Newbie here! Dust on Skywatcher 150P Dob Mirror

[GTR]

Hi, Newbie from 'oop North Yorks here.

I recently noticed a fair amount of dust on my Skywatcher 150P dob, and, totally unaware that some dust won't do that much harm, I tried to clean the main bottom mirror by (embarrasing moment time) tying a cloth round a dressing gown cord and lowering it into the tube til it touchered the mirror, then spinning the cord about so that the cloth inside spun on the mirror. :icon_salut:

On the plus side, the dust did move, but have I just knackered my scope? Bit worried.

[richbyers]

hey man

mirrors are a tricky business, they can be properly cleaned, but are sometimes best left if they arent too bad....whats the mirror like now? has it got any streaks? i doubt youll have wrecked it

rich

[estwing]

my mirror is not to bad but needs cleaning,if i unscrew the bottom with the allen keys, drop the mirror out, clean it...re-insert, wont it collimating again? also thinking of cutting a flap out of the side so i can just reach in and wipe it and put some kind of hinge on it?

[Peter Drew]

I wouldn't recommend "wiping" a mirror at any time, the delicate surface needs to be washed, rinsed with distilled water and dried properly, best done removed from the scope. Most owners are usually competent at collimation by the time the mirror needs attention.

[estwing]

drat...always looking for the easy option!

[knobby]

I like your ingenuity ... doubt you did any harm as you would Have hardly put any pressure on the mirror surface. The spinning action probably caused enough draft to blow the dust away.

good luck

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'd say the mirror is fine. Hardly any pressure was used so there should be no scratches.

[GTR]

Hi again,

Thanks for the replies. The mirror is fine, I just touched it lightly with a spinning cloth and thats it, and yes it has cleared the dust. I wish I had visited this site earlier and known to leave it well alone though. Doh! (Hope I haven't knocked the alignment!)

Spinning cloths aside, the 150p Dob is a very good first scope and I was very impressed with the image of the moon the other night. Pity the weather has gone downhill since lol.

I'm fairly new to all this but I'm definitely going to be a regular visiting this site as it looks fantastic, full of people who know their stuff!!