My mirror the dust magnet.

[paul schofield]

Good evening all.

Is there a way of cleaning the mirror in my 200p Dob ? For some strange reason just lately my mirror seems to be getting lots of dust specks on it.

I have maybe used my scope for 4 hours total since bought new a couple of months ago.

I used to bring the scope indoors after use & leave the caps off it and pointed downwards until dew had dissipated. After reading posts on here, I have started to put dust cap and focuser cap on prior to bringing the scope indoors & leaving them all night but since doing it this way my mirror seems to be getting worse. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated guys. p.s Also when I put scope out to cool off, I put a hair net over tube to stop any foreign bodies entering the tube. HELP......

[Skybrowser]

Have a look at Steve Richard's (Steppenwolf) excellent vid on You Tube. Take great care. Taking it out, there will be a few screws. The sheer size, thickness and weight of the mirror will surprise you.

[Moonshane]

there is absolutely no reason to worry about this. it's normal for an open system to get a little dust on the mirror. it affects the view not a single bit. you can clean the mirror as suggested but you'll gain no benefit unless it's e.g. so dirty you cannot see your face in the mirror. you can cause more damage washing it badly.

my MO when packing up is bring the scope in. set at a shallow (low) angle and leave to dry off (all the while uncapped) overnight.

seriously, just ignore it.

[Skybrowser]

Agree with you Moonshane. My mirror steadily got worse over time so I eventually took the plunge and cleaned it, followed Steve's vid to the letter. It did make a difference, although perhaps I was expecting it to do that...

I do agree that the dust and stuff which gathers can look worse than it is, but eventually, I couldn't see my face and cleaned it. Took enormous care with it and it was perfectly clean after that.

[paul schofield]

Thanks very much for that chaps, brilliant advice as usual. You have put my mind at rest. I was getting a bit obsessive about it. Phew thanks again. Clear skies.

[Moonshane]

no worries. I have only cleaned one mirror on my three telescopes in the last five years and only then when selling it. I cannot recall the last time I cleaned an eyepiece.