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Is it OK to leave the rig parked but uncapped for the day?

Astrophotography Beginner CMOS
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#1 askinghyena

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 07:11 PM

I work night shift, 2pm to 1am, sometimes in winter like this i can get away with setting up in the weekend, then leaving the rig parked, capped and covered until 1:30pm during weekdays, at which point it's already twilight so I can uncover and uncap it, and have it start imaging automatically around 4pm.

 

This time we didn't get good weather over the weekend, but we're getting great weather over the next few weekdays and I'm wondering if I could get away with setting up once I get home around 1:30am, then leaving it parked, uncapped and uncovered during daytime so it can start imaging again automatically the next night.

 

Would that damage the camera sensor? Any other reasons why I shouldn't do this?



#2 idclimber

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 07:21 PM

Have you looked at the motorized light panel / lens caps by Optec? What kind of scope do you have?



#3 askinghyena

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 07:26 PM

Have you looked at the motorized light panel / lens caps by Optec? What kind of scope do you have?

I did look, I might buy or make myself something like that someday but for now I've already spent enough on the rig!

 

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#4 afd33

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 07:28 PM

I do it regularly. As long as it's not pointed at the sun you're fine. The biggest thing I've had is some extra dust and spiderwebs to deal with in the not winter months.


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#5 gstrumol

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 07:45 PM

Why would you want to? Is that that much of an inconvenience to uncap things before viewing?



#6 idclimber

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 08:00 PM

Why would you want to? Is that that much of an inconvenience to uncap things before viewing?

My guess is he sleeps in  the mourning hours  and does not want to interrupt that. 

 

 

I did look, I might buy or make myself something like that someday but for now I've already spent enough on the rig!

 

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I would see if you can set a home or park position pointed north with the telescope pointed below the horizon. Then when the session is over the scope is more protected. I might also consider a simple home made dew shield extension. Less dust etc will collect on the front of the refractor. Add about 2 to 3" to the stock one. 


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#7 askinghyena

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 08:08 PM

Why would you want to? Is that that much of an inconvenience to uncap things before viewing?

Since i go to bed around 2am, I'm in deep sleep when the sun rises around 7am and I'd rather not cut my sleeping hours during my workdays.

 

Also, since I leave for work around 1:30, if i uncap before leaving that still leaves 2-3 hours uncapped during the day.

 

If I put the cap on when getting out of bed, and took it off when leaving for work, it would only be on for like 4 hours a day? I think I'll do that, it's better than nothing, but still a significant amount of time uncapped in daytime.


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#8 gstrumol

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 08:13 PM

Since i go to bed around 2am, I'm in deep sleep when the sun rises around 7am and I'd rather not cut my sleeping hours during my workdays.

 

Also, since I leave for work around 1:30, if i uncap before leaving that still leaves 2-3 hours uncapped during the day.

 

If I put the cap on when getting out of bed, and took it off when leaving for work, it would only be on for like 4 hours a day? I think I'll do that, it's better than nothing, but still a significant amount of time uncapped in daytime.

Aah, gotcha! waytogo.gif



#9 Notdarkenough

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 10:01 PM

You don't mention where you live. I live at 41' North. A polar aligned telescope at home position can't see the sun. I regularly leave my rig uncapped during the day. In the warmer months, it may get a bit more dust, etc... but in the winter, as long as it doesn't snow, what is the hazard? If it won't get above freezing, I'll leave the dew heater on and everything running. Just turn off the tracking so there isn't any mount damage, and let it go. Turning everything off, capped, and covered for 4hrs is not reasonable IMO. 


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#10 Tkall

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Posted 20 January 2025 - 11:10 PM

I did that once.  Is bird_sh*t one word or two?


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#11 ayadai

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Posted 21 January 2025 - 12:05 AM

You don't mention your location, but I'll say one word: Precipitation. Depending on your climate, an uncovered scope always has the chance to become a very wet one, or even worse, one badly damaged by hail/ice/etc...


Edited by ayadai, 21 January 2025 - 12:07 AM.


#12 Zambiadarkskies

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Posted 21 January 2025 - 06:45 AM

I do it regularly. As long as it's not pointed at the sun you're fine. The biggest thing I've had is some extra dust and spiderwebs to deal with in the not winter months.


Same here. I sometimes have an early start while my rig is running and then sometimes get busy and distracted and don't cover until I return to the house at lunchtime. This however is in our dry season when rain is basically a non-issue. I just fairly regularly blow off the front element and use a Zeiss lens wipe.

#13 Drothgeb

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Posted 21 January 2025 - 09:08 AM

I did that once.  Is bird_sh*t one word or two?

My thoughts exactly. I have two mounts on piers in the yard. There’s always bird crap on top of the Telegizmos covers. Plus, I’ve had a couple of scopes crapped on while their caps were on. I’m pretty careful not to leave things uncovered during daylight hours.


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#14 WadeH237

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Posted 21 January 2025 - 09:45 AM

If I am going to be imaging many nights in a row, I often leave the scope parked and uncovered, with the lens cap off.  I do it partly because I am lazy, and partly because sometimes I'm not home when it's time for an automated imaging session to start.

 

I do think that it's important to park the scope in a "safe" way.  By this, I mean that it cannot be pointed so that the sun could pass through the field of view.  And it cannot be parked so that bird droppings (or other things) could come in contact with the lens.  In my case, I park so that the counterweight shaft is parallel to the ground, with the scope on the west side and also level, pointed north.

 

I live in an area with lots of raptors hunting for rodents in the fields, and  I never leave the lens exposed to the sky when the rig is not actively imaging.  I still need to clean the occasional dropping from parts of the rig, but as long as the lens is never touched, that's fine.



#15 DBullard

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Posted 21 January 2025 - 11:38 AM

Having been bird bombed inside the lens hood I would strongly suggest parking horizontally over having the scope pointed at Polaris... Even after only a few hours there is a permanent stain on the black paint in the lens hood....

 

 

I have NINA park the scope when its done imaging and then put the lens cap on and home it when I wake up... I might even suggest pointing the scope below the horizon slightly...


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