Spile

I am thinking of the perspective of outside our galaxy rather than from earth.

As others have said, collimation shouldn’t put anyone off getting a reflector and it is much easier to do than explain. The physics of walking or even getting out of bed is challenging and yet we do it every day without thinking about it. I think that is the best way to approach it.

It looks as though the Orion Skyline is the same as the Apertura AD8.

I remember seeing a galactic map that not only displayed the sun but also the naked eye visible stars. Does anyone have a link?

I’d recommend centring the secondary mirror under the focuser using a Cheshire eyepiece and sight tube combination tool. Even a cap will get you close.

My guide shows how the outer and inner bolts work with one another. https://astro.catshill.com/collimation-guide/ Basically push pull. If you can take a photo through a cap (put a piece of paper behind the focuser), I’ll be able to check the alignment. However, I’d first check that the three outer and single centre bolts are working correctly.

Red Henry is a wonderful chap, who posts out free eyepieces across the USA.

The secondary looks great but your primary appears to need a slight tweak. That is assuming it is still uncentred when looking through the cap?

If you place a sheet of paper behind the focuser and take picture through a cap it will be easy to judge but if it’s correctly registered then the circles should be concentric in relation to the outside edge of the secondary (green) and the reflection of the primary edge (red).

If the secondary is centred then you will see the dark bulge “pointing” towards the primary. That was how my Chinese reflector was set up and how I align it. It’s model E in Vic Menard’s secondary alignment method. About halfway down the page and final diagram by Jason Khadder. https://vicmenard.com/addendum-to-perspectives/

Not for myself but I will often overlay circles on other images taken through a cap from users requesting a check.

I would agree that apart from Turn Left it’s worth spending time simply getting used to your telescope and honing your skills.

I’ve put a collimation guide as well as other tips on my blog (link below) and as you can see I recommend a Cheshire eyepiece and sight tube for aligning your secondary and a cap for your primary. The only other purchase I would suggest for now is a copy of Turn Left at Orion and lots of patience.

The 8” Dobsonian is the right balance of aperture and weight/size for me. I am very pleased with the Skywatcher as you can see https://astro.catshill.com/skywatcher-200p-review/ but if I were buying today I’d get the StellaLyra.

I know a lot of folk replace the springs but with my Skywatcher I find the locking bolts keep the primary aligned ok.

I assume there are no lock bolts on the primary mount of 12”?

I don’t believe any are, but you can modify them to pulse. Never seen the need personally.

One of the darkest and best observing nights apart from the wind. Split a number of new doubles and was delighted with the Ghost of Jupiter. Lovely green blue colour. I convinced myself that I managed to glimpse the difficult one of the Leo Triplet but NGC 3489 was a definite.

If I need to raise my 8” Dobsonian (a rare event) , I use a Sankey water butt stand purchased from B&Q for a few pounds. Picture here: If I was going for a larger aperture, the Dob mount is the one I would consider.

The 8” is the right choice for me. I’ll take dark skies over aperture any night of the week.

Is that St John’s Church I see in the background?

In my opinion the ideal telescope for visual astronomy is the Dobsonian. It combines simplicity, performance and value for money. I explain more at https://astro.catshill.com/why-did-i-choose-a-dobsonian/

Balancing darkness against altitude at the club tonight in order to see Mercury through the 12” Dob. Everyone said it wasn’t going to happen and was too low or behind clouds but managed it all the same.

No issues with the black velour just sticking it directly to the tube without using templates.

The Skywatcher is a great telescope and I would recommend it without hesitation if you find a good used one. Review on my blog below. However the StellaLyra/Apertura comes better equipped so represents better value for money if buying new imho. For example it cost me £120 to upgrade to a RACI and dual speed focuser. The one think I like about the SW is that you can carry it in one piece.