Re: permanent outdoor housing for scope and concer

Hi eric,

From the posts I've read, acid in the air, which settles onmirrors when condensation forms, is the biggest problem with coatings.

Other than that I think all the conditions you face in an observatory will be the same in a small storage shed.

Hope you fiind a solution that works.

Dan

One key is to prevent air circulation, another is moisture absorption.
I had a shed with a ridge vent and eaves vents. Things rusted quickly, as more air circulating just dragged the moisture over everything. When I closed up the shed tightly and sealed up the vents, my rust problem ended. As for moisture absorption, a cheap bag of charcoal should work in one of those Home Depot plastic sheds if you could get the shed nearly airtight. Also, things like unpainted wood also absorb moisture and slows items inside from rusting. But ask anyone with with a metal storage shed about rust. I would think the plastic would be somewhere in between due to its more insulative thermal properties than metal.
You may need to towel wipe the inside of the plastic shed after your observing session.