Does anybody know the proper clothing and other precautionsforsafelymaking observations@ night in cold weather

Question

Can you please mention how to safely observe the sun, objets near the sun, and the moon. can you also explain first aid for injuries or illnesses such as heat and cold reactions, dehydration, bites, and sting, and damage to your eyes that could occur during an observation.

Answer 1

Hello and welcome to the world of Astronomy...

First of all, and most important for all observers of things in the Heavens above us, NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITH YOUR EYES, OR THROUGH ANY KIND OF TELESCOPE. BLINDNESS MAY RESULT AND IT WILL BE IRREVERSEABLE... DANGER...

In all observations of the Sun use a white paper card to focus the scope onto and look down at the card. Do not look thru the eyepiece at the Sun. you might even want to use sun glasses, or a filter in the scope, when looking at the card to reduce the glare.

All other observations are fun and no problem.

I use an insulated hunting suit with an insulated hat that has ear flaps, and some insulated boots to keep warm. It is also possible to purchase these little packs of hand warmer gel that you can mash and they stay warm for about 4 hours. There are even gel packs for your boots and socks if you want to spend the money for that.

Take some Trail Mix (raisens and nuts) and a few assortments of candies along with some canned drinks with you on these outings to keep your energy up and your eyes wide awake. They used to make a product called NO DOZE which was a caffine pill that could keep you awake for a long time, but I have not seen it on the market in a while.

Bugs...Good insect repellant is a must.

Depending upon the type of telescope you have, dampness and fogging will be an issue you must deal with. take special care of your telescope and let it adjust to the temperature outside. Only experience will tell you how to do this in your area.

If you send me an EMail to zahbudar at yahoo dot com, I will reply with a website address that gives you the correct nights to go out with your telescope (when viewing will be best in your area). This will allow you to plan your trips around the best viewing days in any given month. No sense getting all worked up and traveling a long distance only to find you can't see anything in the overcast skies.

Take along flashlights with red lenses. Do not use regular white light flashlights because you will wipe out your vision for a long time, and what you most desire to do is "see" with that telescope. Take a good hand compass. Over time you will toss out several hand compasses and finally arrive at one that can be used in the dark at night - easily. Takes time to find the right one. I have trash canned about six.

Preplan your night of observation by having the targets jotted down on a paper with the specific star chart for that day/month marked in your book. It is a good idea to jot down the locations of about ten or fifteen objects that you would like to see, and keep a log of how the trip turned out...what you saw...what it looked like...how you did it. Also, not e down what was a total bust, so you can learn from the experience.

By far the most important thing of all is to JOIN A CLUB. Go out with them on your first few trips. Then go out on your own. With a club you will learn all kinds of things that I cannot begin to retype here in this small space. Do it.

By the way, this answer earned me the last two points needed to break the 10,000 Point Barrier in Yahoo Questions and Answers. So thanks a lot for the interesting question.

Good Luck,
Zah

Answer 2

All your questions about first aid belong in the Medical category. Injuries and illnesses can happen at any time, not just while observing the sky.
Bites, stings, heat and cold reactions, dehydration - these can happen at any time, no matter what you're doing.

When observing the sun, you need special filters or a special "solar" telescope - you can't just use sunglasses or those protective visors they use for welding. Looking at the sun unprotected for even a few seconds can damage your eyes, and no first aid will help that (an ice pack might help the swelling and pain, but the damage could be permanent).

When you're observing in cold weather, you need the same protection and precautions you'd need at night in cold weather - just common sense. Warm jacket, hat, gloves, thermos of hot coffee, blanket, etc.

Observing the moon doesn't require any special precautions. It can't hurt you even if you stare at it unprotected. But you may want some good binoculars to get a close view of some of the craters and mountains - its a pretty spectacular place worth exploring.

Answer 3

Linda June has given a very good answer, as usual. I'd only add an article I wrote on cold weather observing:
http://www.starrynight.com/sntimes/2007/01/index.html#art2

Answer 4

don't listen to geoff .. he thinks he knows but .. nope.
He's jelous of people who know more than him. So he tries to out do them.

He doesn't have me fooled