We\u2019ve all, at times, found ourselves fascinated by the immensity of the night sky, with its billions of stars shining from far away, like a silent invitation from the infinite space to explore it and discover its secrets. It\u2019s only natural that each one of us felt, in those moments, at least a little bit curious towards the mystery of the stars and other celestial objects.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, some of us responded to the Universe\u2019s call and started studying the constellations and planets with their positions and observing them during the night whenever we can. Some of us perhaps even considered buying a telescope<\/a> and taking the next step on our stargazing adventure.<\/p>\n If you are fond of stargazing, you may want to know when the best time to watch the sky is and how external conditions can affect your viewing sessions. There are many factors that can considerably impact, for better or worse, the way you see the stars and planets.<\/p>\n In this article, we will explore the impact of humidity on stargazing, so that you know\u00a0how does humidity affect stargazing, i.e. what to expect both when there\u2019s high humidity and low humidity in the air.<\/p>\n When the humidity of the air is relatively high, water vapors condense, forming dew onto a particular surface at a certain temperature level. To this end, when stargazing we\u2019re always looking for clear night skies – this typically happens when the temperature is low, especially during cold winter nights.<\/p>\n According to scientific sources, high humidity can also cause damage to the optical surface of your telescope. To prevent this, it\u2019s better to simply refrain from observing the sky under conditions that might result in moisture condensation on the telescope\u2019s mirror lenses – this is a common practice among observatories as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there are also cases when, due to the thermal lag of the telescope and its optics, dewing will not occur, or will occur only after the outside humidity has reached a level of 70%<\/a>. You should then open the telescope again after the humidity level gets to 50% for at least 30 minutes.<\/p>\n Therefore, it\u2019s recommended to make use of the specific hours before humidity reaches high values. To do this, it\u2019s essential to be able to measure the proximity of the telescope and its optical surfaces to the dew point. This is why you should consider getting a humidity detector.<\/p>\n Another important item would be a dew shield, which will protect your telescope from dewing. A great device would be a dew heater \u2013 which can heat your optics above the dew point. Either of these two will help you successfully navigate past this humidity issue and enjoy much clearer viewings of the sky.<\/p>\nHigh Humidity Conditions<\/h2>\n