tyler6•18d ago

Almost ruined my telescope trying to get that Orion shot

I was out at Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, trying to capture the Orion Nebula with my Celestron 8SE. I got so focused on framing the shot that I forgot to check the dew heater, and by the time I noticed, the corrector plate was completely fogged up. Spent the next 45 minutes with a hair dryer on low trying to clear it, lost the best viewing window between 2 and 3 AM. Has anyone else dealt with dew ruining a long exposure session?

2 comments

2 Comments

milesj7017d ago

You know what nobody talks about with dew? The temp difference between your eyepiece and the corrector plate. I noticed on my C9.25 that the eyepiece stays WAY warmer than the front glass because it's got the whole tube behind it radiating heat. So I started pointing my dew heater strip at the corrector plate only, and I actually cut the power by like 30% compared to running it full blast. Also, I learned the hard way that wiping the plate with a microfiber cloth while it's wet just smears whatever was in the dew into a permanent haze. Gotta let it evaporate on its own or use that hair dryer from like 18 inches away.

zarar6717d ago

Dude I feel this so hard I once spent a whole night thinking my scope was broken only to realize I'd been wiping dew with a shirt from my gym bag. Permanent haze indeed.