If You Could Have Only One Tool To Collimate A Newtonian What Would It Be?

[refractordude]

Hello there


Just pulled the trigger on a six inch f8 Dob. Now looking for the best tool for collimation. Thanks to you all

[N1]

Cheshire eyepiece. No batteries required, will get you plenty close enough to then finish off by star testing -although an f/8 Newtonian one could probably collimate with no tools at all.

[Startrek]

Orion collimating eyepiece 👍

Martin

[refractordude]

Hello there


Should I get the long or short cheshire for a six inch f8 dob? Orion, Celestron or Svbony? Thanks all

[croweater]

G,day, I think the Celestron and Orion are exactly the same. Either of those would be fine. The long ones would be better. I have the Orion that Martin uses.
Cheers, Richard

[ChrisV]

Catseye set. I know it's two pieces (black at and infinity) but it's in a single box ...
Solid as a rock and the only thing that will accurately collimate my F4 for astrophotography!!

But all totally unnecessary at F8

[EpickCrom]

Hi mate.

Firstly congratulations on purchasing a 6 inch dobsonian, these instruments are by far the best bang for your buck when it comes to visual observing!

I use my Saxon Cheshire collimator with my 10 inch f 4.7 dob. Works like a charm and always ensures that I have the sharpest views.

All The Best
Joe

[wavelandscott]

If I was going to get one tool it would be the Orion collimating eyepiece. Solid and bullet proof…

There are other more sophisticated (and costly) options that will also work well but the Orion will be hard to beat for that scope.

[Steffen]

For placement and alignment of the secondary, a sight tube, Cheshire etc.

For critical collimation, an artificial star.

[refractordude]

Thanks for all the help. Read good reviews on the Svbony Cheshire 197. Trigger pulled. A star test will let me know how good the Svbony is. I have 30 days to return it to Amazon for a full refund.

[alpal]

I doubt it's orthogonal -
see my post here:
https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=203108&page=4

17-02-2023, 03:04 PM

see the graph.


see my solution here:
18-02-2023, 08:00 AM
https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=203108&page=3
see the much improved graph.


cheers
Allan

[refractordude]

alpal


Everyone is advising Orion or Celestron. I appreciate the advice. However, I read that the Svbony had some kind of advantage which made it better than Orion and Celestron. I could be wrong but it may have been written by Don Pensack. I should have snipped it because it cant be found. The Svbony arrived today. Now if someone could link me to the best/easiest way to collimate my dob. Thanks to you all

[alpal]

OK - I see it here:
https://www.svbony.com/cheshire-collimating-eyepiece/

best of luck.

[croweater]

It may be the fact that unlike the orion, the svbony has no "lip" on the shaft so it can be inserted as far as you like. Google "astrobaby's guide to collimation" for a pretty good explanation. Like her I also use a collimation cap to centre the secondary mirror.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Richard

[AG Hybrid]

Hotech laser collimator has served me well. It self centres itself in the focuser tube. Star tests have proven it sufficient. Sight tubes painful to use in the dark.

[refractordude]

Croweater


Cool and thanks

[toc]

Probably overkill, but I do like my Howie Glatter laser collimator...

[OzEclipse]

I have a handmade 6" f7 that I made 45 years ago. I have only ever collimated it by eye sometimes with a centre drilled 35mm film canister to centre my eye. A 6" f7/f8 is very easy to collimate by eye.

By comparison, I would have great difficulty collimating my 18" f5 without a Howie Glatter but I still do the 6" by eye. The Glatter doesn't fit the 1.25" focuser of the 6" but I really don't need it. If the laser collimator isn't centred, you can end up with terrible collimation, much worse than doing it by eye.

[Matthieu]

I collimated my16” f/4.5 for 9 months with a drilled 1.25” cap before investing in a combined lightpipe/sighttube. It was like getting a telescope upgrade. All of a sudden I understood how people could see mottling in some nebulae.

That said, I haven’t used a cheshire and never got my laser collimated so I assume either of those work well too.

[Paul Haese]

Hmm, personally I think you need a few good collimation tools when you own a folding scope on any description. However, if I could only buy one for a Newtonian, it would be a toss up between the Howie Glatter laser and TuBlug or a Cats Eye collimation kit. Both are great tools and will work on their own to achieve good collimation. Once bought you will always have good tools for Newtonian collimation.