Hi all,
I've been lurking on this site for a while, reading threads and learning heaps. I've been gazing at the stars on and off since I was a kid, and I've had a lot of fun the last few years with a pair of 10 x 50 and 15 x 70 binoculars, a couple of star charts and some binocular astronomy books.
I'm getting pretty excited though, cause I've got the go ahead off my financial adviser and wife to buy an 8" GSO Dobsonian from Andrew's communications at tax time.
I need to get a collimation tool for it, and I wouldn't have a clue what to look for, or what would be best for an 8" Dobsonian.
Confession time now, it won't be my first telescope. I inherited a 114mm York Skyrover newtonian on an equatorial mount off my uncle many years ago, but to be honest, I never really got along with it. It 's been a bit of a relief to read a lot of the beginner threads on here to see that an equatorial mount isn't always the best way to go as a beginner. After reading up on how to collimate though, I'm beginning to think that this was half the problem with it, and while I wait for my 8" dob, I may as well pull this out and give it another go
Previously I've just used a film cannister with a hole cut in it, but I'm thinking there must be a reason there are all these tools around for collimation
So, what would be recomended as a collimation tool which would suit a 8" dob, and a 4.5" newtonian reflector?
Thanks all,
Kind regards
Ant