|
I image from 2 locations Sydney and Southcoast NSW
In Sydney I leave my mount and scope out most of the year and cover it just with an Orion scope cloak tied down around the base of the tripod legs with Velcro straps. I just throw an old towel over first then the scope cloak. My scope is a 6” newt and mount is an EQ6-R. Been doing this for years. The newt has a few external mould spots which I clean now and again and the mount is fine. I do lubricate all the external parts of the mount and tripod with silicon spray every few months and so far it’s fine , no rust spots anywhere.
On the south coast NSW I have a Dome now but prior to 2021 I use to leave the scope and mount outside just with a scope cloak and I’m only 150m from the beach ( salt air ) It was fine also. I also regularly lubricated the scope ,mount and tripod with silicon spray to prevent rust etc…
Sydney has heavy dew ,torrential rain , temps in Winter down to 6C and Summer up to 40C ( although above 35C during the day I would bring just the scope inside.
South coast NSW has salty air , temps in Winter down to 3C , dew , heavy rain etc….
Obviously at both locations I bring the main imaging camera inside after each session but the guide camera is always left in the guidescope. Any unused cable ports are taped over to prevent moisture
So the answer to your question is yes you can leave your rig outside when not in use provided it’s safe, secure and waterproofed ( and well lubricated externally)
Obviously when in use it’s designed to be outside until morning when observing or imaging
Cheers
Martin
|