How to Choose the Right Astrozap Dew Shield

All Astrozap Dew Shields are proudly made in the USA and are lined on the inside with special felt to absorb moisture and reduce or eliminate stray, off axis light as well as to protect the finish of your telescope. One size does not fit all! Astrozap manufactures dew shields to precisely fit each different telescope make and model -- and even specific make/model telescopes can have differences in the number of dovetail bars which have to be accommodated.

Currently we offer Dew Shields for most Celestron, Unistellar and Meade telescopes and some models of Sky-Watcher, Astro-Tech, Ioptron, Oion, Takahashi and Vixen. Look for more Astrozap Dew Shield products in the future.

We have started to provide tables of Astrozap Dew Shields by telescope make and model. The Celestron table is available now (see Astrozap Dew Shields by Celestron Telescope Make and Model navigation button). We will be adding other telescope brand and model tables soon.

You may notice several Astrozap Dew Shield options for your telescope. Here we will clarify the differences and how to match them to your needs.

    1. Aluminum versus Flexi-Shield® or Flexi-Heat® Construction
      A. Astrozap aluminum Dew Shields are the original Astrozap flagship products and are rigid, welded aluminum cylinders that are finished in high-quality and durable textured black powder coating (aluminum Dew Shields for Meade telescopes are finished in textured Meade blue powder coating).

      Lightweight Astrozap aluminum dew shields are designed to be non-reflective inside the tube, to reduce or eliminate stray, off axis light. Black felt lining is included inside the dew shield to protect the finish of your telescope and help in absorbing moisture.

      The dew shields are made to slide on snug. There are 4 nylon thumb screws that safely secure the aluminum dew shield to the optical tube. The 4 nylon thumb screws are only to secure the fit and not to replace any screws or go into any screw holes on the telescope.

      Astrozap aluminum Dew Shields do not come with an option for a built-in Astrozap Dew Heater Strap (this can be added at any time).

        B. Astrozap Flexi-Shield® and Flexi-Heat® Dew Shields are made from high quality flexible ABS-grade polymers that have a textured black finish, with VELCRO® Brand fasteners to provide a snug fit and padded so as not to mar or scratch the telescope's finish. They roll up easily into a convenient size for transportation to star parties and dark sky sites, near and far.
        • Flexi-Shield® Dew Shields do not come with a built-in Astrozap Dew Heater Strap (this can be added at any time).
        • Flexi-Heat® Dew Shields come with a built-in Astrozap Dew Heater Strap. When used with the Astrozap Dual Channel Dew Controller or the DC Adapter, the Flexi-Heat® Dew Shield performs both active and passive dew fighting methods to keep the telescope objective dew-free and lengthening precious telescope time.
        2. Lower versus Upper and Lower Notches for Dovetail Bars
            • Some telescopes do not require notches to accommodate dovetail bars.
            • Other telescopes need only a Lower Notch to accommodate the dovetail bar that attaches the optical tube to the mount.
            • A third type of telescope requires both a Lower Notch to accommodate the dovetail bar that attaches the optical tube to the mount, and an Upper Notch to accommodate an accessory. If you have a choice of Astrozap Dew Shields with Upper only or both Upper and Lower Notches, consider if you will be adding an upper dovetail bar in the future and plan accordingly in your choice.

             

            3. Whether or Not You Have (or Plan to Have) the Hyperstar Imaging Accessory on Your Telescope

            • The Hyperstar needs a unique set of Dew Shield slots to accommodate it.

              Helpful information to better understand dew shields and dew heaters and their benefits can be found on the page Solving Dew Formation on Optics which you can access in two places on the Astrozap Home page. Note that Astrozap Dew Shields are also made to serve as light shields to reduce or eliminate stray, off-axis light from entering the optical tube, thereby increasing the contrast of the object's appearance in the eyepiece or the image the camera acquires. This can be a great help at places where you will be observing that have lights close enough to interfere with good viewing.

               

              Please refer to the Astrozap Dew Shields by Telescope Make and Model page (navigation button under Dew Shields) to see the Astrozap Dew Shield options for your specific model telescope.