Collimation is the process of adjusting the telescopes primary and secondary mirrors so they are aligned with one another and with the mechanical axis of the. The following will guide you mainly through the collimation of a newtonian. These are the primary mirror tilt adjusters and their respective lock nuts. Dont underestimate the importance of mechanical alignment. The optical performance of most newtonian reflecting telescopes can be optimized by recollimating aligning the telescopes optics.
Enter the importance of learning how to align your newtonian reflector telescope. Insert the collimating cap into the focuser in place of a regular eyepiece. Howie glatter by starlight instruments 2380 e cardinal drive columbia city, in 46725 united states phone. Collimation of newtonian telescopes with the help of the laser. Your newtonian reflector will give great images of stars and planets but only as long as you keep it well tuned. Astro babys guide to collimation newtonian telescope. There are a couple of tools than can be applied to significantly aid in collimating your newtonian telescope.
Isaac newton the telescope most likely to need collimation is the newtonian reflector which includes dobsonians because it is most likely to have its mirrors knocked out of alignment by handling, travel, andor reassembly at an observing spot. Newtonian telescope collimation with the astrosystems lightpipe. The collimation cap helps center your eye over the. Read your telescope instruction manual for the correct procedure to remove the. Collimation is the alignment of the optical parts of a telescope. Collimation is the process of aligning the mirrors of your telescope so that they work in concert with each other to deliver properly focused light to your eyepiece. One popular tool is the collimation laser, like the orion lasermate deluxe ii telescope laser collimator. So, collimation has everything to do with making your telescope optics line up with each other and also making sure that all of the light that enters into the. Collimation is a painless process and works like this. How to align your newtonian reflector telescope sky. This is relatively simple to carry out and the cause of most in the field collimation errors. This device will keep your eye centered of the focuser tube. A newtonian telescope at its simplest consists of a tube with a primary mirror normally a paraboloid centered within this tube near one end and a focuser extending from the side of the tube near the other, with a flat secondary mirror inside the tube at a 45 degree angle. At the rear of the telescope you will find three pairs of screws.