I've learned to be careful if I'm working outdoors on a sunny day and pick up a
chrome-plated wrench that's been lying in the sun for a few hours- it can be
painful- but I think that influenced my wording too much here. Since in this
case it's thin (and highly conductive) sheet metal it probably cools a lot more
effectively. But it will still be warmer than if it was painted white. The
problem isn't damage to electronics, but just that you want the scope as close
to ambient temp as possible once it gets dark.

-John


--- In sct-user@yahoogroups.com, "tom_krajci" <tom_krajci@...> wrote:
>
> --- In sct-user@yahoogroups.com, John Mahony <jmmahony@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > I'd strongly recommend that you paint that metal shack white. Bare
> > reflective metal is an absolutely miserable emitter of IR, so even
> > though it will reflect most sunlight in the day so it won't absorb
> > _much_, what it does absorb will hardly be re-emitted as IR at
> > all. As a result bare metal can get astonishingly hot on a sunny
> > day.
>
> Interesting.
>
> I have walked into those shelters many times on sunny, cloudless
> days. It's a bit warmer inside, but nothing that alarmed me.
> Touching the scopes did not alarm me that they are getting overly hot.
>
> Driving across the empty regions of New Mexico (and there's lots of
> them)...I often see unattended/remote electronics gear...in metal
> buildings that are shiny/unpainted metal. No white paint to be seen.
>
> But it's easy enough to conduct an experiment. I have scrap sheet
> metal and left over white rustoleum from another project. I can do a
> side-by-side test...unpainted versus painted metal.
>
> I'll post my findings.
>
> --
> -------------------------------------------
> Tom Krajci
> Cloudcroft, New Mexico
> http://picasaweb.google.com/tom.krajci
>
> Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA)
> http://cbastro.org/ CBA New Mexico
>
> American Association of Variable Star
> Observers (AAVSO): KTC http://www.aavso.org/
> -------------------------------------------
>