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Post by geoffw on Nov 16, 2018 14:21:43 GMT
I have acquired A Celestron Nexstar XTL GPS 9.25" scope and this weekend looks promising to give a first proper run. As it is so heavy and bulky and more complicated than it s predecessor, I wouldn't mind a bit of advice.
I know the basic of setting it up and aligning it and I've had bit of a play with it in daylight. I want to set it up in the garden tomorrow afternoon and then use it later in the evening - it has got a dew shield & heater included. Do I wait till I'm using it to put on the dew shield or do I set it up with the Dew shield mounted in the afternoon. Is it advisable to bring it in when I have finished observing, or could I leave it out over night (putting a bin liner or something over it) as Sunday night looks hopeful for another night's viewing.
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Post by kimg on Nov 16, 2018 23:24:57 GMT
Hi Geoff, from experience I would say put the dew shield on before it gets dark, not necessarily mid day, but at least while you can easily see what you are doing (pretty much goes for everything except eyepieces, they do best indoors till you are ready to use them) trying to set up in the dark, even with a torch, can be problematic as you have the potential to snag your foot on cables etc.
Leaving the kit out should be no problem, covering will help to keep it free of early morning bird poops, but it will likely be dew covered already by the time you pack up. I would advise tying any cover in place to prevent it being blown away by an unexpected wind gust. Have a hair dryer handy for demisting eyepieces and finders too.
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Post by JR the Moon on Nov 17, 2018 14:58:45 GMT
Just never ever use a hair dryer on any scope elements, refractor, SC or MC because it can cause debris to "glue" itself to the lens/corrector plate
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