Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums
Privacy Policy |
Please read our Terms
of Service | Signup and
Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User
Octavarium
member
Reged: 08/02/08
Posts: 62
Loc: East Haven, CT
|
|
I hear the term a lot, but don't know if it needs to/can be done to my ETX-125. I read somewhere Maks have collimation problems, but in my viewing so far I don't have any noticable problems. Do most new scopes need this or not? I don't want to mess with anything until I'm sure it needs to be done.
--------------------
Meade ETX-125PE
Series 4000 plossol eyepiece/filter set
|
Protheus
Vaguely offended
Reged: 09/01/07
Posts: 4664
Loc: Illinois, US
|
|
I'd leave it alone until and unless you notice a problem. If you have an eyepiece that will provide ridiculously high magnification, you can defocus a moderately bright star and observe the pattern of discs around the center. This should be done on a night of really calm seeing. If they're perfectly concentric, the collimation is right on. If they're not, the collimation is off according to the degree of eccentricity in the rings.
Chris
--------------------
"To tread the sharp edge of a sword;
to run on smooth-frozen ice,
one needs no footsteps to follow..."
"Well, people sometimes ask me 'how did you get involved in astronomy?' I said 'I got born, what's your problem?'" -- John Dobson
"In discussing the large-scale structure of the cosmos, astronomers sometimes say that space is curved, or that the universe is finite but unbounded. Whatever are they talking about?" -- Carl Sagan
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6787
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
I hear the term a lot, but don't know if it needs to/can be done to my ETX-125. I read somewhere Maks have collimation problems, but in my viewing so far I don't have any noticable problems. Do most new scopes need this or not? I don't want to mess with anything until I'm sure it needs to be done.
If stars near the very center of the field look nice and symmetric at high power (no elongation or flaring), then chances are that your scope is probably collimated. Mak-Cassegrains like the ETX125 don't often require collimation unless they have been treated roughly or were put together improperly. Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
|
Joe Aguiar
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 729
Loc: Toront,Ontario
|
|
I thought the ETX's where factory collimated & cant be ajusted after that, at least i am pretty sure, unless they changed it on the later models.
Joe
|
sang33ta
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/08/08
Posts: 539
Loc: UK
|
|
The ETX is not designed to be user collimated so don't worry about it. Maks are legendary for keeping perfect collimation and make ideal portable scopes. If the views are dodgy send it back to where you bought it from but bear in mind it's normal for high zoom not to come to focus on nights with bad seeing conditions.
--------------------
Hioptic 152mm f12.5 Maksutov
Celestron Advanced CG5-GT Mount (Mr Noisy!)
Meade 4000 Super Plossl Set
Casio QV-2900UX
Got fed up of waiting for Meade ETX-150 so put this together for £500/$1000 
Edited by sang33ta (08/14/08 07:45 AM)
|
Joe Aguiar
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 729
Loc: Toront,Ontario
|
|
yepthats what i thought etx cant be collimated a few other maks like the orion can tho
Joe
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
