How to properly maintain and maintain the telescope in the process of using it? In general, as long as the method is right, the maintenance of the astronomical telescope is very easy. With a little care from the user, an astronomical telescope can become a lifelong observation tool with its owner. Common sense of maintenance of astronomical telescope:
However, if the use and maintenance are improper, the damage of the telescope is also easy. Here is some common sense of daily use and storage of the telescope.
Anti-mold
Properly placing and storing the telescope is very important to prolong the service life of the telescope. The telescope should be stored in a dry and ventilated place with little dust. This is mainly to prevent mildew on the surface of the lens. Mold is the enemy of the telescope. Usually, we are very careful about the use and maintenance of astronomical telescopes. Therefore, the growth of mold on the lens exceeds the mechanical damage and becomes the main reason for the deterioration of the telescope’s performance or even the scrap. The ambient temperature is between 12 and 38 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity is above 60%, which is the best condition for mold growth. Keeping the storage environment light and dry and ventilated is the best way to prevent mold from invading the telescope system. During the rainy season in the south, the optical elements of the telescope should be placed in a dry box as much as possible. There are two types of drying ovens commonly used at present, both of which can be purchased in larger photographic equipment stores. One is a sealed box, which is usually made of plastic. If you can’t buy a special sealed box, you can also use a plastic fresh-keeping box or a sealed bag with good sealing performance. Put a desiccant in the sealed box. The commonly used desiccant is color-changing silica gel, which is available in chemical stores. The dry silica gel is a small blue ball. It will turn pink or white when it gets wet. At this time, you can take it to a clean pan and fry it dry, or use it in a microwave oven, or dry it in the sun. After the water is removed, the silica gel will turn pink or white. Will return to the original blue. The other is an electronic moisture-proof cabinet, which uses an electronic dehumidifier core, which can automatically dehumidify according to the set relative humidity. Currently, there are many domestic and imported brands that can be bought. The optimal relative humidity for the storage of optical instruments is 45% to 55%. If it is found that the telescope has grown mildew, it should be cleaned as soon as possible. Usually, the initial mildew can be completely removed by cleaning.
Avoid sudden temperature changes
If possible, try to place the frequently used telescopes close to the ambient temperature, so that the temperature of the telescope can balance with the ambient temperature as soon as possible during use. Temperature changes may also cause the telescope itself during the use of the telescope. Drastic changes in temperature should be avoided.
When moving from an air-conditioned room to the outside, condensation may occur on the surface of the lens and the mirror body. This may not only damage the electrical parts of the telescope, but store it in an airtight place before the dew is dry, and it may also make the telescope moldy. The correct method is to put the telescope in the packing box and then move it to a place with a large temperature difference. The packing box can slow down the temperature change of the telescope itself. After a period of time, the telescope will not be condensed when it is taken out.
Clean the mirror
If there is no suitable packing box, the telescope should be protected from dust when not in use. In addition to the lens cover should be covered, it is best to cover the lens body with a plastic bag or a clean cloth. It is very suitable for dust prevention of telescopes. No matter how careful you are in use, more and more dust will always fall on the mirror surface. The influence of a small amount of dust on the final image of the telescope is difficult to detect with the naked eye and does 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 image and need to be cleaned in time. The outer surface of the eyepiece is more likely to be soiled than the objective lens, and it has a greater impact on the observation effect, especially for high-power eyepieces with short focal lengths. Because the exit pupil distance is relatively short, the eyes should be close to the eyepieces when using, and the eyelashes are easy to be in the lens. Oil stains are left on and need to be cleaned more frequently. If you do not have extensive experience in adjusting the optical system of a telescope, cleaning the telescope lens should be limited to the outer surface of the objective lens and eyepiece. These surfaces are also the most contaminated areas. The dust on the lens should be blown off with a blower (available in photographic equipment stores) or medical ear wash balls (available in pharmacies). Be careful not to blow the mirror surface with your mouth, otherwise the saliva on the mirror surface will cause The subsequent cleaning work is more difficult. You can try to wipe off the dust that can’t be blown off with a thin camel hair brush. Finally, you can use absorbent cotton balls (available in pharmacies) or cosmetic cotton swabs (available in supermarkets) to moisten distilled water or purified water. Gently stick it off.After confirming that there are no visible dust particles on the surface of the lens, you can use a soft “mirror pen” (it looks like a thick fountain pen, one end is a fine brush, and the other end is a soft leather pad with detergent, which can be bought at a photographic equipment store). Wipe the lens with the leather pad extending from the center to the spiral trajectory. Note that the mirror pen should continue to rotate during the wiping process, and the force should be moderate. A lens pen is a powerful tool for cleaning the lens. With its soft leather pad, you can easily wipe off watermarks and fingerprints on the lens without leaving any marks. For stubborn stains that cannot be removed with a mirror pen, you can breathe a sigh of relief on the mirror surface, and then wipe it before the mirror surface is dry. The mirror pen also has a very good cleaning effect on the initial mildew spots. It should be noted that if there is water or heavy moisture on the mirror surface, wait for it to dry before cleaning it with a mirror pen. There is a special cleaning agent in the cap of the mirror pen. After using it once, insert the soft leather pad into the cap and rotate it again to redistribute the cleaning agent on the soft leather pad. In addition to mirror pens, there are some common tools for cleaning lenses, such as lens paper, suede, etc., but it is easy to leave slight scratches on the mirror surface during use, and the cleaning effect is difficult to compare with mirror pens.
