The Official Astronomy Thread

Must better attempt than mine.

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Here is what I finally decided to buy after a lot of research:

Baader Laser Collimator

Link

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I need to make sure my scope is collimated correctly as you will never know until you try.

Baader Hyperion 5mm Eyepiece

Link

hyp_05_gross.jpg


I am not ready to buy a R2000+ eyepiece yet so I bought the best I could get for less.
 
I've collimated my scope with a laser collimator before, but to be honest, I can't see any difference to my viewing. My laser collimator sort of broke, well not really. One of the prongs that connects to the battery broke off. I need to solder it on, but I don't really need it. I had a look at the moon and Jupiter on Saturday night and it looked pretty much like I expected it to. I have to collimate my scope whenever I use it because I drag it from my room to the yard :p
 
mercurial said:
I've collimated my scope with a laser collimator before, but to be honest, I can't see any difference to my viewing. My laser collimator sort of broke, well not really. One of the prongs that connects to the battery broke off. I need to solder it on, but I don't really need it. I had a look at the moon and Jupiter on Saturday night and it looked pretty much like I expected it to. I have to collimate my scope whenever I use it because I drag it from my room to the yard :p
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I have never done any collimation om my scope so have no clue if all is fine. That is why I want to check it and make sure its all cool.
 
Guys...have heard that the ISS was visible last night at 6:51. Apparently again tonight...but not sure where to look or at what time? Anyone got some details???
 
Try www.heavens-above.com. They will have the visibility times and directions. It was hazy here last night but by pure accident I was outside when the ISS passed over from SW to NE direction. It's very bright so difficult to miss.
 
@AllBrain: A laser collimator helps but is not essential. If you have a collimation cap and everything seems concentric you are pretty well set. Keep in mind that the laser could be out of collimation itself so a sighttube/cheshire combo is preferred for centering the secondary. A barlowed laser then works exceptionally well to get the primary spot on. Of course a star test is the best way to check collimation.
 
Crusader said:
@AllBrain: A laser collimator helps but is not essential. If you have a collimation cap and everything seems concentric you are pretty well set. Keep in mind that the laser could be out of collimation itself so a sighttube/cheshire combo is preferred for centering the secondary. A barlowed laser then works exceptionally well to get the primary spot on. Of course a star test is the best way to check collimation.
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I am aware of the laser collimator issues but I did not get a collimation cap with my telescope. Thus I decided to buy the best collimator I can afford and see if my mirrors are aligned. At least it will not be a waste of money as I will have a very expensive laser pointer as well. :D
 
AllBrain said:
I have never done any collimation om my scope so have no clue if all is fine. That is why I want to check it and make sure its all cool.
Click to expand...
Its easy to check. Find a nice bright star, and then defocus it until you start seeing concentric rings around the star. If your mirrors are out of alignment the concentric rings will be misformed.
 
Spotted it with naked eye, found and tracked it through finderscope while partner looked through scope. It moved too fast for me to get a look through the telescope though unfortunately :(
but there will be more chances, and i'm glad i found it tonight! :D
 
It was too low from my location and the clouds didn't help either. :(

Those people in the North of the country are in for a treat tomorrow!
1 Sep -3.3 18:05:53 10 SW 18:08:50 88 SE 18:11:43 10 NE

At that magnitude the ISS will be the brightest thing in the sky at that time. Brighter than Jupiter and only slightly dimmer than Venus.
 
Er, i'm still a noob here crusader, is jhb considered 'the north of the country'?

I aim to capture it. I know i know, may take years for that to happen given my equipment, but i aim to do it nonetheless :)
 
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