Celestron Essential Guide on How to Clean Telescope for Optimal Performance

While your telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs at its best.

Care and Cleaning of the Optics

Occasionally, dust and/or moisture may build up on the corrector plate of your telescope. Special care should be taken when cleaning any instrument so as not to damage the optics.

If dust has built up on the corrector plate, remove it with a brush (made of camel’s hair) or a can of pressurized air. Spray at an angle to the lens for approximately two to four seconds. Then, use an optical cleaning solution and white tissue paper to remove any remaining debris. Apply the solution to the tissue and then apply the tissue paper to the lens. Low pressure strokes should go from the center of the corrector to the outer portion. Do NOT rub in circles!

You can use a commercially made lens cleaner or mix your own. A good cleaning solution is isopropyl alcohol mixed with distilled water. The solution should be 60% isopropyl alcohol and 40% distilled water. Or, liquid dish soap diluted with water (a couple of drops per one quart of water) can be used.

Occasionally, you may experience dew build-up on the corrector plate of your telescope during an observing session. If you want to continue observing, the dew must be removed, either with a hair dryer (on low setting) or by pointing the telescope at the ground until the dew has evaporated.

If moisture condenses on the inside of the corrector, remove the accessories from the rear cell of the telescope. Place the telescope in a dust-free environment and point it down. This will remove the moisture from the telescope tube.

To minimize the need to clean your telescope, replace all lens covers once you have finished using it. Since the rear cell is NOT sealed, the cover should be placed over the opening when not in use. This will prevent contaminants from entering the optical tube.

Internal adjustments and cleaning should be done only by the Celestron repair department. If your telescope is in need of internal cleaning, please call the factory for a return authorization number and price quote.

Collimation

The optical performance of your telescope is directly related to its collimation, that is the alignment of its optical system. Your telescope was collimated at the factory after it was completely assembled. However, if the telescope is dropped or jarred severely during transport, it may have to be collimated. The only optical element that may need to be adjusted, or is possible, is the tilt of the secondary mirror.

Figure 8-1

The three collimation screws are located on the front of the secondary mirror housing.

To check the collimation of your telescope you will need a light source. A bright star near the zenith is ideal since there is a minimal amount of atmospheric distortion. Make sure that tracking is on so that you won’t have to manually track the star. Or, if you do not want to power up your telescope, you can use Polaris. Its position relative to the celestial pole means that it moves very little thus eliminating the need to manually track it.

Before you begin the collimation process, be sure that your telescope is in thermal equilibrium with the surroundings. Allow 45 minutes for the telescope to reach equilibrium if you move it between large temperature extremes.

To verify collimation, view a star near the zenith. Use a medium to high power ocular

—12mm to 6mm focal length. It is important to center a star in the center of the field to judge collimation. Slowly cross in and out of focus and judge the symmetry of the star. If you see a systematic skewing of the star to one side, then re-collimation is needed.

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