Equipment Storage. Temperature Limits.

[Carbon Brush]

Sometimes, but not always, electronic equipment has storage and use temperature limits included in the product specification.

Has anyone seen storage or operating temperature limits on scopes?

For most of the time, we are interested in whether astro kit (optical or electronic) will work in the cold. If there are problems, then we can usually arrange to warm things a little.

However, in the current weather, the effect of high temperature on kit is potentially an issue. If you leave scope kit in a car it can get very hot. Perhaps 50C. My black roof 'shed' has been up to 31C.

I'm not thinking here of reversible effects like poor images from hot optics. i'm thinking more of permanent damage. Grease dribbles out of a focusser onto a mirror. Or even eyepiece coatings starting to look like crazy paving. I once had the coatings craze on specs left in a car.

Does anyone have any first hand experience in this area?

[sgazer]

cold doesn't seem to be an issue, I kept mine in a coal shed (minus the coal). +50 in a car though, not sure of the effect on coatings at that temperature. Probably will be ok, but best avoided and at least not left in direct sun. As for grease dripping, depends on how much grease and what direction it could drip. I did a quick google search on "telescope maximum temperature", but only found references to temperature cycling potentially causing an issue due to continuous expansion and contraction and dew being the main enemy.

[AndyH]

Tal have always stated in their manuals, a maximum scope storage temperature of +40 Celcius.