I have a Skywatcher 12” Goto dob and use Kendrick dew heaters under the secondary mirror , around the finder scope and sometimes on eye pieces ( depending on the severity of dew ) to combat the onset of dew which can ruin your night.The primary mirror is rarely affected by dew
I’m assuming your 10” is a Goto Scope not a manual push , pull , nudge ?
If your going to use it continually in the backyard and not elsewhere, I’d recommend to buy a precast concrete pad /s and set them level under a bed of gravel so you have a permanent reliable observing platform for your scope to sit on each time you use it ( or alternatively on a driveway or paved entertainment area or the like ) I think a 10” base is only around 500mm in diameter and I know you can buy precast 600mm x 60mm thick concrete pads from Bunnings
Many factors can contribute to poor observing especially planets -
Dew
Humidity
Collimation
Mould, salt , oils etc on mirrors
Pinched primary mirror
Jetstream and atmospheric turbulence
Light pollution
Moon glare
Smoke
Bad Focus
Over magnification
Poor quality eye pieces
Low observing altitudes
Etc .......
PS: I know you hate acronyms but get use to it , the hobby is full of them especially Astrophotography !!!!
Welcome , good luck and enjoy your new journey throughout the universe
Clear skies !
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