Posts Made By: Bryan Henry

I have a 10" Mak-Newt with a carbon fiber tube that has constant thermal problems and was wondering if painting the tube white would help. This telescope rarely performs well due to tube currents. The only time it performs well is at dusk when the temperature has yet to fall, and then only briefly. I tried fans but that was only a small help. One thing I noticed was removing the dew shield would help but then it would dew up. Any suggestions are welcome.

Bryan

I finished my observatory early this Spring and have greatly enjoyed all the benefits it provides. I was wondering what to do with the scope if it dews up. Of course prevention is the best method but the other night I was tweaking the polar alignment when the corrector dewed up. I was done with the session and wondered about the best way to deal with the dew. I suppose I could put the heater strip on but that takes a while on a 10-inch Mak-Newt corrector. I ended up placing a cover over the uncapped scope and closed the observatory. I thought about some desiccant packs in the lens cover or the hair dryer treatment. Of course before the observatory I would just carry the scope inside and let it dry out. Any thoughts about covering a dewed scope uncapped and closing the observatory?

Bryan

I finished my observatory early this Spring and greatly enjoy all the benefits it provides. I was wondering what to do with the scope if it dews up. Of course prevention is the best method but the other night I was tweaking the polar alignment when the corrector dewed up. I was done with the session and wondered about the best way to deal with the dew. I suppose I could put the heater strip on but that takes a while on a 10-inch Mak-Newt corrector. I ended up placing a cover over the uncapped scope and closed the observatory. I thought about some desiccant packs in the lens cover or the hair dryer treatment. Of course before the observatory I would just carry the scope inside and let it dry out. Any thoughts about covering a dewed scope uncapped and closing the observatory?

Bryan

I find it is best to contact the major suppliers directly and get a quote from them. There are prices in print and then there are prices on the phone. Good luck.

Bryan

I have seen the Horsehead in a C8 one time after many attempts. I did not use a filter but it was a rare night of superb transparency and Orion was optimally placed. I have tried subsequently with my C11 and have not seen it. We do not get that many truely transparent nights in NC, but I keep trying.

What was unusual about the one time observation was the distintive shape was clearly seen. A few hours later I could not find it. I find that any faint nebula seems to follow the same pattern - sometimes it is there and other times it is not.

Bryan

It will probably work but you must think about what happens if it does not. I have thought about fans for my C11 but I would use bolts to secure the fans. Let us know if you see any difference in cooldown.

Bryan

Sorry, this was supposed to be in the observatory forum.

Bryan