poppasmurf 377 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 With the weather the way it has been lately I don't get a lot of opportunities to get out and catch some photons. There was a break last night so out I go, happily catching photons when things start going haywire after only 2 hours, mainly the guiding. After some investigation I believe I found the problem to be rather heavy dew on the guidescope, and on the secondary of the RC, so the time has come to get dew control for my gear, which will take some time due to finances. I guess in the mean time I'll just have to put up with only grabbing a couple of hours at a time. Shane Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radar 712 Report post Posted July 22, 2017 The good old dew! I'm very lucky with a dome, it really assists with preventing dew but the dome does nothing to prevent cloud. After a solid 7 months of clear skies and tons of imaging I've had cloud solid for over a month now. But that's okay, winter has almost hit its peak and we should be back on the up and up shortly (if the weather gods would oblige). Ray 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
poppasmurf 377 Report post Posted July 22, 2017 I had a good look at the subs from last night and it appears that the dew on the secondary means that was a wasted session. So it looks like I wait till the weather warms up some or spend $ that I really cant afford at the moment. I guess it is time to start putting away some cash to get the dew heaters for next winter. You are very lucky with a dome Ray, the roll off roof is good during summer as things reach ambient quicker but in winter dew is a major issue. Shane Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radar 712 Report post Posted July 23, 2017 What about a cheap little fan heater to run during the imaging session. The tiny amount of rising heat would be enough to stave off any moisture that would dew your scope up, but not enough to cause bad seeing during your imaging run. I've used a little fan heater like this many times. By the time the hot air reaches the air in front of the scope it has cooled down, but its enough to keep the scope dry. Ray Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
poppasmurf 377 Report post Posted July 23, 2017 hmm maybe worth a try mate Shane Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
