This tutorial misses a crucial step : positioning secondary mirror, before aligning it. If the sec mirror is not exactly perpendicular to the focuser, you are doomed. You will end up compensating for that by tilting it, and again tilt primary mirror to compensate for that. Everything now looks fine with a laser as the path from focuser to the mirrors and back are aligned, but when you use tube as light source, it isn't collimated anyway. Classic mistake.
Seems so....Verification (Using Cheshire or sight Tube & White paper Opposite Focuser side of Tube wall) of reasonably Centered secondary mirror to Focuser tube Axis should be the First step as well as Starting collimation with approximately Equal secondary mirror Screws depth....
High point! Give that man a raise.I'v been in this hobby 23 yrs. and that's the absolute best explanation on collimation ever.And on what primary mirror screw to turn.I even learned something great job young man.
I’ve been looking at a lot of collimation videos lately, and this one is the most clear and helpful explanation of using a Cheshire tool I have experienced. Explained so many things, including the offset reflector picture, which had been driving me nuts. Thank you!
Wow! as below with wf7754 I have been at this for weeks and this is the clearest explanation yet. I had aligned the cross hairs but got the lopsided circle and figured it wasn't right and started over, and over,and......My mind was having optical hallucinations. And I am a physicist and my optics is not recent.I am an old guy and you are clearly not. Ha! Your explanation was as clear as a bell. Congratulations to you. And so much thanks.
Is a cheshire collimator still accurate enough without any precision centering tools? I find that its position can be changed greatly buy how you tighten the focuser screws but cant find any precision centering tools that fit in a 1.25" focuser. I cant use a laser or collimation cap either as I don't have a center mark on my primary mirror (So I have to collimate it by using stars in the night sky which I also feel is not accurate enough)
Do put that center mark onto the exact center of the primary mirror. It won’t block any extra light because it lies inside the shadow of the secondary mirror. Instructions are plentiful on UA-cam and stickers are available from the local stationary stores. Companies like Far Point will sell you all you need to get that center reference mark properly installed. I’m sure you have already done this. If not don’t be afraid to.
Thank you! I employed the Cheshire eyepiece solely for aligning the primary mirror, while I utilized a laser collimator for the secondary. I wasn't aware that you could use the blurry crosshairs to collimate the secondary mirror.
Absolutely great video - I’m new to telescopes and was getting so confused reading different sites. This explanation was spot on - got my scope sorted out in no time. Thank you
Great video but what do you do if your secondary mirror turns and needs to be recentered before collimation? How about a video dedicated to that topic? But thank you for this simple and well-explained description of collimation. I do have one question though, about covering the open side of the Chesire tool during the first phase of collimation, centering the center spot. The reflection of the Chesire target is distracting during this phase if not covered.
Yes! A dobsonian IS a Newtonian actually. The inventor of the base was named John Dobson - the base holds a Newtonian telescope so the process of collimation is the same.
I'm new to astronomy, my explorer 130 DX arrived yesterday, and have done my best to collimate from other videos but looking forward to trying to do it with proper tools, this video gives a lot of detail and gives me the confidence that I can do this.
I was struggling as the view through the focuser tube was very small and I couldn't see the center dot. Turns out my scope is a Bird-Jones style scope, which contains a lens at the bottom of the focuser even with no eyepiece. If anyone else has this kind of scope, you'll need to disassemble the focuser and remove the lens, then put it back together and continue with the collimation. After collimating, reinstall the lens.
Once I center the secondary mirror so the dot is centered, adjusting the back main mirror does nothing to alien the crosshairs, adjusting the back mirror only moves the dot back out of center. Nothing I do moves the 2 sets of crosshairs closer together.
This video saved me when I started collimating my telescope for the first time and I was trying to center both the shadow and the center and could not figure out how to do it and most other videos doesn't even mention this problem but your did so thanks for the help.
Greetings from Finland. Thank you for a great tutorial video! I managed to colliminate my sons Celestron dx130 with this video. It was much easier than I thought😅
Great video and very helpful for newbies to collimation! There is one thing which is missing though, the start test. If you can post that too with some graphics it will be great!
This tutorial misses a crucial step : positioning secondary mirror, before aligning it. If the sec mirror is not exactly perpendicular to the focuser, you are doomed.
You will end up compensating for that by tilting it, and again tilt primary mirror to compensate for that. Everything now looks fine with a laser as the path from focuser to the mirrors and back are aligned, but when you use tube as light source, it isn't collimated anyway. Classic mistake.
Seems so....Verification (Using Cheshire or sight Tube & White paper Opposite Focuser side of Tube wall) of reasonably Centered secondary mirror to Focuser tube Axis should be the First step as well as Starting collimation with approximately Equal secondary mirror Screws depth....
High point! Give that man a raise.I'v been in this hobby 23 yrs. and that's the absolute best explanation on collimation ever.And on what primary mirror screw to turn.I even learned something great job young man.
I’ve been looking at a lot of collimation videos lately, and this one is the most clear and helpful explanation of using a Cheshire tool I have experienced. Explained so many things, including the offset reflector picture, which had been driving me nuts. Thank you!
Wow! as below with wf7754 I have been at this for weeks and this is the clearest explanation yet. I had aligned the cross hairs but got the lopsided circle and figured it wasn't right and started over, and over,and......My mind was having optical hallucinations. And I am a physicist and my optics is not recent.I am an old guy and you are clearly not. Ha! Your explanation was as clear as a bell. Congratulations to you. And so much thanks.
Is a cheshire collimator still accurate enough without any precision centering tools? I find that its position can be changed greatly buy how you tighten the focuser screws but cant find any precision centering tools that fit in a 1.25" focuser. I cant use a laser or collimation cap either as I don't have a center mark on my primary mirror (So I have to collimate it by using stars in the night sky which I also feel is not accurate enough)
Did you ever find a solution? I'm in the same exact boat.
Do put that center mark onto the exact center of the primary mirror. It won’t block any extra light because it lies inside the shadow of the secondary mirror. Instructions are plentiful on UA-cam and stickers are available from the local stationary stores. Companies like Far Point will sell you all you need to get that center reference mark properly installed. I’m sure you have already done this. If not don’t be afraid to.
Without showing us what it looks like as you do the collimation your verbal description really didn't help me. Thanks for the video
Fantastic tip about using the location of your hand to trace back to the mirror screws!!! Thank you very much!!!
Thank you! I employed the Cheshire eyepiece solely for aligning the primary mirror, while I utilized a laser collimator for the secondary. I wasn't aware that you could use the blurry crosshairs to collimate the secondary mirror.
Im new, so can you use this on a Skywatcher 250pds 2inch ? Thanks
Absolutely great video - I’m new to telescopes and was getting so confused reading different sites. This explanation was spot on - got my scope sorted out in no time. Thank you
Great video but what do you do if your secondary mirror turns and needs to be recentered before collimation? How about a video dedicated to that topic? But thank you for this simple and well-explained description of collimation. I do have one question though, about covering the open side of the Chesire tool during the first phase of collimation, centering the center spot. The reflection of the Chesire target is distracting during this phase if not covered.
Hello, so this will work just as well on a Dobsonian right? Nvm got to the dob part😅.
Yes! A dobsonian IS a Newtonian actually. The inventor of the base was named John Dobson - the base holds a Newtonian telescope so the process of collimation is the same.
@@highpointscientific great! Appreciate the reply man. Thank you.
I'm new to astronomy, my explorer 130 DX arrived yesterday, and have done my best to collimate from other videos but looking forward to trying to do it with proper tools, this video gives a lot of detail and gives me the confidence that I can do this.
Chess er. Pretty faultless video otherwise ty
Cheers buddy!
I was struggling as the view through the focuser tube was very small and I couldn't see the center dot. Turns out my scope is a Bird-Jones style scope, which contains a lens at the bottom of the focuser even with no eyepiece. If anyone else has this kind of scope, you'll need to disassemble the focuser and remove the lens, then put it back together and continue with the collimation. After collimating, reinstall the lens.
It's pronounces "Che-sheer", as in the Country of Cheshire in England.
Once I center the secondary mirror so the dot is centered, adjusting the back main mirror does nothing to alien the crosshairs, adjusting the back mirror only moves the dot back out of center. Nothing I do moves the 2 sets of crosshairs closer together.
I have been spending 3 days in collimation hell can't get it right with the hotech sca 2'' laser collimator
frankly, it doesn't really matter how far out of the focuser a collimation eyepiece sticks out--it's only going to be used for it's purpose.
Muchas gracias.
Ha sido un vídeo muy divulgativo y previso.
Explicación perfecta.
Saludos.
This video saved me when I started collimating my telescope for the first time and I was trying to center both the shadow and the center and could not figure out how to do it and most other videos doesn't even mention this problem but your did so thanks for the help.
If you are using a laser collimator instead of the Cheshire you are recommending would it be better and longer or shorter distance?
Greetings from Finland. Thank you for a great tutorial video! I managed to colliminate my sons Celestron dx130 with this video. It was much easier than I thought😅
Great video and very helpful for newbies to collimation! There is one thing which is missing though, the start test. If you can post that too with some graphics it will be great!
Thanks for all the great videos. They are full of helpful tips.
Great video, thank you for sharing..
Super helpful…especially tips on which knobs to predict to turn for the primary
Thanks. I like the way you explain things.
Thank you, that looks easy.
No matter how I try I can't get it right