targets or less, sometimes much less. And I still run out of darkness Sometimes I'm like - did I really just spend an hour looking at Saturn?

[pgc hunter]

I would have a good night sleep the night before. Take a thermos full of hot chocolate (or whatever drink you fancy) and pack some snacks, sandwiches or even cook a light meal and put in those chinese takeaway containers.

[grimsay (Iain)]

I've found that I run out of steam quickly and have to head for bed if:
• I ran at 5am that morning
• I haven't planned what to look for
• I'm just not having much luck with seeing / finding targets

If all of the above are sorted I stay out until the dew kills everything. Next day just requires more caffeine

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Mountain Dew!

[Atmos (Colin)]

Most of my imaging is done during the work week simply because the weather gods don't deem that the weekend should be clear

When imaging from home I am on mains power and have dew straps so that's not a worry. The cold isn't an issue because I only go out to check it every hour or so. Past midnight I only need to check it every two hours or filter change (focus).

For visual, I very rarely go past 11:30 pm because I need to go to bed. I do not make it to my darksite very often for much visual. Having a moonless Saturday night does not come around very often

[AstralTraveller (David)]

I never did too many all nighters where I saw the sunrise but I used to handle 2-3am pretty easily. No so any more. From about 10-11pm onwards astro nights tend to be a struggle between exhaustion and euphoria, and I have to allow for the hour's drive home. The only advice I have is common sense: be well rested, don't get frazzled during set-up, stay warm enough, eat enough food to keep blood-sugar up but not too much, some warm drink, sit and rest occasionally, immerse yourself in the observing. When I find myself starting to flag I normally find I 'just' want to observe x, y, z etc before I finish and that keeps me there for the final hour or so.

BTW I suppose you've heard common expressions redefined for elderly people? Pulling an all-nighter means not getting up for the midnight widdle.

[RobF (Rob)]

The only times I'm motivated (rarely ) to stay up all night is with good company or at star parties, especially if there will be a few days to sleep in for recovery. Caffeine, snacks (and err alcohol) generally required.

If I'm imaging all night I'll rarely stay up past 2am - leave the gear to its own thing if conditions are ok.

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

Originally Posted by Bart

Get a sleep during the day, late afternoon preferably. Watch what you eat as some foods and big meals make you drowsy, try snacking on nuts and dried fruits and I always try to stay a touch on the cold side as it tends to keep me awake. YMMV!

The right food is something I agree with. No big roasts or KFC before a long night

Originally Posted by Camelopardalis

Mountain Dew!

Not sure about Mountain Dew. Fanta, though, will keep me up and running until the cows come home. When I used to work at Macca's my mum tried to convince the managers that I should be banned from drinking it. She would pick me up at midnight and my eyes would be pinging out of my head and my mouth going flat stick

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

BTW I suppose you've heard common expressions redefined for elderly people? Pulling an all-nighter means not getting up for the midnight widdle.

this is brilliant! I think it applies to more that just the oldies!

I'm lucky enough that I don't have heaps of imaging gear or a giant scope, so it takes two minutes to get Harold and my eps set up in the backyard. This also means I can head inside whenever I want, but that normally ends with me on toddler duty if Olivia wakes up. Plus we leave the hallway light on for the kids so there goes my night adaption.

The latest I've managed so far is midnight, with intermittent "when are you coming to bed?"s and the earliest was 3.30am. It's quite a pain because all the good stuff seems to be either just after dusk or a few hours before dawn.

[h0ughy (David)]

lets see at astrofest there is no excuse as you operate 2 or three cameras overnight and then move onto solar during the day with two videos at once. then you are a walking zombie after 2 or 3 days with less than 3 hours sleep. but you have heap of data to process

at home you pick your day, if you can arrive late and leave early then you might survive.

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

Originally Posted by RobF

Caffeine, snacks (and err alcohol) generally required.

doesn't the alcohol lessen your senses? If not, then bring out the bourbon!

I'm waiting for my P plate curfew to finish (2 months!) then I'll be able to go to a star party somewhere.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

These days I wait till later in the year when the target is more favourably timed ie before midnight.
Due to medical reasons I sleep pretty badly regardless so have to try to stick to a regular schedule otherwise I am worse than a zombie next day. 11 pm to midnight is about my limit and then only really before the start of a weekend.

[The_bluester (Paul)]

Company!

Pretty often when a friend on here comes out to image from my place we make it into the small hours courtesy of cheese, crackers, wine, whiskey and conversation.

[sharptrack2 (Kevin)]

I've been a night owl since day 1, all my life I have been able to stay functional for days on 2-3 hours of sleep every 24. But that said, it has also always been because I am focused and very interested in what I was doing, drinking, playing pool, watching for meteors, trying to find a smudge between the dust flecks. Caffeine is my worst enemy, it makes staying awake harder once it wears off, which it inevitably does, no matter how much is drunk.

The Bluester has it right, company does make it easier but if your alone, a radio or podcast running in the background helps keep your mind moving. Standing is also a good method to stay awake, I don't use a chair much when observing late, unless the eye piece is in some unnatural position for us two legged sapiens.

Ultimately, you'll find a way if you are really interested in finding that target and enjoying the view.

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by BilliGoatsGruff

The right food is something I agree with. No big roasts or KFC before a long night

Definitely no KFC unless you have a functioning crapper at your site!

I'm lucky enough that I don't have heaps of imaging gear or a giant scope, so it takes two minutes to get Harold and my eps set up in the backyard. This also means I can head inside whenever I want, but that normally ends with me on toddler duty if Olivia wakes up. Plus we leave the hallway light on for the kids so there goes my night adaption.

Red light bulb

[GTB_an_Owl (Geoff)]

BeWise BeTold NeverBeCold

geoff

[multiweb (Marc)]

All you need is a good fire and a bottle(s) of wine.

[BilliGoatsGruff (Billi)]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

Definitely no KFC unless you have a functioning crapper at your site!

Red light bulb

Or a good bush and a shovel! I could just imagine what people would think if they saw a red light in our house. We'd have the local law enforcement knocking, thinking that we're starting a brothel

I'm a happy little hermit and prefer to do things alone. Night is basically the only time I have for myself, when I know that there won't be any little folk demanding attention. I tend to shy away from social situations at the best of times, because it's easier than confrontation and possibly looking a bit durr Podcasts are great for keeping the mind busy and distracting from any random noises.