mosquito coil and optics

chris shaw · Post by **chris shaw** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 4:25 pm

Many of us have used mosquito coils whilst using our telescopes. Some of those telescopes like my Mak have a fan which draw in external air, others have open ended scopes. I wonder how much damage such smoke from the coils will cause the mirror coatings in the short term. I always put the mosquito coils about 4-5 feet away from my scope, but with the fan running, I always wonder if some of the fumes would be deposited on the mirror?

How about fumes from cars for carpark observers?

Chris

MooEy · Post by **MooEy** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:57 pm

wrong forum, someone move this to equipment pls.

never really seen the 7" mak b4, but most fans should be blowing towards back of mirror, instead of directly onto the mirror surface.

i'm not so concern about whether the mosquito coil does any damage, but rather how much dust the fan will draw into the scope over years of usage. is there some kind of dust filter over the fan?

~MooEy~

Post by **Airconvent** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:16 pm

MooEy wrote:wrong forum, someone move this to equipment pls.

never really seen the 7" mak b4, but most fans should be blowing towards back of mirror, instead of directly onto the mirror surface.

i'm not so concern about whether the mosquito coil does any damage, but rather how much dust the fan will draw into the scope over years of usage. is there some kind of dust filter over the fan?

~MooEy~

Hi
I was wondering whether to move this to off topic but decided not to.
If smoke is of concern, then get those smell-type of mosquito repellant. This wandering salesman at a dept store was selling this little cylinders coated with a thick layer of green paste which gives out a very strong smell, similar to what you get from Johnson "OFF". The salesman claimed it had a range of 1-2 m. I tried it in Mersing but problem is it got a little wet from dew unlike the mosquito coils. Furthermore, seeing the smoke re-assured me I was being "covered"...which this smell-based repellant did not give. Worse, I cannot confirm if the mosquitoes stayed away due to the smell or not!

Incidently, I don't think the smoke is that bad, especially out in the open. Just get a blower to blow the lens in the morning when done observing.

rich

MooEy · Post by **MooEy** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:15 am

eww, richard just remind me of the insect ATTRACTOR "OFF". never ever use "OFF" in ubin. best thing is to avoid "OFF" completely. so far the best is those little green tube used by the army. apply them to ur exposed body parts and it should hold for at least 2hr. main problem is to avoid touching any optic with that cream on ur fingers.

~MooEy~

Post by **weixing** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:47 am

Hi,
Reading of this insect thing remind me that A bat can eat 600 or more mosquitoes in an hour!!

May be next time you'll see Sky&Telescope Magazine have such an advertisement: "Amateur Astronomer Best Friend! No more optics unfriendly chemicals and smell! A must have for field observation! Train Bat for only $xx.xx! Guarantee to keep you free from mosquitoes and other insects!"

Have a nice day.

chris shaw · Post by **chris shaw** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 11:18 am

I think the bat idea is the best idea!!!

Yes, the fan of the Mak does blow to the back of the mirror and yes it has a kind of a filter over the fan which uses it's natural static charge to trap dust - I'm not sure about smoke!

I have used the kind of green paste repellent but it doesn't work, neither does those citronella OFF candles or sonic repellent. The only thing apart from greasy lotions and sprays which DOES WORK is the smoky coils which work very well. Some astronomers in the US continue to use mosquito coils but there are some who are adamant about not having ANY smoke around their optics as smoke particles are fine enough to enter the tube of scopes.

I wonder if any one in the forum actually smokes cigarettes around their scopes while viewing?!

Chris