12/11/2023 0 Comments Meade virtual moon atlas![]() ![]() If you’re not sure what that might be, check out this article. The first thing you want to do is get yourself the right tool for the job. Indeed, on most nights, you won’t have to do anything at all - you’ll just have to confirm that everything’s still okay. And once you know how to go about it, it’ll rarely take you more than a minute or two. This is job #1 when you align your scope’s optics. So what are we trying to do when we collimate our scopes? Just this: ensure that the eyepiece is aimed at the center of the primary mirror, and that the primary is aimed at the centre of the eyepiece. This will be an important thing to keep in mind later. The secondary is simply a flat piece of reflective glass. And here’s the thing - only the eyepiece and the primary mirror are active optical components. The main collimation adjustments are found at the back end of the scope.ĭespite your reflector telescope’s apparent complexity, it really consists of only three optical parts: the main mirror (often called the “primary mirror”), a small, flat mirror near the top of the tube (known as the “diagonal” or “secondary mirror”), and the magnifying eyepiece that you look into. I’m here to get you up and running with a minimum of fuss and heartache. If you like playing with lasers and fiddling with knobs more than viewing the night sky, well, you’re probably better off reading someone else’s collimation instructions. So, if you’ve just purchased a telescope and have found the instructions that came with it confusing (or simply absent), read on. Most of the time your scope’s optics can be aligned in a minute or two. But the thing to remember is that it doesn’t have to be. And if you’re a telescope nut, collimation can be a form of tinkering. But then again, you’ll also find people whose idea of a good time is to spend a Sunday afternoon under the hood of their car. It isn’t why you bought the car, but you still have to change the oil and check the tire inflation once in a while to keep the vehicle running properly. If step #1 is “square the focuser,” you’re in for a rough ride - guaranteed.Ĭollimation is a lot like routine car maintenance. How do you spot overly complicated collimation advice? Here’s one fool-proof way. They’re written for people like me - hardcore telescope nuts interested in the minutia of how their instruments work. Most collimation instructions aren’t written with the beginner in mind. Many collimation guides are heavily loaded down with confusing details. And now, you’re lost in a forest of information - some of it contradictory, some of it densely technical. ![]() So why does it seem so difficult when you’re just starting out? Probably because you’ve done your homework by Googling the subject and have read and re-read everything you’ve found. I’ve been building and using telescopes for more than three decades and I’ll share with you a secret: collimating a Newtonian reflector is easy. ![]()
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