Cleaning a newtonian.. and how often..

[AweSIM]

hi all.. im planning to get a skywatcher explorer 200p + heq5.. the scope is a newtonian f/5.. im opting for a newtonian because of its simplicity and my own bias towards it.. i was wondering is it a good decision.. to buy a newtonian instead of other types..

i live in pakistan.. there is so much air pollution over here that in the morning and evening.. you can actually see the smog blanket hovering above the horizon.. the rain leaves stains when allowed to dry on glass.. given such an environment.. is it a safe bet to get this type of scope?

i will obviously NOT use the scope in rainy weather.. but what about corrosion to the mirror due to the environment? will it require cleaning more often? how often do you people clean your scopes mirrors?

asim..

[rowan46]

the general rule is to clean the mirror as little as possible. a mirror takes a lot of gunk before it needs cleaning just keep it out of the rain and you will be surprised how long it lasts before it needs cleaning.

[nicnac]

keep the tube cap on when not in use, you can buy a cover too but to be honest, the 200's are not that big that you would not want to move it indoors when not in use, its about a 100cm long and fairly light