Winter Stargazing Tips: Stay Warm and Cozy!

Some parts of the country feel as if the winter will never end. Massive snows, polar vortexes, artic winds…it’s almost enough to make you forget that a spring thaw will eventually arrive! One thing that is guaranteed to warm an astronomers’ heart in these cold winter nights: the beautiful, sparking skies!

Orion, Taurus, the Pleiades, Sirius, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Double Custer in Perseus: these are just a few of the gorgeous sights that are at their peak in the winters of the Northern Hemisphere, not to mention the clockwork actions of the Moon and planets. But how can you observe and stay comfortable outside when the weather seems determined to turn you into a popsicle?

1. Layers are your friend!
You may already know this but remember to wear multiple layers of clothes! A super warm coat won’t help that much if all you are wearing underneath is a t-shirt. At the same time, moving around during your setup and observing may heat you up to an uncomfortable degree, so being able to peel off a sweater or overcoat would be very welcome.

2. Warm, wool socks
Thick cozy socks are a must, especially as the night wears on. Your feet will thank you, especially if you are wearing good boots! Which brings us too…

3. Waterproof boots
You will want warm boots, and if there is snow, make sure your boots are also waterproof. Any water soaking through your shoes to your boots is a sure way to make your toes icy and prematurely end your observing.

4. Clear out your observing area
Is there snow on the ground where you usually set up? Bring a shovel and clear it out, even if there is just an inch or two of the white stuff. Your equipment and toes will thank you.  

5. Ground padding

Kitchen floor mats and yoga mats are great to stand on during winter months. They act as a great, inexpensive buffer between your feet and the cold ground. Why not add one to your winter set up?

6. Blankets
Did you bring a blanket? Good. Even if you think you won’t need one…you very well may want one after the first hour or so, especially if you are seated very still. 

7. Gloves
Pack your gloves! Some astronomers prefer fingerless gloves that allow them to work on their instruments while outside, while others prefer combo mitten-gloves that allow you to flip the ends of the mittens off for fingerless glove access. Remember, you will be handling lots of cold metal as you set up your equipment in the cold so if you don’t want your fingers going numb within minutes, gloves are a must!

8. Heat pads
Chemical or battery operated heating pads are your friend. Stick these little beauties into your gloves and boots to stay warm. If you use rechargeable heating pads, just make sure they are charged before you leave the house!

9. A big goofy hat and earmuffs
A hat with ear flaps? Big fuzzy earmuffs? You will definitely want these! While they may look a bit silly, you will be toasty inside, with nice warm ears rather than frigid lobes in danger of frostbite. Besides, you will be in the dark: who cares what you look like?

10. A warm thermos
A thermos full of your favorites warm liquid-hot chocolate, soup, coffee, tea- is your best friend during these long winter nights. 

One final thing to remember: however cold you think you are, there is probably someone somewhere else who is in an even colder location…like, say, an amateur astronomer in Antarctica:

With these tips you are sure to have a much warmer and cozier time checking out the beautiful jewels of the winter night. Stay warm, and don’t let the frost bite!

Originally posted by Dave Prosper: December 2016

Last Updated by Kat Troche: November 2023

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Deputy Program Manager Dr. Camille Alleyne

“I started the Brightest Stars Foundation 16 years ago because I realized there were no little ones in the pipeline who looked like me coming up. Because I had accomplished so much, it was important for me to pay it forward. I’ve mentored scores and scores of young people – early career professionals in high school, in college, and from all over the world – so they could be inspired and empowered by my career and my journey.

“It’s about hard work. It’s about determination. It’s about focus. It’s about tenacity. And most importantly, it’s about believing in yourself. Because sometimes others don’t believe in you, so it’s important to get into the zone and say, ‘I am going! I know my path, and I can do this!’ 

“My mentoring style is about being authentic but also being vulnerable and sharing all the ups and the downs, the trials and the tribulations of my journey and career. This is not an easy field, so as one of the few womenof color in the field, it is important to share in a way that empowers and inspires those that want to follow in my footsteps.  

“You must have grit, resilience, courage and strength. I’m able to really share all the wisdom and the lessons I’ve learned throughout my career with [the students I mentor], and that makes a difference.”

—  Dr. Camille Alleyne, Deputy Program Manager, Commercial LEO Development Program, NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Image Credit: NASA / Kim Shiflett
Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos

Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. 

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Thalia K. Patrinos

NASA to Join Astrobotic’s Media Call on Peregrine Mission One Status

NASA will join an Astrobotic media teleconference at 12 p.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 18, to discuss updates on their Peregrine Mission One, which is carrying science for the agency as part of its Commercial Lunar Provider Services (CLPS) initiative.

The audio-only teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

Following a successful launch on Jan. 8, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced a propulsion issue after the spacecraft entered its operational state. This is preventing Astrobotic from achieving a soft landing on the Moon. Aboard the Peregrine spacecraft are five NASA science instruments, several of which are receiving power and gathering data.

Participants on the call include:

• Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• John Thornton, CEO, Astrobotic, Pittsburgh

To participate in the teleconference, media must RSVP online no later than two hours before the start of the call to Astrobotic.

Learn more about CLPS at:

https://nasa.gov/clps

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Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov

Nilufar Ramji
Johnson Space Flight Center, Houston
281-383-5111
nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov

Alivia Chapla
Astrobotic
412-682-3282
alivia.chapla@astrobotic.com

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Roxana Bardan

NASA Selects 12 Companies for Space Station Services Contract

NASA has selected 12 companies to provide research, engineering, and mission integration services for the International Space Station Program.

The $478 million Research, Engineering & Mission Integration Services-2 or REMIS-2 contract will support the work of the International Space Station Program based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The companies will provide spaceflight, ground hardware and software, sustaining engineering functions and services, payload facility integration, and research mission integration operations services.

Each company will receive a multiple-award, indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed price and cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders. The seven-year contract begins Friday and extends through Sept. 30, 2030, with an option to extend through Sept. 30, 2032.

The companies selected are:

• Aegis Aerospace, Inc., Houston
• Axient Corp, Huntsville, Alabama
• Cimarron Software Services, Houston
• Consolidated Safety Services, Exploration Park, Florida
• JES Tech, Houston
• KBR Wyle, Fulton, Maryland
• Leidos, Webster, Texas
• Metis, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Oceaneering, Houston
• Tec-Masters, Huntsville
• Teledyne Brown Engineering, Huntsville
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama

The majority of the work will take place at contractor facilities across the country. Services also may be required at other NASA centers, contractor or subcontractor locations, or vendor facilities as requirements warrant.

The contract also includes a small business reserve, which was fulfilled by selecting Aegis, Cimarron, Consolidated Safety Services, JES Tech, Metis, and Tec-Masters. 

For more information about NASA and its programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov.

-end-

Roxana Bardan
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
roxana.bardan@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

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Roxana Bardan

NASA, Lockheed Martin Reveal X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft

NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

“This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity from NASA and the entire X-59 team,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “In just a few short years we’ve gone from an ambitious concept to reality. NASA’s X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in much less time.”

Melroy and other senior officials revealed the aircraft during a ceremony hosted by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works at its Palmdale, California facility.

The X-59 is at the center of NASA’s Quesst mission, which focuses on providing data to help regulators reconsider rules that prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land. For 50 years, the U.S. and other nations have prohibited such flights because of the disturbance caused by loud, startling sonic booms on the communities below. The X-59 is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 mph. Its design, shaping and technologies will allow the aircraft to achieve these speeds while generating a quieter sonic thump.

“It’s thrilling to consider the level of ambition behind Quesst and its potential benefits,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA will share the data and technology we generate from this one-of-a-kind mission with regulators and with industry. By demonstrating the possibility of quiet commercial supersonic travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for U.S. companies and benefit travelers around the world.”

With rollout complete, the Quesst team will shift to its next steps in preparation for first flight: integrated systems testing, engine runs, and taxi testing for the X-59.

The aircraft is set to take off for the first time later this year, followed by its first quiet supersonic flight. The Quesst team will conduct several of the aircraft’s flight tests at Skunk Works before transferring it to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, which will serve as its base of operations.

“Across both teams, talented, dedicated, and passionate scientists, engineers, and production artisans have collaborated to develop and produce this aircraft,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. “We’re honored to be a part of this journey to shape the future of supersonic travel over land alongside NASA and our suppliers.”

Once NASA completes flight tests, the agency will fly the aircraft over several to-be-selected cities across the U.S., collecting input about the sound the X-59 generates and how people perceive it. NASA will provide that data to the Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators.

The X-59 is a unique experimental airplane, not a prototype – its technologies are meant to inform future generations of quiet supersonic aircraft.

At 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide, the aircraft’s shape and the technological advancements it houses will make quiet supersonic flight possible. The X-59’s thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and will break up the shock waves that would ordinarily result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom.

Due to this configuration, the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the aircraft – and does not have a forward-facing window. Instead, the Quesst team developed the eXternal Vision System, a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor in the cockpit.

The Quesst team also designed the aircraft with its engine mounted on top and gave it a smooth underside to help keep shockwaves from merging behind the aircraft and causing a sonic boom.

For more information about Quesst, visit:

www.nasa.gov/Quesst

-end-

Rob Margetta
Headquarters, Washington
202-763-5012
robert.j.margetta@nasa.gov

Sasha Ellis
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
757-864-5473
sasha.c.ellis@nasa.gov

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Abbey A. Donaldson