Good advice Daniel and Chuck. I'm going to just stick at home tonight in the backyard. Humidity according to the Clear Sky Clock that I use http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/WstJrdnUTkey.html?1 seems to peak humidity between 6:00p.m. and 7:00p.m with it sticking around 50% there after. Using the Dob it acts like one big dew shield and open clusters that I am going for tonight shouldn't be hurt. I have to be at the courthouse tomorrow at 9:00a.m. so I don't think I'll be going anywhere unfortunately for the Leonids. For cold weather I wear a top and bottom of long underwear (I have a fleece pair and a pair for snowmobiling that aren't cotton that work well. I have some wick away socks I put on, then my wool pair and then my snow boots that are insulted. Feet are now toasting warm. Next come a pair of sweats, followed by a nylon type pant that goes over to cut the wind. No jeans for me, the wind tears through jeans in my experience. My torso is covered with the long johns, then a tee shirt that is long, then a long sleeve sweat shirt, then a synthetic sweater designed for deep cold, then another hooded sweatshirt, then my layered parka. For gloves I have a pair of gloves where the fingers can be exposed to use. The only thing I am missing is a thin pair of gloves to cover my hands entirely and that go on first, then the thicker gloves that allow the fingers to be exposed while observing. There's some pretty good tips at this link also: http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1901 I do use the hot hands and they really do work. I stick mine near the top of the palm and then can coil my fingers into a fist and the heat radiates into them. Then sometimes if I am at home or even in the field, I'll head indoors if I get too cold or head into the car and start her up. Starting the car in the field helps me to preserve peace of mind since it is charging the battery while keeping me warm. Just make sure you leave with a full tank of gas and it doesn't hurt whether for observing or just in case to have an emergency winter kit in the car. On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 2:27 PM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
Good advice.
With a peak predicted for about 3 am our time, I was even thinking about Little Mountain at about 2-ish.
My winter meteor observing outerwear consists of insulated overalls plus parka, navy watch cap plus hood if needed, snowmobile sox, electric sox if needed. I can last for most of the night dressed like this.
If you have a manual transmission, park facing downhill if you think your car battery is marginal.
On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 10:59 AM, daniel turner <outwest112@yahoo.com
wrote:
For tonights peak of the Leonid meteor shower the good news is that the weather will be clear and the moon is out of the night time sky.
The bad news is the weather. Last night at the Pony Express marker, which is close to "pit n pole", the temperature dropped to zero and the humidity spiked up to 90 percent. So anything optical like a telescope, or camera lense will suffer from frost and be useless without vigorous countermeasures. There is no measurable inversion so climbing up a ridge line will not get you out of these frost conditions.
I would suggest anyone going out to try leave the optics home and plan on a survival strategy like two cars and a tow strap. As well as your warmest winter clothing.
I plan to go to Little Mountain after midnight but don't plan to say long enough to get frostbite.
Good Luck
DT
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