DEW question

Astrozap has a new product. A dew heater in the dew shield that I would appreciate some comments on.

I have very little experience with dew because my sites and scopes really never suffered. Well until I meet my new friend Rob who is a really nice guy that owns property in a very dark spot. The problem is that the dew there unbelievable. My Newt even dews up there and I would like to know which would be better and why: the heated Dew shield or the Dew shield with a separate heater on the tube for a 160mm X 530mm Newt.

Any other information regarding what to dew would be welcome

Thank you

Please tell us a bit more about your Newt. What is the tube made of? Is it lined with anything? How far does the tube extend past the secondary? Is it the secondary that dews up, or does the primary also dew over.

Thanks.

Clear skies, Alan

It is hard to come up with a universal solution to the dew problem. Some places have very few nights where dew is an issue. In other places, dew is almost always a concern (or, for some of us, frost can be an issue for part of the year).

At the Winter Star Party it is almost always windy and dew is not a problem, but one year it was pretty nasty. Texas Star Party tends to be windy and dry, but I've seen nasty dew there too. The Conjunction is held in a valley not far from the Connecticut River, and dew is almost always a concern.

The best approach, IMHO, is to be prepared for severe dew.

Clear skies, Alan