Does anyone know what this is?

[RobertI]

Can anyone identify this bit of equipment? It comprises a mirror diagonal, a barlow like lens, a tiny mirror thingy which is adjustable like a reticle, and possibly translucent, with a red illuminator. I’m stumped. 🤔

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by RobertI

[Astro Noodles]

7 minutes ago, RobertI said:

Can anyone identify this bit of equipment? It comprises a mirror diagonal, a barlow like lens, a tiny mirror thingy which is adjustable like a reticle, and possibly translucent, with a red illuminator. I’m stumped. 🤔

 

Is it one of these?

Vixen GA2 Off Axis Illuminated Guider .965" - CN Classifieds - Cloudy Nights

[Sunshine]

It's got an awful lot of thumbscrews on it, it is interesting.

[Peter Drew]

8 minutes ago, Astro Noodles said:

Is it one of these?

Vixen GA2 Off Axis Illuminated Guider .965" - CN Classifieds - Cloudy Nights

Yes it is.      🙂

[RobertI]

10 minutes ago, Astro Noodles said:

Is it one of these?

Vixen GA2 Off Axis Illuminated Guider .965" - CN Classifieds - Cloudy Nights

Yes that’s it! Still not sure how it works though. I am assuming the Barlowed nosepiece (long black bit) goes into a guide scope and the eyepiece goes into the eyepiece holder, but what does the illuminated thingy do? Doesn’t project some sort of reticle and if so is the mirror diagonal translucent?

[Astro Noodles]

4 minutes ago, RobertI said:

Yes that’s it! Still not sure how it works though. I am assuming the Barlowed nosepiece (long black bit) goes into a guide scope and the eyepiece goes into the eyepiece holder, but what does the illuminated thingy do? Doesn’t project some sort of reticle and if so is the mirror diagonal translucent?

Don't know how it works but the advert says it's for visual astrophotography guiding. I think that the eyepiece goes into the eyepiece holder. It appears to have an on/off. I assume this is for the reticule illumination. As far as I can tell, you look down the barlow to keep alignment. As it is .965", it is probably not compatible with much.

[Ibbo!]

Its for old school guiding, I have one somewhere.

Great fun till you adjust the wrong way.

[Seelive]

That was used to allow a proper nights astrophotography to be undertaken without the worry of constantly looking at a computer screen and wondering why you are getting more than 1" RMS guiding error 😆

Edited May 9, 2021 by Seelive

[Peter_D]

You can identify it's made by the Japanese firm Vixen because of the V inside the circle.