Collimating C11

[Chrb1985]

Hi guys!

I got my new C11 on neq6 the other day and I tried to collimate it today. I used my ZWO Asi 174mm with the baader vip 2x barlow and a flash light with aluminum foil with a small pinhole in it. I placed the led light about 30meters away from the scope.

This is the result. Hope someone can tell me if it's right or not.

[michael8554]

There's a button on your laptop keyboard near the blue leds labeled something like Prt Scrn (Print Screen)

This send a high quality Screen Grab to the Clipboard, instead of those murky point-and-shoots.

Michael

[CraigT82]

You can overlay a circular reticle onto the display in firecapture, and you can customise it (adding circles, changing size). It's ideal for checking collimation, it's the second check box up in that narrow vertical strip of options to the left of the preview.

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by CraigT82

[Chrb1985]

I will try this guys. But did it look okay?

[CraigT82]

Looks OK to me, but get it pointing upwards towards a real star and check it again. As it's a moving mirror scope you might find the collimation changes when you angle it upwards.

[Chrb1985]

Aha. Yeah I'm gonna do to tomorrow night:)

[1parsec]

You can get the collimation close with a camera but I always do the final adjustments at the eyepiece on an in focus mag. 1 to 2 star.

Use a high magnification say x500.  You should be able to see the Airy disc and a faint diffraction ring around it.  Adjust the collimation so the ring and central star are concentric.

You need a steady night as a lot of the time the seeing won't allow you to do this final step.
In the eyepiece you should see some thing like this - 

 

[Chrb1985]

So what t eyepice do I need to get then? Like 5mm or something?

[Chrb1985]

Here are some printscreens of tonight's collimation on a star salmist straight up above. I feel it turned out pretty good. But the seeing was horrible so I still can't say if it's good or not. All Jupiter, Saturn and Mars was just a blur tonight..