[g__day (Matthew)]

I was wondering why there is such a big jump in the amount of Dew that forms when I move my scope from our largely enclosed first floor balcony to the backyard, on concrete but near a swimming pool.

What factors most effect how much dew forms (that one may control)? If you had to rank them in order of importance (their individual contribution to the amount of dew formed) what are the rankings of:

1. Height above ground
2. Whether your site has walls
3. Whether your site has a degree of roof covering
4. Proximity to a large body of water
5. Proximity to a discernible heat source (the house itself for my balcony location)
6. Whether your scope rests on grass, pavers or a wooden deck?
7. How still the air is around your scope?

or are the majority of these factors minor and its all down to temperature differential between the scope and the moisture ladden night air?

What in priority are the best ways to eliminate dew in a fixed (backyard, on pavers, next to shed) location? I assume they would be:

1. Warm end of tube (I already have a dew shield attached to end of scope)
2. Cover tube ends when not in use during the night
3. Build say 6 foot walls around the scope
4. Build a retracting roof

All thoughts greatly appreciated guys!