|
HansBolter -> RE: Really, really OT: Source of Light Pollution in ND? (2/29/2020 11:39:12 AM)
|
I can't speak to the aspects of a dry -30F because I have never experienced it, but I can speak to a wet 30F.
In mid central to north central Florida, where I typically do my field observing, it is not uncommon for temps to drop into the mid 20s. In south central Florida, whee I live, its rare for temps to drop below freezing. I can grow tropical plants here that wouldn't survive 100 miles north.
Our days in the 30s are typically wet. The days and nights in the 20s are typically the driest we ever experience. We only get 20s when the super cold, super dry arctic air masses succeed in making it past the warm Gulf air mass that often causes cold fronts to stall in north central Florida.
I learned a long time ago that layers are the key to staying out all night in the cold, damp weather. A woman in my astronomy club, now deceased, taught me about using a pair of nylon warm up pants pulled over my jeans to ward off the damp cold. Jeans, while a heavy material, are very porous to wind, being a very open weave and are very bad about soaking up the moisture in the air. I use a pair of lined warm up pants for an extra layer of insulation. Keeping feet warm is essential. Once your feet get cold you will be packing it in for the night. Insulated hunting boots are the answer.
We use various heating devices to ward off dew on observing equipment. I keep two heating pads on a table near the scope. Eyepieces and binoculars are kept stashed between the heating pads to keep dew off. I hair dryer is also near by as a last resort for clear accumulated dew from optics.
I can remember one star party night where we were huddled around the scope at 4:30 am in 26F weather passing the hair dryer and blowing it inside our jackets in our struggle to endure. True die hard observers won't let anything but clouds stop them.
|
|
|
|
