To DEW or not to DEW

[EarthBound]

Ok folks. I got my used 10" Meade LX200 electronics working. Went out last night to try it out.

Evening started out with some high thin clouds, scattered. As the evening progresed, the clouds moved off to the NE and left a GORGEOUS dark sky, minimal humidity in the air, and what a night for viewing.

Well the LX200 worked wonderfully. I am still learning the offerings of this beast. Little did I know how GREAT the "Start Find" function was going to be! Every reposition another amazing surprise.

...but I digress..when I was taking the scope down, I found the humidity that had been lingering earlier in the evening had found it's way to my scope. In all my excitement of the wonders I was enjoying, I never realized the OTA was almost dripping and the corrector plate was covered with dew.

1) Should the dew be gently removed with the proper cleaning material periodically while viewing? Being new, I cannot tell if the dew is actually interfereing with the optics or not.

2) I was hesitant to close everything up to put it to bed with all the dew on it. Should it be allowed to dry out before installing the lens covers? I opted for protection of the lenses over concern for the moisture laden lens and installed the cover over the corrector plate.

Ohhh this is SO interesting a hobby! Why did I wait so long to get serious about it?

Thanks

Steve S.

[Psychobilly]

Avoid wiping the "damp" optics use a hair drier - you can get 12V ones from camping suppliers but they are very heavy on the battery...

Better still would be to use a dew shield and dew heater band...

Make a dew shield out of a camping mat... or keep an eye on Astroboot and see what coems up on there.. there are some cheap dew bands around... and a basic "full power" dew heater adaptor...

Peter...

[brianb]

Peter (Psychobilly) is absolutely right.

If you cap the tube BEFORE you bring it inside, and leave it capped until the scope has warmed up to room temperature, the corrector plate probably won't dew up. And if it does it will clear itself. Do NOT wipe especially when damp! I stick a couple of large silica gel sachets inside the objective cap (and renew them periodically) to help keep things dry.

When the scope is brought in, store it with the tube angled down at about 45 degrees - so that any condensation that does form inside the tube drips clear of the mirror & corrector plate.

[Glider]

I think you may be in luck with dew bands currently on Astroboot.

[EarthBound]

OK, no wiping...clear!

Thought about dew shield and the guy I bought this from actually handed me a hair drier but I have also read horror stories about using them and crazed lenses. Guess moderation is the key.

The moisture thingys inside the cover is a great idea. I will be making a tube plug as well for the inside. (Now where did I put those old 35MM plastic canisters?)

Apologies for being DENSE as a brick, but where in HAYDES is Astroboot? I have been all over this site and I cannot find a forum called Astroboot.

[martin_h]

Look here >>> AstroBoot

[Psychobilly]

Anything other than optical surfaces can be wiped down... I used to use one of those microfibre hiking towels...

Peter...

[EarthBound]

Thank you Martin. I should have known that becasue Astro_Baby directed me there once before.

Being a yank, I am going to have to find a similar state side site. These do look like good deals, although I have no idea the exchange rate. If nothing else, I got some really good ideas. I didn't know the was a locator plate for the Meade LX classic, or an hand held tray.

Getting this 61# beast ontop of a 4' (whoops) 1.2M high tripod is a real chore.

Thanks again for the tip folks!

[eddie3000]

Maybe a few cpu fans constantly blowing on the lens might do the trick. They are cheap and only take a few miliAmps.

[brantuk]

When using the hairdryer - direct it onto the sides of the tube - rather than directly onto the corrector plate. On a cold night you might crack the corrector if too much heat hits it at once.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The simple cheap camping mat dews shield realy performs well. I made one for my 130P scope a few weeks ago and also a couple of smaller ones for my 20X90 bins because the east coast of Ireland can REALLY suffer from dew in the summer.

So far there have been a few nights when everything was soaked in dew except for my optics.

I used double sided velcro to fasten them.

[EarthBound]

Luke....I am your father... no, just kidding.

Hey, the camping dew mat you mention, never seen one before. Can you direct me to a link or something so I can get more information?

I am in an area of the US that is common to have high humidty (but fortunately not always) and nights can get into the low 70s F, below the dew point. All that to say dew is an issue here.

I need to come up with a good anti-dew scheme to prevent dew on the OTA and my eyepieces.

Looking for any ideas I can get.

Thanks,

[LukeSkywatcher]

Luke....I am your father... no, just kidding.

Hey, the camping dew mat you mention, never seen one before. Can you direct me to a link or something so I can get more information?

I am in an area of the US that is common to have high humidty (but fortunately not always) and nights can get into the low 70s F, below the dew point. All that to say dew is an issue here.

I need to come up with a good anti-dew scheme to prevent dew on the OTA and my eyepieces.

Looking for any ideas I can get.

Thanks,

Haha i saw a t-shirt in Tesco the other day with a picture of Vader on it saying "I am your father".

I didnt buy it.

[Brinders]

Luke....I am your father... no, just kidding.

Hey, the camping dew mat you mention, never seen one before. Can you direct me to a link or something so I can get more information?

I am in an area of the US that is common to have high humidty (but fortunately not always) and nights can get into the low 70s F, below the dew point. All that to say dew is an issue here.

I need to come up with a good anti-dew scheme to prevent dew on the OTA and my eyepieces.

Looking for any ideas I can get.

Thanks,

Living close to open water, as well as the sea, dew is a real pain from autumn to spring. I use both a flexiblew Astrozap dew shield (http://astrozap.com/Scripts/default.asp) and a Dew-Not controller and heater tape (Dew-Not by AFAB™). Even then, on the dampest of nights I have had to resort to an hair drier as even the heater, tape and shield haven't been able to keep it at bay!

Brinders