Celestron dew protection heater ring 8"

Dew Protection Heater Ring for 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain, EdgeHD, Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) delivers the most efficient heating directly to the corrector lens to prevent dew buildup

Permanently attaches to your existing telescope tube

An integrated thermistor (temperature probe) continuously monitors the temperature of the corrector lens when used with the Smart Dew Protection Control 2X (#825922, € 409,-) or Smart Power and Dew Protection Control 4X (#825924, € 699,-).

Sturdy, lightweight and durable aluminum construction

Includes storage clip and cable management clip

Dew Protection Heater Rings for 5", 6", 8", 9.25", 11" and 14" SCT, EdgeHD and RASA

The Celestron Dew Protection Heater Rings are the ideal solution to prevent dew problems for your Celestron Telescope. This essential accessory keeps the Schmidt plate free from dew, so your nights of observation won't end prematurely - or even have dew build up unnoticed while you're taking pictures!

The dew protection heater rings are available in several different designs. They mount directly to the Celestron tubes and replace the retaining ring. Installation is quick and easy (follow the instructions in the manual).

Dew protection heater ring 5": for 5" Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain
Dew protection heater ring 6": for 6" Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain
Dew protection heater ring 8": for 8" Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain (produced after 2006), EdgeHD and RASA
Dew protection heater ring 9.25": for 9.25" Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain and, EdgeHD
Dew protection heater ring 11": for 11" Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain (produced after 2006), EdgeHD and RASA
Dew protection heater ring 14": for 14" Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain (produced after 2006), EdgeHD and RASA 36cm

How does it work?

The dew protection heater ring replaces the plastic retaining ring on the Schmidt plate of your telescope and ensures efficient heating of the front lens. The ring is made of lightweight, durable aluminum. Its rigid frame supports the telescope's wiring and Schmidt plate. Unlike other heating bands or strips that inefficiently heat the entire lens cell to warm the glass, the Celestron Dew Protection Heater Ring transfers heat directly to the Schmidt plate, providing the most efficient heat transfer to prevent dew from forming.

Simply connect the ring to an external 12V DC power source to get a consistent, continuous supply of heat that prevents dew from forming, even in high humidity. The dew-proof heating ring features two storage clips to safely store the power and thermistor connectors when not in use and to accommodate the dust cover on the telescope.

The dew-proof heating ring also comes with a cable management clip that can be attached to the front tube ring. This allows you to attach the power and thermistor jack for strain relief and to neatly route the connection cables.
The Dew Protection Heater Ring comes complete with:

Dew Protection Heater Ring
Cable Management Clip
Extension Cable for Power Jack
Paper Cover to Protect Schmidt Plate During Installation

Improve Your Setup

To achieve the highest level of dew protection while maximizing energy efficiency, we highly recommend combining the Dew Protection Heater Ring with a Power and Dew Protection Controller (sold separately: Smart Dew Protection Controller 2X (#825922, €409,-) or Smart Power and Dew Protection Controller 4X (#825924, €699,-) ). The controller uses the thermistor (temperature probe) and internal temperature sensor built into the ring to deliver just the right amount of heat to prevent dew formation, depending on the ambient temperature, humidity, and temperature of the Schmidt Plate. This can dramatically reduce the power consumption of the ring and significantly extend battery life. The ring also includes an extension cable that allows it to be connected directly to one of the controller's heater outputs or to the heater output of another controller. (Note: the ring's built-in temperature probe (thermistor) is only compatible with Celestron's Smart Power and Dew Control.) We also recommend using a dew cap. While not required, it will reduce the amount of power the dew-protection heater ring needs to keep the optics clear.

DEW PROTECTION WITH CELESTRON

This entry was posted on February 14, 2022 by Team Celestron

They are a familiar sight on many telescopes, and not just in autumn: long dew caps, often supported by heating strips that have only one purpose: to prevent humidity from settling on the optics as dew. Without dew protection, a night of observation would otherwise end prematurely if the temperature cooled below the dew point.

Passive dew protection

A dew cap is the most common and cheapest protection against dew-covered optics. It should be at least twice as long as the diameter of the opening it protects. In lens telescopes, it is usually a fixed part of the tube and can be removed or inserted for transport. With the long and comparatively slim tube of a refractor, this is not a problem.

The situation is different with Schmidt-Cassegrains with their compact tubes and large openings: Here the dew cap is similar in size to the tube itself. Therefore, there are two common types of dew caps for Schmidt-Cassegrains:

Flexible dew caps are made of a light, weatherproof material and are shaped with a Velcro fastener. They can be folded flat for transport to save space, making them an inexpensive and simple way to ensure that nights of observation are not ended prematurely. The disadvantage: They do not always fit perfectly and can protrude slightly into the telescope's field of view. Visually, this is not a big problem, but it can be noticeable when taking photographs.

Celestron dew cap made of aluminum Therefore, a rigid dew cap is the better choice if transport or storage is not a problem. If you have set up your telescope in an observatory, leave the dew cap on the telescope if possible - as long as dust protection is possible. Celestron now offers sturdy aluminum dew caps for all Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrains (from 6"), EdgeHD and RASA with the new tubes that were introduced after 2006. The scope of delivery also includes a matching dust cover so that the dew cap can remain on the telescope at all times. The inside of the dew cap is coated with velvet for better protection against stray light. For a perfect fit, this rigid dew cap is not simply clipped on, but clamped to the front tube ring.

A special feature of the Celestron dew caps is the cable passage. This allows a fixed cable routing even when the dew cap is in place, which would be impossible with flexible dew caps. This is particularly beneficial for photographers who use a RASA or who mount a camera in front of the Schmidt plate with a Hyperstar attachment. This allows the camera's connection cable to be laid in a controlled manner. In addition to a passage for the camera cable, there are two further passages for the dew protection heater and temperature probe.

Important note: Celestron has recently started offering aluminum dew caps for 6", 8", 9.25", 11" and 14". Unfortunately, we cannot yet give you a delivery date. As soon as we know when the dew caps are available, we will inform you in good time.

Active dew protection

On extremely humid nights, even a dew cap will no longer help, or you want to remain mobile with little luggage - then the only thing that helps is to heat the optics. To do this, it is sufficient if their temperature is kept just above the dew point. The usual solution is heating bands that are wrapped around the lens mount and connected to a power source. Better solutions have a temperature sensor instead of manual control so that they do not heat the lens unnecessarily or drain the battery.

However, this does not change the fact that these heating bands are very low in efficiency, as they first have to heat the entire mount before the heat reaches the lens.

The Celestron dew heating ring for 5 dew protection heating rings for 5", 6", 8", 9.25", 11" and 14"Dew protection heating rings for 5", 6", 8", 9.25", 11" and 14" (various versions / variants available) are mounted directly on the Schmidt plate and can thus bring the heat directly to where it is needed: On the Schmidt plate. The heating ring replaces the front ring of the Schmidt plate mount of your Schmidt-Cassegrain, EdgeHD or RASA and remains permanently on the telescope. A temperature probe, the "thermistor", is also integrated into the heating ring. As a simple heating ring, it can be operated with many common dew protection controls; in combination with a smart dew protection control, the heating output can be regulated via the temperature probe so that no energy is wasted and the Schmidt plate still remains free.

The connection cables for the power supply and thermistor can simply be clipped into a holder on the heating ring when not in use, so that they do not interfere when you put the dust protection cover on.

You don't have to worry about installation: you remove the front ring, but the Schmidt plate is held in place by adjusting screws on the side so that the adjustment is maintained. A paper cover protects the Schmidt plate from dirt during installation.

The temperature probe for smart current and dew protection controlTemperature probe for smart current and dew protection controlTemperature probe for smart current and dew protection control (#825926, € 19) is also available separately to operate your own heating bands - for example for the guide tube - in a temperature-controlled manner.

Smart dew protection control

The Celestron heating rings reach their full potential when they are combined with a smart dew protection control from Celestron. This control unit is a multi-talent that can be used completely autonomously in stand-alone operation, or with the hand controller of a Celestron mount or the free Celestron CPWI software via a PC.

The Celestron dew protection controls are attached either to the dovetail rail of the telescope (Vixen or 3" CGE) or a tripod leg and are powered by a 12V power source (power supply or power tank). Depending on the version, two or even four heating bands can be controlled from here. An internal sensor determines the dew point from the temperature and humidity and controls the heating rings fully automatically via the thermistor; for your own heating bands, this is also possible with an additional thermistor temperature probe.

The smaller model, the Smart Dew Protection Control 2XSmart Dew Protection Control 2XSmart Dew Protection Control 2X (#825922, € 409), also has a 12V output for connecting a device.

The larger Smart Power and Dew Protection Control 4XSmart Power and Dew Protection Control 4XSmart Power and Dew Protection Control 4X (#825924, € 699) provides four 12V power outputs, one of which is even adjustable - so you can control the mount, camera, autoguider and fan from one hub.

The combination of Celestron dew cap, heating ring with thermistor and smart dew protection control not only protects your telescope efficiently and energy-saving against dew, but also organizes the power supply of your devices.