Accessories and ‘Pimping’ Your ‘Scope

Abstarct

SCTs, Maksutov-Newtonians and refractors are dew magnets. The dew shield is an absolute must to keep this enemy at bay. Dew heaters can also be very useful for this purpose. However, the dew shield can also serve another purpose and not just for these telescope types but, in fact, for all telescope types. Because the shield extends beyond the end of the OTA, it is able to prevent stray light, say from a street light, from entering directly into the telescope. That is to say, the shield casts a shadow over the end of the OTA. This means that the light from the DSO is not interfered with by any other light source.