Finally have mostly clear skies but -43 degrees is too cold even for me

[GrillBoss]

I've only had two clear nights in the three weeks since I got my new telescope.  Now it is finally supposed to be mostly clear tonight and the forecast low temperature is -43 degrees with wind chills that will feel like -50.  Too cold even for me.  How frustrating! 

Alberta is a pretty dry place and usually has a lot of clear skies.  It's the dreaded new telescope curse again, without a doubt.  Of course, I'll on here in June complaining that the sky only gets dark for 4 hours a night so it would be nice to get some observing time when it's dark 14 hours out of 24 right now.   

[Floater]

Oh wow! That IS too cold! 🥶🥶

[Kon]

That is cold! We have a mild 10 degrees with clouds in UK for the past, I do not know how many weeks! I am happy to swap your clear skies and  weather even for 1hrs observing.

[GrillBoss]

This cold is hard on the equipment too.  I was worried I was going to snap off the helical focuser on my Heritage 150p when the PFTE tape froze in place.  I have since quit using the tape.  I have to move the scope with it extended full length as it won't retract when it gets cold.  Bringing the scope back inside results in an immediate thick coating of frost on every surface.  I have to gently clean my secondary mirror from water marks left behind when it all warms up and dries off too.   I'm looking forward to warmer weather but this cold is continuing for the entire next week's forecast. 

I will say when it gets this cold the sky sometimes is very clear.   Three nights like that are in the week's forecast - "clear and cold".  

[ONIKKINEN]

I find that every degree below -20 adds an exponential risk of failure in moving parts. Focusers seize, maybe the lubricant gets sticky inside the mount, electronics either dont work or work slowly. USB connections especially become very fiddly and weak.

But -43? Way too cold, not that we get those temperatures anyway. Shame, since i have also found that extreme cold also brings extreme dry and with it good transparency.

[tomato]

I’m sure those temperatures will come with a host of problems, but I would be prepared to  give them a try, so fed up am I with our seemingly endless grey, damp, mild conditions in the UK.

Imagine, setting the cameras to run at -20 C and they would need to warm up!

[Pixies]

There's a podcast called 'Actual Astronomy' - done by 2 chaps from Regina, Saskatchewan. Recently they've been doing a few episodes on cold-weather observing.

Makes the local Edinburgh temperatures seem positively balmy!

[GrillBoss]

30 minutes ago, Pixies said:

There's a podcast called 'Actual Astronomy' - done by 2 chaps from Regina, Saskatchewan. Recently they've been doing a few episodes on cold-weather observing.

Makes the local Edinburgh temperatures seem positively balmy!

I know Regina, and while it gets pretty darn cold there we have them beat in that department up here at 55 degrees North latitude.  One good thing about sky watching up here is we might get a nice Aurora Borealis display this winter.  If so I am hoping for clear skies so I can try my hand at long exposure pictures.  

[Floater]

37 minutes ago, GrillBoss said:

… we have them beat in that department up here at 55 degrees North latitude.

Well we have you beat in the latitude department … but we certainly don’t have you beat in the cold compartment!

[johninderby]

Blame the gulf stream for the clouds in the UK. Still it keeps the UK much warmer than it would otherwise be. 

Edinburgh is at 55.95 degrees latitude BTW. 

[GrillBoss]

3 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Blame the gulf stream for the clouds in the UK. Still it keeps the UK much warmer than it would otherwise be. 

Edinburgh is at 55.95 degrees latitude BTW. 

According to Google Maps I am about 1600km east of the nearest ocean and I'm behind the Rocky Mountains too which often makes for clear dry weather here.  It is a dry cold here and it does make it easier to take.

[johninderby]

Forecast for here is a high of 15C and low of 12C on Thursday. Nearly T shirt and shorts observing weather……if wasn’t for the forecast rain. 😕

[Pixies]

Edinburgh - 55° North - but nowhere near that cold! Have hardly dipped below freezing this Winter, so far.

I used to work next to a guy from  Winnipeg. When some cold snowy weather was imminent and one of our colleagues was running around panicking about getting home, he turned his screen towards me to show his hometown weather forecast.... -44° C.

Mind you, one of my neighbours here is Inuit. She's from Qikiqtaaluk Region. I had to look that up. 62° North.