Why not place the heater around the corrector plate casting or inside the dew shield to warm the air where the dew forms?
The corrector plate does not make very good thermal contact with the casting because there are spacers between the metal and glass. Heat applied to the corrector plate casting usually warms the air inside the dew shield which wastes energy. The air is not captive so it becomes less dense when heated and rises up escaping into the atmosphere. It is much more effective to warm the telescope tube because the heat energy travels into the telescope warming the air within and putting a blanket of slightly warmer air beneath the corrector plate. The heat then transfers to the corrector plate offsetting radiation cooling by the night sky. See Telescope Cooldown for more information.
The corrector plate does not make very good thermal contact with the casting because there are spacers between the metal and glass. Heat applied to the corrector plate casting usually warms the air inside the dew shield but this air becomes less dense when heated and thus rises up escaping into the atmosphere. It is much more effective to warm the telescope tube because the heat energy travels into the telescope warming the air within and transferring this heat to the corrector plate and offsetting heat loss via radiation cooling by the night sky. See Telescope Cooldown for more information.
Related Questions
- If my scope has rails or bars that interfere with placing the heater strip just behind the Corrector Plate Casting then where should I place the heater strip?
- Why not place the heater around the corrector plate casting or inside the dew shield to warm the air where the dew forms?
- I want to use my pool in the winter. How warm is the pool water and air temperature under an Aqua Shield Eclosure?
