12 replies to this topic

[SeliseO25]

I know everybody has their own ways to do these things. Its very moist where I live and end up with a fairly damp tube. So fsr I have been opening my deck door and cooling the kitchen down. Capping everything outside and then brining it in and leaving the tube on some cushions i have set up on my table and then wiping down the base very well then resetting everything and leave it next to the deck door then close the door and windows once its been there for awhile then in the morning I have uncapped it and put it horitzontal to clear out any trapped moisture same with the viewfinder and lenses. When it comes to my lense filter its already has a few spots on it how do you go about cleaning the lenses aswell as the viewfinder. I know everybody has a different way. I was thinking of getting a case or a makeshift one to keep things covered if its going to be a decent day so I can set up early and come back to it when I am ready. I have a pretty small frame so taking my 8inch dob inside and outside is a bit of an ordeal/panic inducing.

[lee14]

The best approach is to not let dew form in the first place. Dew straps are one solution (small ones are available for eyepieces and such) I prefer a hair dryer. No need to aim it at an optical surface, just keep the tube, or dew shield, or the metal part of an eyepiece above the dew point. It's not necessary make it actually 'warm' to the touch. Everything should be thoroughly dry before you bring it in, and before doing so it's fairly simple to enclose the scope in a large plastic bag. Once the equipment reaches room temperature, the plastic is removed.

Lee

[gene 4181]

  8 inch dob, bag the mirror end and cap the other end , carry it back in and store it horizontally  in  its  base .  I even cover the tube  to keep it cool so it doesn't dew as it returns to the house temp.  Keeping the cold dry outside air in the tube  is a good thing. Horizonal keeps the dew from pooling on the primary

[Sincos]

Started my astronomy adventures just across the water from you in Langley, so same amount of moisture as is typical on the wet coast. While using I always had the extra/spare eyepiece in a pocket next to my body for warmth. That way when you take it out it is already warmer than the outside air and therefore has a while before it cools to ambient air temperature which allows dew to build up on it. Dew does not form until a surface has cooled down to outside temperature. Think of dew as falling from above, so long as you keep surfaces, the glass in your eyepieces, the two mirrors in your scope and the finder protected from falling dew you will be fine. Now since I am prone to wearing baseball hats have found them to be a good way to keep dew off the finder scope and eyepiece when left in place. In your case maybe a spare lightweight blanket or sheet is probably a good way to keep dew off everything if you want to walk away for an hour or so just drape it over everything. Just in case you do not know already on Dec.21 both Jupiter and Saturn will be visible so close together you will see them both in the same eyepiece at the same time. They have not been this close together since Galileo’s time, 400 yrs ago. Caveat is that they will both be very low  and in the murky part of the atmosphere. Hope your astronomy adventures keep growing.

[SeliseO25]

I have the plastic bag still from when I bought it! So perhaps I can use that. Good information!
Thank you! I was stoked about Jupiter and Saturn on the 21st prior to even getting my scope! Plus its the day before my birthday let's hope everything stays clear then which is a big ask right now! I know wiping the scope is a moot point as it will just keep coming back outside. The problem is my deck is enclosed by glass on each side it would be far better going out onto my garden deck but its a bit of a walk down and I am nervous about carrying it as I am not graceful and have already envisioned tripping while carrying lol.

[SeliseO25]

I guess I should have also made this thread how to stop dew from forming

[Sincos]

If any of the glass surfaces get dewed up and big spots of water are left to dry up , the white spots that remain can be a problem. So the game is to stop dew from forming , then you do not have to worry about cleaning surfaces. Dust motes can be removed with a camera type air bulb/ brush.

[SeliseO25]

I am thinking I will invest in a dew strap eventually.... I am also on the search right now for a black camping mat to use as a light shroud... maybe make a dew shield also. Its all I could think of to use right now. I am going to be cleaning up my garden deck as there is a decent overhang down there that would easily still give me a large amount of sky. 

[wpostma]

Same issues here, but it’s the dew forming on my secondary and primary that’s bugging me on my newly purchased truss rod dob.  While it’s maybe less humid in the BC Interior where I am (North Okanagan), this time of year, it’s definitely a dew-heater time of year here too.  I will be acquiring something to prevent dew on the primary and secondary mirrors.

 

You mentioned that you are having some trouble getting your dob in and out of the house,  I am contemplating some kind of gadget made of bicycle wheels, probably from a bike that one of my kids have outgrown. The diameter should be good for making a little push cart that I can use to tilt up and get my scope over my door sills and in and out of doors.   

[Waynosworld]

Do not touch or dry your mirrors off with anything except a hair dryer, if you get spots on your Primary mirror you will likely have to remove it and rinse it with distilled water and then have to collimate it.

You can clean the mirror in your sink with tap water and a dish soap like Joy using the tips of your fingers very lightly(no long finger nails), and then rinsing it off with the distilled water, then sitting is on its side to let the distilled run off.

Here is a video about how you clean your mirrors that Jon Isaacs gave me a link to.

https://youtu.be/9Y8xFnXFVGQ

[SeliseO25]

I wish I could get something like that! Once i feel more cofindent I will be travelling to darker skies more and that should take some of the carrying issues away

 Here is a stupid question when covering with a sheet while leaving the scope for a little do you cap everything?

[Napp]

I keep a towel handy to drape over the eyepiece, finder and tube opening when I am not looking through the scope.  Keep a hairdryer handy.  12 volt hairdryers are inexpensive.  You can rig a dew heater to the back of the secondary if necessary.  I always run the fan on the primary to protect it from condensation.

[Waynosworld]

I made a cap for my telescope and it has a curtain around it, did you mention you have a curtain coming.

 

 

 

My telescope is cat proof because I have a way using clothes pins and a clamp to make the curtain tight so the cats cannot get in the mirror chamber, it can sit outside all day now, but I would never let it get dripping wet, if it is that wet outside I would put it away in my shed.

Edited by Waynosworld, 03 December 2020 - 12:10 AM.