Collimating a Celestron Evolution C925

[UKRoman]

Hi All,

I've recently got back into Astro after a 20 year absence and have thrown myself into it in every way. Very much enjoying all the new toys. My first real purchase of new kit was a Celestron NexStar Evolution 925 which I've had for a few months now but never really used, as I quickly got caught up in astrophotography with smaller refractors. However on it's first light recently I'm pretty sure I could see that it needs collimating. The instruction manual tells me how to collimate it. But there is no reference on how to get to the collimation screws, which on my model seem to be hidden under a plastic cover. I'm pretty concerned about tinkering without knowing how I'm supposed to remove the cover to access the screws. Could anybody please? Here's what I'm seeing when I look at the front.

 

Many thanks

 

[Andy38416]

This looks like it has the answers:

 

[UKRoman]

That’s perfect. 
 

many thanks 👍

[Starwatcher2001]

Welcome to SGL.

Weird, I'm back into astronomy after a 20 year absence, too. I bought the 9.25 Evo and also had trouble finding how to get the to collimation screws... there's a lot of it about. Once you get it fettled it's a cracking scope.

If yours has got the little black rubber buffers on the accessory tray to protect the legs, I suggest you glue them in place. They fall off at the drop of a hat and I've already lost two of mine.

Cheers,

Mark

[UKRoman]

27 minutes ago, Starwatcher2001 said:

Welcome to SGL.

Weird, I'm back into astronomy after a 20 year absence, too. I bought the 9.25 Evo and also had trouble finding how to get the to collimation screws... there's a lot of it about. Once you get it fettled it's a cracking scope.

If yours has got the little black rubber buffers on the accessory tray to protect the legs, I suggest you glue them in place. They fall off at the drop of a hat and I've already lost two of mine.

Cheers,

Mark

Great tip, thanks Mark. Tbh I hadn’t noticed those until you mentioned it. I’ll get the gorilla glue out later 😃👍

So much has changed in Astronomy since I last dipped my toes in. I’m really enjoying it again thanks to all the gadgets that help make observing and image capture a pleasure. Though I have to say they bring their own challenges. The biggest disappointment for me is that I hadn’t really noticed how rare clear skies are in the UK until I sat there with my shiny new gear waiting for a clear night. On average it seems to be around once a month that I can actually get out. I’m consoling myself with the thought that the anticipation is half the fun 😊👍

[Starwatcher2001]

The biggest change for me is having some money now the kids are grown up and gone. First time around I was on a tight budget and had to build everything myself: plywood dob, finder made from drainpipe and a broken pair of binoculars etc.  Learned a lot, but spent more time cobbling stuff together than observing.  As you say, it's nice to have the gadgets and some decent eyepieces now. Even with all the electronics, I've just spent a happy hour or two looking over my old paper "SkyAtlas 2000" and printouts of my Word 95 log files. I'm slowly revisiting all my old friends up there and finding new ones.

The downside is 20 years later and the light pollution is ridiculous with insecurity lights everywhere. My skies are Bortle 7/8, which is pretty grim. Hope yours are better.

[UKRoman]

Agreed, the light pollution is a real issue. I’m in a 7, but fortunately only a stones throw from the countryside, which really helps. It’s actually one of the reasons my C925 has remained largely unused, as I found that a small refractor is much easier to transport to darker skies.