Common sense of the maintenance of astronomical telescopes
If you have a very expensive equipment, how to maintain it is also very important, then I will give my own opinion!
In general, as long as the method is appropriate, the maintenance of the astronomical telescope is very easy, as long as the user takes a little care, an astronomical telescope can become a lifelong tool for watching the sky with its owner.
However, if the use and maintenance are not legal, the damage of the telescope is also a simple matter. Here are some common sense for daily use and storage of telescopes.
Mildew resistant
Placing and storing telescopes in an appropriate way is important to extend the life of telescopes. Telescopes should be stored in a dry, ventilated, dusty place, mainly to prevent mold on the surface of the lens. Mold is the enemy of telescopes. Usually we are very careful about the use and maintenance of astronomical telescopes, so the lens mold exceeds mechanical damage to become the most important reason for the performance of the telescope to decline or even scrap. The ambient temperature is 12 °C-38 °C, the relative humidity is above 60%, which is the best condition for mold growth, and maintaining dry ventilation in the storage environment is the best way to avoid mold intrusion into the telescope. In the rainy season in the south, the optics of the telescope should be placed in the drying box as much as possible. At present, there are two kinds of drying boxes commonly used, which can be bought in larger photographic equipment stores or a treasure. One is a sealed box, usually plastic.
Sealed box
It can also be replaced by a plastic crisper box or sealed bag with good sealing performance, in which desiccant can be added. The commonly used desiccant is color-changing silicone, which is available in chemical stores. The dried silicone is a small blue ball, which will turn pink or white after moisture, at this time, it can be taken to the microwave oven to dry, or put in the sun to dry, after the moisture removal, the silicone will return to its original blue. The other is the electronic moisture-proof cabinet,
Moisture-proof cabinet
With the electronic dehumidification movement, it can automatically dehumidify according to the set relative humidity. At present, there are more domestic and imported brands that can be bought. The optimal relative humidity for optical instrument storage is 45% to 55%. If the telescope is found to have grown mold, it should be cleaned as soon as possible. The initial mold can usually be completely removed by washing.
Avoid sudden temperature changes
If possible, the telescope that is frequently used should be placed close to the ambient temperature as much as possible, so that the temperature of the telescope can be balanced with the ambient temperature as soon as possible when it is used. During the use of the telescope, drastic changes in temperature should be avoided.
When the telescope is moved from an air-conditioned indoor to the outdoors, the surface of the lens and the lens body may be condensed.
This may not only damage the electrical part of the telescope, but also store it in a closed place without waiting for the dew to dry out, and it may also cause the telescope to grow mold. The correct way is to put the telescope into the box first and then move to a place with a large temperature difference, the box can slow down the temperature change of the telescope itself, and then take it out after a period of rest, and the telescope will not be exposed.
Clean the mirror
If there is no suitable box, the telescope should be dustproof when not in use. In addition to the lens cover that should be covered, it is best to cover the mirror body with a plastic bag or a clean cloth. The large household garbage bags that can be bought in supermarkets are very suitable for dust protection of telescopes. No matter how careful you are in use, more and more dust will always fall on the mirror surface.
The effects of small amounts of dust on the final imaging of the telescope are imperceptible to the naked eye and do not require frequent cleaning. However, if a thick layer of dust falls on the surface of the objective lens, it will reduce the brightness and contrast of the imaging and need to be cleaned up in time. The outer surface of the eyepiece is more easily stained than the objective and has a greater impact on the observation. Especially the short focal length of the high magnification eyepiece, due to the short pupil distance, the eye should be close to the eyepiece when using, the eyelashes are easy to leave oil stains on the lens, which requires frequent cleaning. If you do not have extensive experience in adjusting the telescope optical system, cleaning the telescope lens should be limited to the outer surfaces of the objective and eyepiece, which are also the most easily soiled areas. For dust that falls on the lenses, it should be blown away with a balloon (available in a photographic equipment store) or a medical earwash ball (available in a pharmacy). Be careful not to blow the mirror surface with your mouth, otherwise the saliva that falls on the mirror surface will make the cleaning work later more difficult. Dust that can't be blown off can be gently dusted off with a fine camel brush, and finally the dust that can't be dusted off can be gently glued off with degreasing cotton balls (available in pharmacies) or cosmetic degreasing cotton swabs (available in supermarkets) dipped in distilled or purified water.
After confirming that there are no dust particles visible to the naked eye on the surface of the lens, the lens can be rubbed from the center to the outside along the spiral trajectory with the soft leather pad of the lens pen. Note that the mirror pen should be constantly rotated during the erasing process, and the force should be moderate. The stylus is a powerful tool for cleaning lenses, and its soft leather pads can easily wipe away water marks and handprints on lenses, leaving almost no traces. For stubborn stains that cannot be removed at once with the mirror pen, you can gently breathe on the mirror surface and wipe it before the mirror surface has dried. The mirror pen also cleans the freshly grown mold very well. It should be noted that if there is water or heavy moisture on the mirror surface, wait until it has dried thoroughly before cleaning it with a mirror pen. The mirror pen has a special detergent inside the cap,
After one use, insert the soft leather pad into the cap and rotate it again to redistribute the cleaner on the soft leather pad. In addition to the mirror pen, there are some common tools used to clean the lens, such as lens paper, suede, etc., but it is easy to leave a slight scratch on the mirror surface during use, and the cleaning effect is difficult to compare with the mirror pen.