Old farmer told me to leave my telescope outside for 30 minutes before using it

I got a new telescope last month and kept bringing it straight from my warm house into the yard. An old guy at the feed store said I was ruining my views by not letting the glass cool down first. Tried his advice last Tuesday night after waiting 30 minutes outside in the cold. The moon was so sharp I could see craters I never noticed before. Anyone else had some small tip that completely changed how you look at the sky?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt13513d ago

bro i do the same thing. i just grab my scope and go outside right away. ive never noticed any difference tbh. is it really that serious or is this just old guy gatekeeping?

lily5713d ago

Wait, @wyatt135, you're telling me you've never let your scope cool down before using it? That's wild! I can't even imagine taking a telescope straight from a warm house into 30 degree weather and expecting good views. The thermal shock alone has to be messing with your optics. I've had nights where I forgot to let my 8 inch Dob sit outside for 30 minutes and the image looked like I was looking through a fishbowl with all those wavy distortions. Temperature differences cause air currents inside the tube that completely ruin detail on Jupiter and Saturn until everything equalizes. Maybe you just haven't looked at the right targets to notice, but the difference is massive for planetary viewing.

emery29012d ago

lily57's right about the cool down thing. I used to rush out with my 10 inch Dob and wondered why Mars looked like a blurry orange mess until I timed it one night. I set it outside for 45 minutes while I made coffee, then checked it after. The difference was night and day, even on the moon's craters. Thermal currents inside the tube basically act like a heat shimmer until everything evens out. It's less of a big deal for wide field star hopping but kills planetary detail.