Taking Care of Your Telescope

This section is tailored to taking care of the telescopes made by the Palomares 4H Astronomy group:  f/8, 5.5" mirror Newtonian reflectors on Dobsonian mounts.  Telrad finders are used instead of finder scopes.

• Keep the telescope inside when you aren't using it.  The tube is made of cardboard and even dew can damage it.
• Remove the eyepieces & Telrad after using it.  Turn off the Telrad, unless you really want to buy a lot of batteries.  Put the covers back on the eyepieces and the eyepieces back in the case.  Put the cap back on the focuser.
• Always keep tube covered, and upside down, when you aren't using the telescope.  Even dust can keep your mirror from working right. Keep your mirror safest by putting the telescope upside down in its mount when you're not using it.
• Don't touch the mirror, ever!  Don't try to clean the mirror -- it requires special cleaning equipment.  Don't let your little sister or brother drop things into the tube.
• Don't touch the eyepiece lenses or drop the eyepieces.  You can clean the lenses if you want, but only with the special cleaner.
• Don't let your friends borrow the telescope.  It's your responsibility, and they probably wouldn't take proper care of it.  You can probably trust your parents to borrow it -- but make sure they understand the rules first!

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