cleaning optic's help

[sam mayo]

i have noticed dust on my primary and was thinking its inevitable that dust etc will get into the ota when observing,i have been very careful but not enough by the looks of it always keep covers on when not in use,how do you clean the mirrors and how bad does it have to be to justifying cleaning

sorry if its a dumb question just dont want to mess with it not knowing what im doing

thanks

sam

[mdstuart]

Sam

I bet mine is more dusty than yours...you can look when you come down..

Most people say wait until there is a lot of dust so it is very obvious even when not shining a light on it...

If you do clean it there is a technique of running it under water with special cotton wool and then drying it with distilled water..I have done this a few times on other scopes with no issues..

Mark

[MBJ]

i wouldnt worry about a bit of dust on your primary,ive seen mirrors really dirty and they still perform remarkably well,the bit of dust on yours wont affect its perfomance and shouldnt need cleaning until really neccasary,cleaning telescope mirrors isnt a simple and straightforward procedure,the risk of damaging the mirror outweighs the bit of dust on it affecting its performance.

[sam mayo]

brilliant thanks for the help!!

[LeeB]

I clean mine once a year to keep them at their best. Alot of people don't, but I have never hurt a mirror yet.(i should'nt say that) Secondary gets done at the same time and any eye pieces that are looking dusty. The dust on your mirror isn't the issue its the aviation fuel and other petrochemicals that will do the damage. So dont worry about a bit of dust.