![]() It is a big difference looking through the Newtonian telescope that is properly collimated. I always do it before the observing session to ensure that the telescope mirrors are in perfect alignment. No matter what method you choose, whether with or without the tool, remember that collimation is important, like changing the oil in your car. You may also like: Why I Can’t See Anything Through My Telescope? Conclusion I think the method without the tool I have shown you is much easier and more accurate collimation of the Newtonian reflector. But if it begins to circle on the mirror, you have a problem, and you must collimate the laser. Everything is okay if the red dot stays in one place during rotation. Just put the laser in the focuser, look inside the tube, and rotate the laser. If you have one, you can check it for yourself. You would be surprised how many lasers come not aligned. ![]() Another thing with lasers is that the laser must be collimated as well before performing any collimation with the telescope. But I have an issue with these tools because they will give you more problems.įirst, those tools wobble in the eyepiece holder, so collimation might not be accurate with them. You can also buy a laser collimator to collimate your telescope. Make sure that the secondary mirror doesn’t rotate out of position while you are centering it.Īlso, remember to keep the telescope in the horizontal position so that if you drop something into the tube, it will not slide down on the primary mirror.Ĭollimation Of The Reflector With a Collimation Laser It will allow you to center the secondary mirror. While doing that, keep looking through the cap hole in the focuser. Then, take the Philips head screwdriver, hold the base of the secondary mirror with your second hand and turn the middle screw counterclockwise to push the mirror toward the primary mirror or clockwise to move it toward the front of the tube. To move the secondary mirror, you have to loosen three socket head screws around the middle screw by one or two turns. The rest of the socket head screws are for adjusting the tilt of the mirror. One in the middle is moving the mirror in and out of the scope. On the mount of the secondary mirror, you have 4 screws. Take the hex key and the Phillips head screwdriver. If it’s not aligned and it is closer to the primary mirror or the front of the telescope, you need to make adjustments to center it. You have to make a hole in the middle and put a piece of aluminum foil inside so it can reflect light. You can buy one, or you can make one like me from the old cap of the old telescope. It is for centering the donut on the primary mirror which I explain later. The only special tool is the collimation cap which is a standard cap with a hole in the middle and a reflection surface inside. The last thing we need is a sheet of white paper. It will help you center your eye around the focuser. This may differ with different telescopes. I will break it down into steps so that you can follow them with me.īeforehand, we need to prepare one Philips head screwdriver and a small hex key. It’s free, and it takes a few minutes before the observing session. Collimation Of The Reflector With a Collimation LaserĬollimating Newtonian Reflector Without The Tool.Collimating Newtonian Reflector Without The Tool. ![]() If something falls on the primary mirror, it can destroy it! So, be careful with that and don’t make this mistake. You are risking dropping something in the tube, and it can slide down on your primary mirror. Never do anything around the front opening if you don’t have a scope in a horizontal position. If you are doing the collimation of the telescope, always move it to a horizontal position. Now, before we start, I have to mention two safety precautions. The technique I will show you here applies to all reflecting telescopes. I will explain why is it better at the end of this article. You may think that the collimation with the tool is better, but that is not true.īoth methods can be accurate and sometimes the way without the tool is better. One can be done without the tool and the other one when you are using a collimator tool. Just take it easy, it’s not rocket science, and you will get a crisp image after that. I’m going to show here how to collimate your reflector for free without the collimation tools. Most people think that collimation is a long, frustrating process and that you need expensive tools to do that. But, it is a very simple process, and you don’t have to be scared of it. For some people, collimation is a nightmare, and many times they buy a refractor instead of a reflector because of that. It means you have to adjust both the primary and secondary mirrors to get the best image possible. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.Ĭollimation is the alignment of the telescope optics. This site contains affiliate links to products.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |