Collimation

[r.t.swing]

As I saving for the 250px I understand collimation to be a regular occurrence, from what I've gleamed from the web am I correct in assuming this is a fairly simple procedure? Could someone recommend a good collimator.

Thanks again

[oldfruit]

Hi, it is a relatively simple proceedure when done correctly. There is a thread on here somewhere that explains everything so hopefully someone will be along shortly to provide you with the link.

[r.t.swing]

Thanks I'll search.

[rowan46]

Collimating a Newtonian or look for astrobaby's excellent tutorial Astro Babys Guide to Collimation

[Astro_Baby]

Is that a 250 on an EQ6 - its worth mentioning its a bit of a beast. Have you seen one in the flesh ? They are a lot bigger than you may think.

[lukebl]

Although collimation seems a bit daunting at first, it really is a doddle once you get the hang of it. You also don't necessarily need to collimate it very often. My 250mm is permanently mounted, and I haven't needed to collimate it since September last year.

[Skybrowser]

took me 45 minutes the first time I did it - didn't want to mess up and was extremely careful with everything. One thing you need to be careful about is make sure the scope is level so nothing can drop down inside and hit the mirror! Nowadays it takes me 2 minutes, tops - and that's taking great care too.