Every owner of a Schmidt Cassegrain or Refractor
telescope knows what a pain dew can be. When it forms on the corrector
plate or Objective lens it's usually time to call it a night.
Dew forms on any static surface that is sufficiently
colder that the ambient air temperature. This radiant cooling takes place
when an object gives off more heat than it absorbs from the surrounding
enviroment. On Schmidt Cassegrain and Refractor telescopes this is particularly
troublesome with their exposed corrector plate and objectives. Once dew
forms forms, wiping it off will do no good as it will continue to form.
To prevent dew, you must either slow down the radiant cooling (with a dew
cap) or replace lost heat (with a heater) or both if the conditions require.
See links below for full details and solutions
by various manufacturers.
Click here
for more details on Kendrick Systems
Click here
for more details on Kenrick Heated DewCaps
Click here for more details on Orion Dew
Control Systems