Kim, That is what I was thinking. The 14 is fine as I checked it and the case kept the ash and soot out. I'll clean the 10 inch tomorrow though I may not use the pure cotton at first, but will simply wash and rinse. On Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 6:54 PM, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote:
I'm no pro, but if it were my choice to make I would clean away the smoke/ash accumulation. I'm thinking, in part, that there might be substances in the soot that could adversely react with moisture (i.e. dew) similar to how acid rain forms. That would be bad, right?
Kim
-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Jay Eads Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 6:21 PM To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Smoke on Mirrors
Ok, I had 2 scopes at home when the fire hit last Sunday. The 14 was in its case, the 10 was not and the 20 Obsession is in its observatory down south so it is just fine (was going to pick it up this weekend but I think I'll wait for another week). I just checked the 10 and it looks like a layer of dust got through the cover and the plastic shower cap I keep on both ends. I'll look at the 14 later this evening as I pull it out for some observing of Jupiter. Is it okay to clean a mirror normally that has been exposed like this to the fine particles from a fire or should I leave it alone and just continue to view? I'm not an avid fan of cleaning mirrors all the time, but I think in this case it might be warranted, but the fine particles in the ash I am perhaps more leery of than the normal wear, dirt and dust that accumulates.
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_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
-- Jay Eads