Collimation ????

[bcsteele]

Just what is Collimation? I see it mentioned a lot in these forums

 I get the idea it's to bring back into line, the mirrors - as like all instruments - the Telescope will drift out of alignment.

Is that right?

I suppose the questions are...

What is it?

Why do I have to do it?

Indeed DO I have to do it?

How Easy/Difficult is it to do ??

What happens if I Don't ?

and - what is it you actually do anyway??

Oh, and does it cost ?

Nice simple questions I'm sure

Thanks in advance,

Bry

[Charic]

bcsteele........The optics in the telescope have to be perfectly aligned for best results. If you buy a reflector telescope, at sometime of ownership, you WILL have to collimate. Its seems difficult/daunting at first, but simple once mastered. try looking at this... http://www.astro-baby.com/collimation/astro%20babys%20collimation%20guide.htm

[bcsteele]

EEK! - Daunting is an understatement - looks quite complicated to me - Having said that, it does look like a good guide (what do I know? lol)

[101nut]

As a visual observer I'd suggest you will need to collimate but don't get stressed about it. 

As you spend more time at the eyepiece you'll get more aware of fine collimation errors and then want to do something about them but at the moment if things look ok, and you're happy with it, enjoy the scope! 

If you join a local Club/Society there'll probably be someone who will help you check the initial collimation then you can learn more and tweak from there using guides on the net or whatever.

AndyG

[Charic]

bcsteele..........Looks complicated...........thats all...............take your time, dont drop anything, its easier the next time. If the telescope is never mis-handled, and hardly suffers  any temperature variation, then its possible that collimation will be an infrequent issue. Its generally only the Main Mirror that requires subsequent adjustments, if any. the only thing I have`nt stripped out on my scope is the focuser? My Celestron gets dismantled just for the fun of it. I`m going to tweak the Celestron before selling it. Tweaking it probably only requires a decent lens or two. Ive even centre spotted it?

[brantuk]

Think of it this way - you level up your scope on three points, you also align the finder with the main tube on three points. Collimation is no more than lining up the mirrors on three points - or in a refractor you align a lens on three points.

It's simply a question of learning the technique for your particular scope. The only additional items are choosing a particular technique (personal choice), and learning how to test and recognise when a scope is misaligned or well collimated.

[Moonshane]

Astro-Baby's notes are great and I used them myself until I got competent. I have produced notes which take a slightly different approach.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/197640-collimation-and-star-hopping/

[bcsteele]

• Ok, seems that it's one of those things that sound and look daunting, but once done, it's (relatively) Easy.

and OK, I wont worry about it until I think it might need doing

Thanks for the info!

[ScottS]

You mention mirrors in your original question so I'm going to assume you're going to be collimating a reflector of some sort. If that's the case, just be sure not to drop anything (tools etc) down the tube onto your primary. All other adjustments can be reversed if you make a mistake. I always collimate with the tube in a horizontal position. Might seem obvious, but once the mirrors scratched/cracked there's no going back.

[wookie1965]

I thought it was going to be hard when i first got my scope with Astro Baby`s and Moonshane`s note`s i can now collimate my scope in less tan 10 mins and that was taking my secondary mirror out and putting it back in again.

[Swedeman2013]

Could it be collimation is somewhat over blown a bit, I mean unless the scope has been severely banged around, the basic settings should hold up? I could be lucky I guess but images on my ( used) Skywatcher 200p are tack sharp and pass the star test despite being carried around and packed in my truck for camping.

[Moonshane]

I think it's certainly something that people worry about uncessarily. for me it's the same a tuning as guitar. I have never heard of anyone not buying a guitar ecause they have to tune it. as with a guitar, you will probably have to do a major tuning when you first get it but then will probably have to make a minor tweak to the odd string every now and again. the differences can be small but noticeable.

for visual observing at least,  'good enough to be almost negligible' collimation is achieveable by taking a minute or so to ensure the primary is well adjusted. the rest is just striving for perfection which is worth a go but not absolutely achievable.

[Tonys]

For newcomers I guess the significance of collimation depends on how well their nice new scope was set up at the factory. My 200p Dob arrived out of alignment, but as I had previous experience (with a Tal) I was able to recognize and correct the fault. Always wondered if mine was an isolated rogue example, as my Skywatcher refractor and Maksutov both arrived in perfect condition.

[laowho]

Collimation--that "C" word--which then became the overblown issue of Central Obstruction--"CO"--to make matters worse for our spectre-filled and misunderstanding imaginations, was nearly the death knell before we even got started. But oh the pleasures these have brought us since. I collimate just for fun now, even if I'm not gonna be viewing. Worry not...think of it as fun with lasers even.