Loose mirror

[Angie]

The mirror inside my telescope is  completely loose. Can  someone please help me in installing this telescope. 

Tasco 114mm x 500mm  telescope 

[jetstream]

18 minutes ago, Angie said:

The mirror inside my telescope is  completely loose. Can  someone please help me in installing this telescope. 

Can you send some pictures of it?

[Angie]

Hi. The mirror inside my telescope is completely off and I don’t know how  i can put it back in place. I have  a 114 mm x 500mm  tasco telescope  and I am a beginner     With that being said... can anybody help me in putting that mirror where it belongs?

[Angie]

[Angie]

On 12/07/2016 at 11:03, Putaendo Patrick said:

This diagram make help you to understand what is happening inside your reflector telescope, as compared to a refractor which uses glass lenses:

The main mirror inside telescope is completely off and I don’t know how it goes in. There are three screws with springs around the mirror  and I do not know where that mirror is suppose to be screwed on inside the telescope. 

[jetstream]

6 minutes ago, Angie said:

The main mirror inside telescope is completely off and I don’t know how it goes in. There are three screws with springs around the mirror  and I do not know where that mirror is suppose to be screwed on inside the telescope. 

The three holes in the bottom plate should line up with those three screws or "studs" and there should be some kind of "hollow nuts" possibly that thread on the studs, once through the holes.

Is there more parts?

[NGC 1502]

 

Hi Angie.  Folks on here are happy to help, but a few more details would let us give advice.

You say that the mirror is “completely off”.

Do you mean the mirror needs adjusting ( collimation ) or has it been removed from the telescope tube by dismantling ?

Ed.

[Ricochet]

I think photos would help in this situation. "Completely off" sounds like either the secondary stalk has become unscrewed from the spider or the mirror has fallen off the stalk. 

[Ruud]

The pictures show the problem well.

I hope  you have the three knobs that are needed to hold the mirror cell in place.

Together with the screws that are still in place, you use them to adjust the tilt of the mirror. Check Youtube to learn how to collimate the optics. Here's one of the many instruction videos on the topic:

 

Edited July 24, 2019 by Ruud

[Swoop1]

Hi Angie,

Your telescope is missing 3 adjustment knobs. The back of the mirror has three threaded studs which have the springs around them (visible in your picture). These studs protrude hrough the holes and the knobs do up over them. Adjusting the knobs collimates (lines up the mirrors) your scope.

The back of my scope is shown below as an indication. Mine isn't the same make but it is the same concept- a Newtonian telescope.

[Tomatobro]

I think that what Angie is saying is that the collimation screws with the springs have become completes unscrewed with the result that the mirror cell is loose.

The best solution is to find out where your nearest Astronomy Club meets and contact them. I am sure that a member will come to your rescue and show you how to fix it.

Otherwise the cell has to be removed and the screws reconnected and then the scope will need to be collimated. I am guessing that you have the three screws that came away?

Edited July 24, 2019 by Tomatobro
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