>....The only pain is that sometimes when I take
>the scope out during the day for solar observing I have to allow 15
>minutes
>in the sun for the scope (12 in LX200) to steam off.Yes steam comes
>out of
>the edge of the corrector plate......Brandon S. Jones

writes:
>snip:
>I had to respond to this insanity! If the telescope is aligned the
>right way
>and your phone rings, and you get involved in a conversation (highly
>hypothetically) you might be lucky and claim your burned off
>observatory on
>your house insurance.
>Do you actually realise that your corrector plate might crack due to
>excessive heat or tension in the tube assy.???
>To keep my telescopes inside dry, I made a little device I call
>dry-eye-piece. It is a photographic film capsule in which I drilled
>some
>little holes on the bottom, filled with little silica-gel bags that
>you get
>with vitamin bottles or other humidity sensitive stuff.

Sorry Renato but I had to respond publicly on this
one....................if you have the amount of steam coming off your
corrector as Brandon Jones your little bottle of disiccant wouldn't last
more than a few hours. Disiccant sucks up moisture faster than a sponge,
you would need large 10 lb. sacks of disiccant to keep your scope dry in
that kind of climate.......................ric

If you think about it there is a large volume of air inside the tube of the
lx200.This is not silly it does have in it a fair amount of moisture content
when you live in a humid climate like I do.With the covers on the corrector
plate approx 5 ml of water collects on the inside of the cover.Without the
cover for a short period you can see the water vapour evaporating for a
short period.The corrector plate is not fragile ordinary glass but more of
the pyrex type of material and will survive large extremes in expansion and
contraction.
Yes if the plate was red hot in the sun which it never is and I put cold
water on to it direct there might be a problem in doing that.The main
problem in general is that people have all sorts of mythical un proven ideas
about glass in general especially amplified when it is in a scope they have
paid a large amount of money for.People over worry about all sort of
things.My reply to this persons post about water,humidity temperature dust
what ever you like was based on real experience not on supposition.I never
answer a post on any group without previous concrete experiencence in the
subject .I re-counted what I have actually had experience with my own
scope.I have been working glass now for over thirty years in one form or
another in making scopes of my own and I think I have a small knowledge of
the medium by now.This list is for all comers who are common enthusiasts of
meade scopes with all levels of knowledge large or small hi tech or lo tech
.Yes at the end of this I tried the full 500 grams of dessicant in a can
custom made to fit the end of the scope assembly.It lasted all of a week
before it was useless.

Bye

Brandon S. Jones

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