Telescope and Mount - Safe to leave outside under cover?

[Bosuser]

HI,

With the unsettled weather recently, especially the showers interspersed with clearer spells, I was wondering whether to leave my tripod, mount and scope setup outside under a purpose-made cover.

I quite often spend an hour or so setting everything up, polar-aligning the mount etc, only to take it down rapidly again because of a shower or giving up after half an hour or so due to heavy dew and having to repeat the performance the following evening.

Would it be possible to leave the scope up for several days under cover  throughout the summer without any harm coming to it?

Kevin

[ChrisLX200]

I leave my mount outside under a cover, but the OTA I always remove and store indoors in a protected dry place. That works out OK because it is quick and simple to remount the OTA and no re-alignment is required. Whether your mount would suffer damage stored long term like this really depends on what it's made of, atainless steel and anodised alloy is pretty hardy and if given a coat of anti-corrosive as well it should be fine.

ChrisH

[Stevp]

Depends how much faith you have in your neighbourhood as well!

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[Alien 13]

Depends how much faith you have in your neighbourhood as well!

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There is that i dont think mine would suvive for more than 10 mins unatended, regarding just the weather then removal of the scope as suggested should be fine.

Alan

[ChrisLX200]

Security is an issue, but I have a steel pier and the mount is attached with security bolts - nothing short of a big angle grinder and a lot of time would separate the two.

ChrisH

[ollypenrice]

I run an astro guest house and many guests bring their own gear throughout the year. Since we are at a high altitude in the mountains this can mean mean leaving it outside in anything from thunderstorms to snow to extremely high daytime temperatures. Nobody ever takes their kit down, they leave it under decent soft covers, and many have been doing this for decades, before I started here. It really isn't an issue.

Olly

[m.tweedy]

Think this says it all about the cover

https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/Catalogue/365%20Series%20Covers.html

[Stevp]

Security is an issue, but I have a steel pier and the mount is attached with security bolts - nothing short of a big angle grinder and a lot of time would separate the two.

ChrisH

Perhaps a lot of effort to steal it, but maybe not so long for some "person" to wreck it in the process of trying

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[Bosuser]

Thanks guys, I found all your advice/links to be useful.

I think I'll try leaving the mount assembled and covered for a few days at a time when it looks like good weather and take the OTA in after I finish each session.

As for safety, that is an issue, but I'll put my faith in the PIR security lighting around the property.

Now here's hoping for some breaks in those clouds  .

Kevin