82 replies to this topic

[12BH7]

Here in Arizona the temperatures get so hot that it can degrade synthetic materials. Things like plastics, nylon gears, rubber gaskets, electronic capacitors, etc...

 

When the temps hit 100, it's only a matter of a few days before it's 108 - 115 degrees.  During July and August, now sometimes in September, the temps go as high as 112-118 . That's material destroying temps.

 

This is the signal to pack up my 12" Meade LX -90 SCT. I've had it for 19 years and I really don't want to spend $3k replacing the mount. So to protect the mounts electronics and materials I pack it up and store it inside. There it sits in air conditioned comfort until around Late September or early October.

 

This is when I switch to using a stripped down bare bones 8" SCT with a Nexus Pro PUSH TO DSC system.

 

Between the sky mucking up from the heat and galaxy season coming to an end, it's a good time to pack it up.  Besides, as globular and open clusters start to fill the sky, the wider FOV of the smaller scope is better suited.

 

Truth be told I do actually enjoy using this scope. I find it fun and easy to use.

 

[pj_thomas]

Here in Arizona the temperatures get so hot that it can degrade synthetic materials. Things like plastics, nylon gears, rubber gaskets, electronic capacitors, etc...

 

When the temps hit 100, it's only a matter of a few days before it's 108 - 115 degrees.  During July and August, now sometimes in September, the temps go as high as 112-118 . That's material destroying temps.

 

This is the signal to pack up my 12" Meade LX -90 SCT. I've had it for 19 years and I really don't want to spend $3k replacing the mount. So to protect the mounts electronics and materials I pack it up and store it inside. There it sits in air conditioned comfort until around Late September or early October.

 

This is when I switch to using a stripped down bare bones 8" SCT with a Nexus Pro PUSH TO DSC system.

 

Between the sky mucking up from the heat and galaxy season coming to an end, it's a good time to pack it up.  Besides, as globular and open clusters start to fill the sky, the wider FOV of the smaller scope is better suited.

 

Truth be told I do actually enjoy using this scope. I find it fun and easy to use.

I thought Tuscon was bad this time of year until I went to Phoenix.  Phoenix is brutal.  You need to relocate to Flagstaff area, a dark sky city.

[12BH7]

I thought Tuscon was bad this time of year until I went to Phoenix.  Phoenix is brutal.  You need to relocate to Flagstaff area, a dark sky city.

I've stayed up in Flagstaff a number of times. The pine trees are nice but I really like the desert much more.  Although as I get older I have considered moving to the Sedona area.  All I need is a few million dollars to buy a home there. 

Edited by 12BH7, 06 June 2025 - 09:47 AM.

[Moravianus]

We need an astrovillage in mid Arizona to escape what you are describing and the worsening light pollution (why the TSMC chip factory needs to be lighted like the Christmas tree at night?)

[jcj380]

Phoenix is hotter than Tucson?  I'd have guessed the opposite.  Elevation or terrain?

[Sketcher]

Extreme temperatures (cold as well as hot) do tend to create difficulties for electronics, motors, gears, lubricants, and related components.  And, as you more or less noted, this is really much less of a telescope issue than it is a mount issue.

 

In both worlds, very cold and very hot, it tends to be wiser to avoid so-called "telescopes" that are "married" to their mounts.  To me, a telescope is basically just the optical tube assembly -- a separate entity from the mount.

 

I live and observe in what is sometimes the other extreme:  My record cold observation was with a raw thermometer reading (not factoring in wind chill) of minus 50 degrees F.  That can be every bit as unpleasant for many mounts as can very high temperatures.  Yet, telescopes can mostly handle both extremes.

 

It seems that many make frequent moves during their lives, but if one settles in one location long enough, one learns how to deal with the extremes in that location.  This includes purchasing suitable equipment -- equipment that will work for you in that environment.

 

There was a time when I would go out on every moonless, clear night to visually hunt comets.  Many times, I swept for comets when the temperature was in the minus 20s.  Many mounts would quickly fail to operate at such temperatures.  But there are other mounts that will function just as well at +120 degrees as at -50 degrees as at +70 degrees F.

 

If you're going to be living in that location for the long-term, I suggest making more appropriate mounting choices.  Simple, manually operated mounts are pretty much immune to temperature extremes.

 

This (100% manually operated) mount, without go-to, without tracking motors, remains operational for me at any temperature in which I care to use it.

 

 

But even more reliable is a mount like this one:

 

 

Both of the above mounts, combined, cost less that $500 -- with one purchased new and the other entirely homemade.  Note that the telescope in both photos is the same telescope.

[Starman1]

It's hot enough at night to damage the telescope?

I can see it's too hot during the day, but after dark?

[Bill Weir]

That just all sounds horrendous. While the desert has that momentary “oh that’s beautiful” look I prefer green trees as my landscape and a hot summer day being 25-30°C max. I can work out in the garden all day in that. Then during the night the temperature swing is so small I still have yet to need to add a fan to any of my scopes. No need for air conditioning in the house either.

 

To each space their own.

 

Bill

[dustyc]

Phoenix is hotter than Tucson?  I'd have guessed the opposite.  Elevation or terrain?

Elevation. Two good examples. Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 20-25 degrees colder than the bottom by the Colorado River. Canyon is a mile deep. Mount Lemmon on the outskirts of Tucson is about 25-30 cooler than the desert floor. The summit is about a mile above. 

Phoenix is lower than Tucson. (and a lot brighter at night too!!  )

[Starman1]

Elevation. Two good examples. Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 20-25 degrees colder than the bottom by the Colorado River. Canyon is a mile deep. Mount Lemmon on the outskirts of Tucson is about 25-30 cooler than the desert floor. The summit is about a mile above. 

Phoenix is lower than Tucson. (and a lot brighter at night too!!  )

Though the lights of Tuscon noticeably illuminate about half the sky at Kitt Peak, 55 miles away.

Standing near Desert Center, halfway between LA and Phoenix, you can make out the light domes from LA and Phoenix at the same time, 175 miles from each.

 

With these big cities, you really need to be around 200 miles away before the skies get truly dark (21.5-21.6 and darker).

The exception is when the coastal cities get buried thousands of feet thick with low clouds and fog.

In those conditions, I've seen 21.45 skies only 75 miles from LA instead of the more normal 21.0-21.1 at that distance.

[Refractor6]

  The hot global weather seems to be the new norm.  First time in memory that we have a week long hot weather warning in effect for early June...32 to 33 c on Sunday when it peaks.

 

 My brother's in Rome on a trip and reports its the same over parts of Europe he's visited at present.

 

 So places known for heat as indicated in the original post will only see it worst over time is my observation as the world warms up.

Edited by Refractor6, 06 June 2025 - 03:07 PM.

[Starman1]

  The hot global weather seems to be the new norm.  First time in memory that we have a week long hot weather warning in effect for early June...32 to 33 c on Sunday when it peaks.

 

 My brother's in Rome on a trip and reports its the same over parts of Europe he's visited at present.

 

 So places known for heat as indicated in the original post will only see it worst over time is my observation as the world warms up.

LOL.  We only get heat warnings here when the temperature exceeds 35-40°C.

Funny, here in West LA, we're having daily highs around 20-22°C, the influence of a cold current in the Pacific right off shore.

[Refractor6]

LOL.  We only get heat warnings here when the temperature exceeds 35-40°C.

Funny, here in West LA, we're having daily highs around 20-22°C, the influence of a cold current in the Pacific right off shore.

 I hear you Don but for here it falls out of the norm...that's what's worth mentioning:

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...event-1.7554454

[12BH7]

It's hot enough at night to damage the telescope?

I can see it's too hot during the day, but after dark?

Even at night it still lingers around 100°.

 

It's not as much the OTA that I worry about, it's the mount. As mentioned above, when the OTA is married to a particular mount, it's important to take care of both.

[12BH7]

 

Extreme temperatures (cold as well as hot) do tend to create difficulties for electronics, motors, gears, lubricants, and related components.  And, as you more or less noted, this is really much less of a telescope issue than it is a mount issue.

 

In both worlds, very cold and very hot, it tends to be wiser to avoid so-called "telescopes" that are "married" to their mounts.  To me, a telescope is basically just the optical tube assembly -- a separate entity from the mount.

 

I live and observe in what is sometimes the other extreme:  My record cold observation was with a raw thermometer reading (not factoring in wind chill) of minus 50 degrees F.  That can be every bit as unpleasant for many mounts as can very high temperatures.  Yet, telescopes can mostly handle both extremes.

 

It seems that many make frequent moves during their lives, but if one settles in one location long enough, one learns how to deal with the extremes in that location.  This includes purchasing suitable equipment -- equipment that will work for you in that environment.

 

There was a time when I would go out on every moonless, clear night to visually hunt comets.  Many times, I swept for comets when the temperature was in the minus 20s.  Many mounts would quickly fail to operate at such temperatures.  But there are other mounts that will function just as well at +120 degrees as at -50 degrees as at +70 degrees F.

 

If you're going to be living in that location for the long-term, I suggest making more appropriate mounting choices.  Simple, manually operated mounts are pretty much immune to temperature extremes.

 

This (100% manually operated) mount, without go-to, without tracking motors, remains operational for me at any temperature in which I care to use it.

 

 

 

But even more reliable is a mount like this one:

 

 

 

Both of the above mounts, combined, cost less that $500 -- with one purchased new and the other entirely homemade.  Note that the telescope in both photos is the same telescope.

 

This is why I have my "summer" 8" SCT on a homemade PUSH TO bare bones mount.

[Don W]

In Cottonwood, AZ 2 hours north of Phoenix, it’s 10 degrees cooler year round. It’s a designated dark sky area in the high desert 40 miles south of Flagstaff. But you can’t move here. We’re full, LOL!

[Nerd1]

I got hired to do a commercial remodel on a grocery store south of Parker Arizona once. I'm a Texas boy, my brother and I drove out there and worked for a month. I just thought I knew what hot was,  that low desert doesn't cool down even at night. It was August when we were there,  120 in the day maybe 102 by 1am. I drank two gallons of water a day working 14 hrs shifts.  I'll stay in Texas thank you. 

[12BH7]

In Cottonwood, AZ 2 hours north of Phoenix, it’s 10 degrees cooler year round. It’s a designated dark sky area in the high desert 40 miles south of Flagstaff. But you can’t move here. We’re full, LOL!

Cottonwood is a nice town and I always enjoy doing stuff up there. I'm a bit spoiled because here in Fountain Hills we have the Four Peaks wilderness  in my backyard. We are also 30 minutes away from the Mazatzal and Goldfield mountains. Can't get enough of those rocks. But development has started to bring in more people that treat the desert like they can trash it.

 

I'm seeing a lot more people doing stupid things that are CONSTENTLY causing wild fires. 

[ABQJeff]

Move to or have a second home in northern NM? Still a desert but cooler. I have to wear a turtleneck and thermal underwear for early morning observing as it is presently only in the 50s at 4 am (as we all know just sitting there makes it feel 20 degrees cooler.)

[Jon Isaacs]

Move to or have a second home in northern NM? Still a desert but cooler. I have to wear a turtleneck and thermal underwear for early morning observing as it is presently only in the 50s at 4 am (as we all know just sitting there makes it feel 20 degrees cooler.)

 

That's what I do... We have a second home in the high desert at about 4000 feet.  It's pretty warm in the summer, highs in the 80s F to mid 90s F in the heat of the summer.  Very occasionally 100F.  

 

One does anything to escape San Diego.. 

 

"Average monthly temperatures range from 57.3 °F (14.1 °C) in January to 72 °F (22 °C) in August. On average, 344 days a year are hotter than 60 °F (16 °C), but only 25 days are hotter than 80 °F (27 °C)."

 

Summer weekends, Interstate 8 has a lot of traffic of "Zonies" coming to enjoy the cool weather and the beaches.. 

 

Our place in the high desert was historically an area where people came from places like Phoenix to enjoy the relatively cool weather.  It was highest place on old US 80 as one climbed up the Mountain Springs grade from below sea level.  Even today, there are large concrete cylinders filled with water for radiators every mile or two.   

 

Jon

Edited by Jon Isaacs, 07 June 2025 - 03:34 AM.

[desertstars]

Tucson certainly works for me. Not as bright at night as Phoenix (where I lived for 20 years) although not a dark sky town by any stretch. Still, I do a lot of back yard observing here. It gets pretty hot in the summer, but the Three-legged Newt and its AVX mount live under the covered back porch, set up on a JMI Wheeley Bar and shrouded by a Telegimzos 365 cover. No direct sunlight, ever. Any time the monsoon gives us a break, we're ready to roll out.

[WillR]

Even at night it still lingers around 100°.

 

It's not as much the OTA that I worry about, it's the mount. As mentioned above, when the OTA is married to a particular mount, it's important to take care of both.

100 degrees at night? I guess I won’t be trading my cloudy northeast for sunny Arizona. I’ll take fewer clear nights. 
 

Here in the base of mountains, if it doesn’t get below 70, I consider that a warm night. We’ve pretty much done without air conditioning altogether until recently, and now may need it a few nights or weeks at the height of summer. Most nights it dips into the 60s and the attic fan draws to cool air into the house.

[dustyc]

Out about 50 to 75 miles from the major cities, the desert cools down to about 85 degrees around midnight. Nice shirtsleeve weather. That 100 degrees at night is common in the city. (concrete holds heat).

[Refractor6]

  With the AC on full blast since noon and at 2.39 PM Pacific and just happened to just open the door for a brief second and getting a very hot blast of air I can clearly say this is the hottest June 8th on record in my recent memory.....33c and building.

 

 A sample of what "fun" the summer's going to be {not}.....

Edited by Refractor6, 08 June 2025 - 04:40 PM.

[12BH7]

  With the AC on full blast since noon and at 2.39 PM Pacific and just happened to just open the door for a brief second and getting a very hot blast of air I can clearly say this is the hottest June 8th on record in my recent memory.....33c and building.

 

 A sample of what "fun" the summer's going to be {not}.....

Try these apples. The unbelievable part is that this isn't hot yet - for here. 

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