Quote:
Originally Posted by Shiraz
we regularly get winds blowing in off the sea, so salt corrosion is always a possibility, as the bolts on the EQ8 attest.
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In which case I'd suspect that most of the hazy film you found on the optics was from salt spray. And yes it will attack a mirror coatings quickly, from personal experience.
If you can take the mirror out of the scope and put it in a sealed box when not in use, do that.
An alternative is to make 2 hole in the OTA large enough to get your hands in there and put a shower cap over the mirror.
Lastly, when storing the scope don't leave it standing vertical with the mirror facing up - this is the worst thing you could do. Either on its side - so airborne crud cant settle on the mirror, or better, vertical with the mirror at the top facing down. I used to have a pair of octopus straps in my storage cage for securing an OTA like this so it won't fall over.
As for the secondary - put a sock over it - literally
