Is it time to clean my mirror?

[Starwiz]

A problem in Malta is that any breeze from the south or south west tends to deposit tiny particles of dust from the Sahara.  I'm very nervous about cleaning the mirror, but is it time to do so?

John

Edited June 11, 2020 by Starwiz

[jonathan]

If it is just dust or sand then you could first try a can of compressed air (DO NOT SHAKE IT) or a camera 'bulb' blower (without touching the mirror surface at all), see how much of the dust it removes.  You will need to remove the mirror from the OTA in order to do this properly.

Cleaning the mirror shouldn't be difficult or scary, it's just requires a very gentle touch and some distilled or de-ionised water to rinse off the soap, then leave to air dry in a warm place (preferably not outside when there is a south westerly breeze!)

Edited June 11, 2020 by jonathan

[Starwiz]

14 hours ago, jonathan said:

If it is just dust or sand then you could first try a can of compressed air (DO NOT SHAKE IT) or a camera 'bulb' blower (without touching the mirror surface at all), see how much of the dust it removes.  You will need to remove the mirror from the OTA in order to do this properly.

Cleaning the mirror shouldn't be difficult or scary, it's just requires a very gentle touch and some distilled or de-ionised water to rinse off the soap, then leave to air dry in a warm place (preferably not outside when there is a south westerly breeze!)

Thanks Jonathan, sounds like a good plan.

John

[Waldemar]

In your picture, it looks like there is a crack in your mirror, running from the top to the left side... is it?
if you need a practical guide to clean your mirror: CLEANING MIRRORS.docx

[Ricochet]

8 minutes ago, Waldemar said:

In your picture, it looks like there is a crack in your mirror, running from the top to the left side... is it?
if you need a practical guide to clean your mirror: CLEANING MIRRORS.docx

Reflection of the secondary spider, I think.

[Starwiz]

23 hours ago, Waldemar said:

In your picture, it looks like there is a crack in your mirror, running from the top to the left side... is it?

As Ricochet said, it's the spider vane reflection.  Had me scared for a minute though. 🤣

Thanks for the document.

John

23 hours ago, Ricochet said:

Reflection of the secondary spider, I think.