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Originally Posted by lingsifu
Hello everyone,
The moon isn't out tonight, so I positioned the finderscope at the brightest star in the sky but couldn't see anything in the eyepiece (I tried the 6mm, 9mm and 25mm Plossl eyepieces that came with the dob, stood outside for a couple of hours, trying to adjust the focus). It must be because I hadn't aligned or collimated, but I don't know where to start.
Thank you!
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I agree with the guys that you have to collimate. There are plenty of sites showing you how. Pick the one that you find easiest to understand. A basic collimating tool can be as simple as a cardboard tube with the plastic cap from a 35mm film canister (any 1 hr photo shop will probably give you one free). You put a small hole in the middle of the cap as a peephole to sight through. You place it in the focuser (instead of an eyepiece) to sight through, then follow the instructions on the collimating sites. Obviously there are better tools available, but this will get you in the ballpark. You may have to wrap the tube with tape or something to ensure a smooth fit in the focuser (it must slide in neatly, with no slop. ie, it must align straight through the focuser).
I have just purchased a GSO 10" dob as well. I did my first collimation on Saturday morning and my first viewing on Sat night (thanks Astroron & Gargoyle Steve
).
If you still can't see, then your problem could be dew
. DON'T rub or wipe any of the lens with anything. If you are close to a power point, you are fortunate. Just blow the lens dry with a hair dryer. The glass should stay warm for about 1/2 hour, and should enable you to get a fair bit of viewing in before you need to clear then again. Don't forget to blow dry the secondary mirror - just remove the eyepiece and the 1.25" adapter (black ring) and aim the dryer through the focuser directly onto the secondary mirror.
