bahtinov mask

[Rustang]

Silly question but are Bahtinov masks universal to a point? I'm looking to make my own as I have access to either a 3D printer or laser cutter but obviously there are a few designs that I can see online so does it need to be made specifically for my scope (skywatcher 130pds) as in number of gaps, spacing size of those gaps, structural bars size etc, etc need to be correct!? The variants and confusing Im getting from online sources is why I ask.

 

Cheers

Edited June 19, 2020 by Rustang

[tomato]

I don’t think they are refractor or reflector specific, providing the template is sized to cover the aperture of your scope, it should be ok. The slots don’t need to be super sharply defined either, I made one for a 102mm refractor cut out from cardboard so the slots were a bit shaky, but it worked just as well as a purchased laser cut one.

[Rustang]

Ok cool, so the number of slots does not necessarily mater either !?

[Shimrod]

1 hour ago, Rustang said:

Silly question but are Bahtinov masks universal to a point? I'm looking to make my own as I have access to either a 3D printer or laser cutter but obviously there are a few designs that I can see online so does it need to be made specifically for my scope (skywatcher 130pds) as in number of gaps, spacing size of those gaps, structural bars size etc, etc need to be correct!? The variants and confusing Im getting from online sources is why I ask.

 

Cheers

There are some online mask generators out there that claim to size the mask differently for various apertures- here is one example:  astrojargon

You could try printing one of on stiff paper first of all to see how it performs with your scope before using your 3D printer for a more permanent version.

[Rustang]

Thanks, i will check that out.

 

Cheers

 

[Tomatobro]

The number of gaps and therefore slots alter the brightness of the interference pattern. The more light that can get through means a brighter image.

I must find out if Mr Bahtinov was ever honoured for his gift to the world.

[Geoff Lister]

There is a nice site with PDFs for printing, and cutting details, at  http://www.deepskywatch.com/Articles/make-bahtinov-mask.html

1 hour ago, Tomatobro said:

I must find out if Mr Bahtinov was ever honoured for his gift to the world.

Wikipedia has a description of the mask's operation, and a link to "Pavel Bahtinov", but if you follow that link it brings up an "empty" page. Clearly, honours are overdue.

[Rustang]

Thanks guy's 👍

[Tomatobro]

 

[tomato]

Cool, always good to put a face to the name.