Dumb move -- did I break my telescope?

[BDK]

I recently purchased a Zhumell Z114 for my family and took it out for a week camping.  As I was backing out of the site, I heard a horrible noise and realized that I had just ran into the box that held the telescope and almost ran it over.

Amazingly, there wasn't that much visible damage.  The lens cap was broken, some of the exterior plastic had some small damage, but that was it.  The most concerning thing for me was that a decent amount of dirt/rocks fell into the telescope and hit the primary mirror.  However, I couldn't see any cracks or anything.  I did a quick check and was able to see some trees, but didn't test it out more than that.

I'm still worried that I damaged something that I can't see or don't know how to look for.  Like maybe a scratched mirror.  I have no clue how to start figuring it out though, can anyone help?  What issues should I be concerned with?  How can I identify them?  Is repair possible?  Thanks in advance all.

Edited August 16, 2021 by BDK

[Louis D]

If it still provides decent views, consider yourself lucky and move on.  At $149, repairs are not economical if you can't perform them yourself.

[ONIKKINEN]

Doesn't sound like an issue if you cant see any obvious damage. Even scratches or dents in the mirror are pretty much impossible to notice unless they are a significant fraction of the mirrors diameter.

 

All newtonians have a giant obstruction bang on in the middle of the mirror: the secondary mirror and its holder. So if the damage is small enough that you don't know that its an issue, it probably is not. You will probably want to collimate the scope if its been banged around, but you would probably want to collimate after transportation anyway.

[BDK]

Thanks for the advice, glad to know I still have something usable.

[AstroMuni]

On 16/08/2021 at 01:03, BDK said:

I'm still worried that I damaged something that I can't see or don't know how to look for.  Like maybe a scratched mirror.  I have no clue how to start figuring it out though, can anyone help? 

Try it out. If you still can see objects clearly you know its in good nick Fingers crossed for you. Good luck.

 

[Stu1smartcookie]

As written by @ONIKKINEN  , mirrors can take a fair bit of wear and tear without degrading the views in a scope . I can speak from experience of owning a seriously( imo)  degraded mirror still showing very good views . Put it down to experience , don't beat yourself up over it , and carry on using it .  Good Luck and clear skies .