Hey Thomas

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I have never had this problem because I have a permanent observatory but you might have luck with putting a low wattage light bulb, filament type, under the cover to keep a gentle heat under there. I do not know if anyone else has or does this but it would be interesting to see if someone has. You only need to elevate the temp perhaps 10 degrees above ambient to keep dew from forming I would think. It goes without saying that you should have a dew shield and a dew heater but as far as storage goes the bulb may be enough.

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The bad part of getting moisture on correctors and mirrors is that there is usually already a fine coating of dust on these elements and when the dew appears it turns this dust to mud which then sticks to the lens or mirror and makes it harder to clean without removing the mirror and putting it under running water after soaking in a mild soap solution.

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There are many good articles and YouTube Videos on cleaning but preventing this in the first place is better of course. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure!

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That small amount of heat might be just enough to prevent condensation. It usually gets very humid just before dawn as evidenced by the dew on the lawns.

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It is a very common thing to put a cloth over a frost sensitive plant with a light bulb under it so this might work for the scope. It is just a miniature heater of course. Maybe 60 watts could help.

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You would of course have to make sure the bulb is in a cage or something to prevent a fire hazard. That is what I would do if my scope was outside.

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I wonder if anyone else has tried this bulb heating idea?

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Gary

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Carpe Noctem.

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