Hi Folks
We've all heard about scope thermals, mirror equilibrium, boundary layers, cooling fans and the like. We also have read many threads about having to let the mirror cool down before getting the best use views possible. Most all of these issues pertain to getting the mirror cooled down when setting up with the scope going from a warm house to a cooler outside or cooling it as the temperature drops. So my question is, what happens when taking a scope out from a cool house to a hotter outside? I’m not talking about condensing water like on an ice-cold beverage or anything that drastic. More like from low 70’s inside going outside the low 90’s with temps dropping slowly. I’ve never really looked to see, but rather just went with the flow and let it cool down like everyone says, even though it’s actually warming up. I’ve never noticed dew or condensation forming when I setup in the evening down here in the south. Would there be thermals, or a boundary layer? It seems to me there would be some movement of air but more like current mixing and not really developing into currents that would cause big issues so I don’t see where fans would speed this up to any extent. Any ideas or thoughts? Or is this not really an issue to be worried about like the warm mirror side of the issue.
Buck
We've all heard about scope thermals, mirror equilibrium, boundary layers, cooling fans and the like. We also have read many threads about having to let the mirror cool down before getting the best use views possible. Most all of these issues pertain to getting the mirror cooled down when setting up with the scope going from a warm house to a cooler outside or cooling it as the temperature drops. So my question is, what happens when taking a scope out from a cool house to a hotter outside? I’m not talking about condensing water like on an ice-cold beverage or anything that drastic. More like from low 70’s inside going outside the low 90’s with temps dropping slowly. I’ve never really looked to see, but rather just went with the flow and let it cool down like everyone says, even though it’s actually warming up. I’ve never noticed dew or condensation forming when I setup in the evening down here in the south. Would there be thermals, or a boundary layer? It seems to me there would be some movement of air but more like current mixing and not really developing into currents that would cause big issues so I don’t see where fans would speed this up to any extent. Any ideas or thoughts? Or is this not really an issue to be worried about like the warm mirror side of the issue.
Buck
