When November (2013) rolled around I had great plans for upcoming observing sessions. Not a whole lot became of my plans. One of the severest winters in memory struck (and continues to strike), dashing hopes of getting much of anything accomplished. A few looks at Jupiter here, a couple of the Orion Nebula there. Obscenely cold temperatures coupled with high winds, along with continually falling and blowing snow made even the most stalwart observer helpless and confused. I managed two sessions in November, one in December, none in January, and two in February. Though we had more clear nights than that, they were simply unusable.
It's not that we don't have the clothing for it, though the one weak link in the chain continues to be good gloves. Being able to switch an eyepiece, focus properly, turn a page from the map book or hold a pencil is impossible if fingers are properly protected. And if they aren't, then watch out! Here is a list of my typical winter gear for observing.
-lined pants (extremely warm!)
-snow pants overtop
-T-Max Heat* thermal base layer shirt, long sleeves.
-turtle neck sweater
-T-Max Heat* sweater, zippered high
-light jogging jacket, zippered tight
-snorkel parka, full length, synthetic down
-warm socks
- heavy over-socks, T-Max Heat*
-lined winter boots
-winter ear band
-toque
-jacket hood, if required
-two pair light gloves (dollar store), with T-Max Heat* hand warmers inside
-pair of large, very bulky, very warm winter mittens overtop double gloves. Mitten comes off temporarily for eyepiece or other work.
*T-Max is part of Wind River brand, sold at Marks Work Warehouse in Canada
It takes quite a while to get dressed and ready to go outside! And once dressed, you must go outside or you will faint! Now the back deck must be prepared, too. The home site is inundated with light pollution from nearby subdivisions and county roads. The south sky is polluted by the lights of my hometown, Amherstburg, Ontario. We erect tarps on two sides (south and east) to protect our eyes from oncoming traffic headlights. A third side is protected by the garage which is attached to our house (west), and the fourth side from a large hedge (north). Our north and west sky is polluted by lights from the Windsor/Detroit megapolis. If it is too windy we cannot erect the tarps, and thus we cannot observe. Our best sky is overhead and east, though we have no problems with clusters, nebula, double stars etc, in almost any direction. Finding galaxies is a challenge.
Now it's time to set up the two telescopes. The 12" takes about fifteen minutes from basement to deck, while the 6" requires less than five minutes. In conclusion, serious winter observing is a huge undertaking. I remember our first session in February of this year (2014). We got set up, began observing, and clouds rolled in. We waited patiently for an hour before calling things off. In came the scopes, down came the tarps, off came the clothing. Suddenly, it cleared up and remained clear the rest of the night! We had no ambition to redo our setup, so we just remained indoors and in bad moods the rest of the night.
Finally, on the night of the 23rd of February, we hit the jackpot! Clear skies, light winds, and temperatures that were tolerable if one was properly dressed (-6 C). We were very snug in our little environment, and the observing was top notch! I observed a number of deep sky objects and had the best look at Jupiter I ever have. The red spot was in the very center of the planet (though north of the equator), and was so distinct and three dimensional that it just popped out at the viewer. It was a deep orange, almost the same colour as Hind's Crimson Star in Lepus. Detail on the equatorial belts was similarly astounding!
Lepus is my current winter constellation, and though very few of the fine galaxies within its borders can be seen from my deck, the double star viewing is amazing. Several highlights of Lepus include M 79 (I had my finest view of it ever that night, resolving nearly 20 stars with the 12" in a very low and light polluted area of sky), Hind's Crimson Star (which I always check on during any winter session), a multiple star that also has an NGC designation (oc 2017), and double stars galore. My favourite doubles are Kappa, a difficult object if south skies are too fluid, Gamma (lovely in very small scopes, too), ADS 4741 (a stunning triple), h 3750 and h 3752. Also of interest in Lepus is pn IC 418. Although it requires a large aperture and very high power (and thus a night of good seeing) to see much, observing the famous "Spirograph Nebula" is also a highlight of spending an hour or two in Lepus. The nebula can be seen in small scopes, but it is tiny. If a dark south sky is available, there are any number of galaxies to visit, several within range of 6" scopes. Sadly my home sky does not permit this.
While overall winter observing this year was fraught with obstacles, even one or two good nights make the season worthwhile. As Spring slowly begins to overpower Old Man Winter I will begin to observe in Monoceros, and then Leo. Nights will still be cold for some time, but hopefully we will be able to make use of them a little more often.
Mapman Mike
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