Refracting and catadioptric (CAT) telescopes have a propensity to collect dew on their front lenses, which, after all, are usually pointed skyward. Dew is a serious problem at night; I have seen it form on the primary mirror at the bottom of Newtonian reflectors, which have tubes far deeper than any dew shield for refracting and CAT scopes. A lens hood, called a dew shield in astronomy, can reduce, but not eliminate, this problem. Refractors often come with a lens hood, but CAT's seldom do. |