Things cant draw particulates if you cover with a ventilated rag
like cheeseclothe. Its not a good idea to cap cold eyepieces.
Simply throw a rag over them and let them warm up. Pull the
rag off once warmed, let stand for a minute, then cap.

M.




Stephen Paul wrote:

"david johanson" wrote in message
...
Should I do anything special to the scope and eyepieces when I bring them
into the house? I have the scope with the diagonal in facing down and the
lens cover off but a dust cover over the whole scope. The eyepieces are
uncapped and under a loose cover to keep dust away...

If the lenses are dry, cap everything before bringing it from cold to heat.
If they are already wet, bring them in, let them dry, and then cap them.

How dangerous is moisture/condensation to all of this?

Moisture will draw in particulates from the air and form deposits on the
glass. If you cap the lenses before bringing them in, they should remain dry
as they warm up.

No matter what you do, eventually the eyepiece lenses will need cleaning
from normal use. However, the scope lens will pretty much only need cleaning
if it gets wet, or if dust has become noticeable and bothersome. The more
you do to prevent mositure from forming on glass, the cleaner your optics.

Stephen Paul
Shirley, MA