- I want to [[collimate]] my reflector telescope for the first time; these are some notes taken while doing that.
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I got two tools for this purpose:
- a [[cheshire]] eyepiece
- a laser collimator
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I first put the cheshire eyepiece and I saw something that was clearly not aligned (that’s good, that’s why we’re here).
- At first glance I’m unsure if I’m supposed to align first the overall picture (guided by the ‘crosshairs’ of the secondary mirror I can see) or align the image within the secondary mirror.
- It is hard to explain what I’m seeing without a drawing, it is really quite complex. I guess this is why collimation guides are a thing.
- #go https://garyseronik.com/a-beginners-guide-to-collimation/
- my telescope looked exactly like the first diagram that says ‘before collimation’, which is good.
- (stuff happened)
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I think it’s more collimated now than before but not perfect :) still, I want to see the difference next time I observe Jupiter or a star, and it’s been cloudy.
- Maybe I’ll observe the distant LEDs in a construction crane ~500m away.