My latest scope purchase
:
With thanks to Simon
, I now have the perfect scope for my public outreach efforts at Mount Stromlo..... (I really never felt comfortable having people climb a ladder to my big scope's eyepiece)
For the princely sum of $250, I bought Simon's 10" GSO Dobsonian which had been unused for quite some time. The scope came with a perfect laser collimator, 8x50 RACI finder and Telrad finder as well as an extension tube.
Though dry stored, the mirror had a seriously thick layer of dust that had accumulated during storage. I got the scope home and dismantled it completely into its components, then washed both mirrors, the primary was left to soak for a few minutes before a soap and water wash revealed a decent mirror that had been hidden by the dust.
I then dismantled the focuser, cleaned it and replaced one screw and refitted it. Then I noted that the secondary was too far down the tube to line up with the focuser axis, so after a minor modification to the mounting, I had the optics aligned as they should be. A quick collimation with the laser showed all was lining up well but the collimation screws were a nuisance so out they came to be replaced with M4 x 30mm stainless cap screws.
Hoping for a "First Light" tonight
Who says I am an equipment snob
Pics: GSO 10", Clean Mirror, Collimation screws, Clean focuser and Finder