You may recall that I have on other occasions mentioned that Spring is Galaxy Season. Spring brings many beautiful objects into an amateur astronomer’s field of view. Summer is more of a planetary nebula and star cluster fest. I have photographed neither in quite a while. The scope in the backyard observatory has been sitting unattended. Cloudy skies and moonlight have colluded to thwart my astrophotographic endeavors. Sigh!
Today, I went into the dome to examine the instruments. Our daily highs have been hitting 100F+, and inside the dome it gets another degree or two hotter. That level of heat stresses all things plastic and/or adhesive. In past years, the felt linings of the telescope saddle have slid away because the scope was parked facing Northward. I have since taken to parking it in a horizontal position so that there is no sheer stress on those linings. Still, it is prudent to check on things now and then – better to catch problems earlier rather than later.
The scope was properly parked, and there were no signs that the heat had caused any damage to any of the instruments (the optical tube assembly (OTA) or the camera or guide scope and its camera). The only thing that I noticed was spider webs spanning from one instrument or device to another and from the instruments to the mount and its counterweights. Busy little arachnids, undisturbed by my presence or the tracking motions of the telescope mount had set up housekeeping in the dome.
I brushed the webs away. I doubt that this will discourage them – more likely that the unbearable summer heat will do that.