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Reflectors and sea

Rurke

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Rurke

Rurke

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Hi!

I've got my hands on very little used 200mm SkyWatcher reflector. Now i am considering good seeing places. I'm living almost on the sea shore, and there are lots of dark good places there, but the thing i am afraid of is the salty air. Somewhere i remember reading that it this can be harmful for mirrors. Some opinions on this?

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Rurke

Rurke

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Oi, sveiks :)

Negaidīju ka pirmo atbildi šeit dabūšu latviski :) Man jau bija aizdomas ka nav ko uztraukties. Parakņājoties pa internetu arī neko neatradu, bet nu drošības pēc bija jāuzprasa. Tad tagad tik jāgaida Ventspilī sakarīgs laiks.

Andrejs

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Tim

Tim

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Guys, we truly appreciate your input and value the international membership very much.

Please can you use English while posting here, so that the forum and the answers given can be enjoyed by the greater majority of the english speaking world.

Thanks guys :)

Oh, and I wouldn't use a telescope anywhere the sea air could reach it. The coverings on lenses and mirrors can be affected by the salt content of the moist air.

Tim

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Rurke

Rurke

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Sorry, sorry everyone :)

So, Dude_with_the_tube says that there should be not any problems while Tim says to keep away from sea. But maybe in calm air the salt in the air should not be big problem? 

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RichM63

RichM63

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Big difference between 'by the sea' and 'in the sea'.

I take the kit to the high cliffs +100m and observe from there on occasion.

The views can be stunning.

Stay out of spray, use normal precautions, and wipe down the exterior of your kit on returning inside.

For the price of a 200P, I wouldn't give up the views, even if I had to change it after a few years.

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Rurke

Rurke

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Ok, so i discarded all doubts and went watching stars this night on the shore. Telescope was quite wet autside in 30 minutes. Licking it proved that it is not salty :D :D Despite of bright moon i managed to find Andromeda galaxy and then Ring Nebula in Lyra. After an hour of trying to find NGC6913 i called it a night and went home. Thanks everyone.

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jamespels

jamespels

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I would think the coatings on the mirror would probably protect it from direct damage but, if it is exposed to salty air, you will need to be careful to avoid a salty build-up on the mirror over time. This should not be a huge problem but it does mean you will need to clean it more often than most and it is very easy to scratch a mirror when cleaning it.

And welcome to the site ;)

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Dude_with_the_tube

Dude_with_the_tube

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i think as to be on a safe side and if you are still worried about salt air/water settling on your optics,you can simply remove the mirrors and rinse them after lets say every 3 month or more often if you are really worried,but then again,we here in UK are right next to see too and i havent heard anyone complaining about the salt issue on they mirrors so i think it is a bit of an over exaggerated.On the other saide,i lived in Latvia for 30 years before moving to UK and the air there is no different salt wise as it is in UK.Actually there is more moist in the air here in UK as it is in Latvia.

And on another side of other side,I would highly recommend Latvia for stargazing if anyone is planning to have a stargazing trip somewhere in Europe,because skies there are unbelievably dark.From my parents house,i have seen Milky Way,Andromeda,Panstarrs with naked eyes.

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Zakalwe

Zakalwe

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If it lives by the sea then yes, it will probably degrade more quickly than one not by the sea. But you've got to balance that against not having any telescope at all. And it may take a long time (years?) before any appreciable degradation occurs. So I would say, get out and use it and enjoy the views. After a couple of years you can look at the battle scars on it and remember the good times that you had that caused that wear and tear.

Personally, I'd rather have a scope that looked tatty from years of use than a pristine version that I was afraid of taking out and using.

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RobH

RobH

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I live probably 75M from the sea, and at 30M above sea level, and have not so far had any issues with my mirror coatings degrading. Maybe they are degrading quicker than they would at an inland site, but if they are, I have no way of telling, and it must be very slow too.

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Charic

Charic

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Ok, so i discarded all doubts and went watching stars this night on the shore. Telescope was quite wet autside in 30 minutes. Licking it proved that it is not salty :D :D Despite of bright moon i managed to find Andromeda galaxy and then Ring Nebula in Lyra. After an hour of trying to find NGC6913 i called it a night and went home. Thanks everyone.

thats a new one, at least telescopes can't hop away?....... :smiley:
Ive often walked along sea fronts and wanted to own a few houses with their commanding views, and quite often there is a refractor in the window. Now I know fracs are a little more intrinsically secure from the elements, but I would have thought that a reflector scope would be safe as long as you dont encounter sea spray. I'm  4 miles from the Sea, but still consider that I live near the Sea.
.
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