[Mountain_Wanderer]

Hi guys,

I'm interested in getting the Skywatcher 10 inch collapsible dobsonian as my first telescope.

Just need to know how difficult it is to collimate these beasts. I need to get collimation spot on due to the focal ratio of 4.7. What would be the best device to use? I'd prefer a device that doesn't need electricity to use.

And, how exactly do you collimate? Can you do this in complete darkness or do you need to have a light shining in the tube/eyepiece? Also, does collimation usually require tweaking of all the components, or do you usually only need to tweak the secondary mirror or eyepiece but rarely the primary mirror?

Just curious too about whether you need to let the primary mirror cool down before you can collimate? Or can you collimate straight away?

Would a newbie like me be able to learn collimation rather quickly or can it be a pitfall and so would a solid tube be the better option?

Thanks guys.