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Get ready for winter


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As the temperatures are now rapidly plunging one thing that can easily not really thought about especially for those just starting or perhaps entering their first Autumn / Winter and not spent sessions outside in typical UK conditions (cold & damp.. ;)).

It is really easy to make yourself ill by being unprepared and perhaps you'll not notice at the time as engrossing as this hobby is many hours can pass by without noticing.   Those of you that have gardens are lucky enough to nip inside for a hot beverage or call it a night when you get cold however if you're somewhere else observing you don't have that luxury and it's important to make sure you have the necessary clothing, food and drink with you.

I prefer layers as I'm pretty active to start (need to walk or cycle to my site) and for setting up.  Thermals imho are essential and very good boots and a very thick pair of fleece socks over woolen socks). Easy to underestimate how much the ground saps the heat from your feet so definitely don't skimp here.  A good fleece top and a coat.

The most important of all is to keep your head warm this may sound obvious but even if it doesn't feel that cold at the time put a beanie on or something...  I have a polar beanie and another thicker (one that covers the ears etc) hat for later on in the night or once it's dropped down to close to zero.

The least important imho are gloves.  If your body is warm - your hands will generally stay warm and you can pop them in your coat pockets to warm up if necessary.  Besides, gloves are just a pain to observe with especially star-hopping and with manual movement of the scope.  Others with electronic systems may not need to use their hands quite so much.  I've found I've never had an issue though I've seen some astro gloves that are now available which may be worth a look...

For anything longer than a couple of hours take a thermos flask with a hot drink with you and some food.

If you're observing alone take a phone with you or at least let someone know and time expected back.  Remember that people do actually die from exposure in the UK in the winter.  Prepare for the worse case scenario i.,e that you cannot move to get to a warmer location.

Overall stay safe and have lots of fun.  It can be a bit daunting getting out there to a dark site outside of the comfort of your garden/house or whatever but the views will definitely be worth it but once you've done it once or twice you'll not look back.  Just be prepared and there's nothing to worry about. :)

 

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some great advise from dave

you say you cycle to your spot, im just trying to picture you now with all your sub zero clothing on, your 12" dob and a flask and ep case, no wonder your warm when you get there :icon_biggrin:

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I find that in winter I sort of over do it and can get too warm. Have a choice of 4 down jackets (2 are rated for -15c), some good thermal socks and a pair of good snow boots - got lucky here as they were £85 reduced to £20. Several very nice thermal layers for me and a full sheepskin trapper hat. A few beanies and gloves  - even managed to find a duck down beanie.

Do you have any idea how hot you get in that? :hello2: I have been at times removing and opening the jackets while others huddle and shiver.

Never really intended to get this lot for astronomy but I happened to pick up the assorted items as I saw them. The thermals came from visits to Canada, MEC there sell excellent items, the sheepskin trapper was from a sheepskin shop in Devon (they do not produce them any more), the down beanie I just happened to see in Cambridge Open Air one day. Snowboots were end of line/winter from Mountain Warehouse in Cambridge. Jackets - one was a special offer from PHD, one I bought for the jacket to wear, both are large so I bought a less bulky one again when on offer, £60 instead of £90. A lot of being in the right place at the right time.

For a warm drink I have a 12v kettle to run from the car. Bought this for the long trips I made at one time and useful in winter for a warm drink anywhere.

So none actually/specifically astronomy at the time. Except perhaps the bigger down jacket, that was so that I could zip it up past my chin comfortably.

Mind you the present East wind is cold, and in February the same wind gets real cold.

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You have covered this pretty well. I will just suggest standing on an insulating material, a couple of thicknesses of old carpet works well.

I'll take this opportunity to wish all SGLers a great winter season of observing/imaging.

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Whilst I agree that gloves can be a pain at times, I still think they're worth it. I use a set of fold back mittens that have fingerless gloves underneath. That way, I get warm hands with the mitten bit in place and when I'm sketching or changing EPs etc, they get velcro'd back so I can use my fingers whilst the rest of my hands stay warm. 

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One thing folk forget is to wrap up your neck. This area looses more heat than your head. A buff is good as you can pull it to adjust. A non bulky scarf is good. Try it and see the difference.

I carry a pair of thin summer cycling gloves , just in case frost gets into the fingers. Hoping for some crispy dry,cold and long

clear skies !

Nick.

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On 12.10.2016 at 16:22, Davesellars said:

Remember that people do actually die from exposure in the UK in the winter.  Prepare for the worse case scenario i.,e that you cannot move to get to a warmer location.

In Norway it is generally recommended to have a sleeping bag laying in the car when you want to cross a mountain road in the winter. Sometimes the road can be closed for hours or days. I think the best thing to do is having a warm sleeping bag and a camping stove (with accessories) in the car. And a warm thermos and some food.

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I think you only get cold once and then you realise what a big mistake it was.... I have a lovely all in one fleece and a load of cold weather gear from my mountain biking days and like Linda I keep a small Bushbox stove, 4 season sleeping bag and other little luxuries in the back of the car, all of which takes up very little space.

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21 minutes ago, chiltonstar said:

.......and don't forget, alcohol accelerates hypothermia! You feel warmer, but you lose heat at a faster rate.

Chris

Definitely! ... As tempting as it is to take a hip flask with a wee dram of something strong :)  ... not a good idea!

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For my hands in the winter, I use thin gloves as a basic layer. Over it, I use thick woolen mittens, the thickest I could find. I take a mitton off when I  want to switch an eyepiece or write something down or flip page in an atlas.

Small problem with it, I can't swipe on my phone with the gloves on. Even when I have an Galaxy active that has a function that it should work with gloves on, I have never noticed that it worked. :hmh: And I use my phone as a voice recorder during observing (with red light function on).

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Linda, this is my main issue with gloves...  I am constantly using my iPad with SkySafari on it for star-hopping so it's pretty much a case of constantly needing the finger-tips available.  Last cold season I put on thermal running gloves (which are quick to take off at least) but most of the time I still ended up with one hand without a glove to use my iPad...

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16 minutes ago, Davesellars said:

Linda, this is my main issue with gloves...  I am constantly using my iPad with SkySafari on it for star-hopping so it's pretty much a case of constantly needing the finger-tips available.  Last cold season I put on thermal running gloves (which are quick to take off at least) but most of the time I still ended up with one hand without a glove to use my iPad...

There also exist gloves without finger tips. My husband also used them when fly fishing, where you also need your finger tips. Or you could cut off a finger from your running glove. Maybe I should do that too.

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