For anyone, (like me), who doubted how dirty a mirror could be....

[freeflyjay]

Everybody knows that emery cloth is so last year!.

Real astronomers use oven cleaner on their mirrors these days. Just be sure to use rubber gloves.

your so yesterday, everyone knows a concentrated solution of nitric and sulphuric acid will strip any impurities from your mirrors, the added "pitting" with concave indentations actually magnifies the photons on some occasions allowing entanlglement at a quatum level allowing the observer to instantly understand the whole of the observed object.

disclaimer ... thick gloves are required and this deep cleaning should only be done by those who "know what the f*&k they are doing" if the solution should burn though the gloves and glycerine from your bones should enter the solution this may invalidate your warenty and harm any and all within a 250m radius

[LeeB]

Anyway of looking at, it that a mirror that dirty will affect the image, you can't even see the sections of the tubes properly. It will work but the image gets gradually worse, so degradation of image goes unnoticed. If it where cleaned you would notice. i do when i clean them and mine never get a tenth of the state thats in.

[benjii]

Anyway of looking at, it that a mirror that dirty will affect the image, you can't even see the sections of the tubes properly. It will work but the image gets gradually worse, so degradation of image goes unnoticed. If it where cleaned you would notice. i do when i clean them and mine never get a tenth of the state thats in.

That's exactly what I thought. It's impossible to notice image degradation if it's that subtle, the one day you'll think "Why don't my eyes hurt from looking at the moon anymore?" Then the penny will drop.... best get the distilled water!

[Astrosurf]

I'm glad I saw this. I was worried mine was unusably bad and have just put up a post as a cry for help! Mine's not nearly that bad. Phew!

Alexxx

[Tinker1947]

Now for me, i would have got it cleaned up as its not like the TV people just appear its a planned, so somebody needs a slapped wrist for allowing it to be seen in that state... even if there all volunteers there should still be a bit of pride in the way its kept...