Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes (SCTs) offer high aperture, closed optics and tremendous flexibility. A single SCT can be anything from an ultra fast, wide field beast to a long focal length, deep field and planetary imager. But SCTs have a significant weakness -- they are prone to collecting dew on their corrector plates which can ruin an entire night's imaging. The best defense is applying heat directly to the corrector plate through a dew heater ring, but this can lead to pinched optics, causing stars to develop lopsided spikes. Let's explore why pinched optics happen and what to do about them.
Atlantis by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: audionautix.com
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Check out a portfolio of astro imagery shot from the Sky Story Observatory at Astrobin: astrobin.com/users/SkyStory
If you would like to learn about my multi-tiered, layer-based approach to astrophotography development, you can find a complete playlist here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5QNoAcKJBRP7G0psAfSFUqXvglKWidAs&si=DcCQjIO33-PEj5XN
We are Telescope Canada's first affiliate. It's a great place for astrophotography gear with fast service and an informed staff who are passionate about astrophotography. Using the following link adds nothing to your cost but helps us produce more educational videos about this amazing universe around us. Just copy and paste the link into your browser: https://telescopescanada.ca?bg_ref=KK15sLXmWw
All videos best viewed in 4K.
Peer into the cosmos on Sky Story and along the way come to appreciate our world all the more. Here, we explore the realm of nature beyond our Earth through the fields of astronomy and astrophotography.
All our programs are committed to the standards of scientifically accurate, high quality content that aims to educate and inspire. New videos are posted weekly, so please subscribe.
#astronomy #astrophotography #space #nebula #stars
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes (SCTs) offer high aperture, closed optics and tremendous flexibility. A single SCT can be anything from an ultra fast, wide field beast to a long focal length, deep field and planetary imager. But SCTs have a significant weakness -- they are prone to collecting dew on their corrector plates which can ruin an entire night's imaging. The best defense is applying heat directly to the corrector plate through a dew heater ring, but this can lead to pinched optics, causing stars to develop lopsided spikes. Let's explore why pinched optics happen and what to do about them.
Atlantis by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: audionautix.com
*** *** ***
Check out a portfolio of astro imagery shot from the Sky Story Observatory at Astrobin: astrobin.com/users/SkyStory
If you would like to learn about my multi-tiered, layer-based approach to astrophotography development, you can find a complete playlist here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5QNoAcKJBRP7G0psAfSFUqXvglKWidAs&si=DcCQjIO33-PEj5XN
We are Telescope Canada's first affiliate. It's a great place for astrophotography gear with fast service and an informed staff who are passionate about astrophotography. Using the following link adds nothing to your cost but helps us produce more educational videos about this amazing universe around us. Just copy and paste the link into your browser: https://telescopescanada.ca?bg_ref=KK15sLXmWw
All videos best viewed in 4K.
Peer into the cosmos on Sky Story and along the way come to appreciate our world all the more. Here, we explore the realm of nature beyond our Earth through the fields of astronomy and astrophotography.
All our programs are committed to the standards of scientifically accurate, high quality content that aims to educate and inspire. New videos are posted weekly, so please subscribe.
#astronomy #astrophotography #space #nebula #stars
