Tri Bahtinov mask

[I.C.D (Ian)]

Hi all ,has anyone tried using the Tri-Bahtinov mask for collimation and how hard is it .It would save taking the camera out every time to to collimate the scope

[ChrisD (Chris)]

I've been using a tri-bahtinov mask for a while, it is my "goto" for collimation.

I've also written a Windows .NET app to help with collimation. It's available on my github.
Bahtinov Collimator

You can read about it here.
CloudyNights - Bahtinov and Tri-Bahtinov focus/collimation software

Chris

[PeterSEllis (Peter)]

Originally Posted by I.C.D

Hi all ,has anyone tried using the Tri-Bahtinov mask for collimation and how hard is it .It would save taking the camera out every time to to collimate the scope

Hi Ian,
I have tried just about everything known to man, including the Tri-Bahtinov, and it will get your collimation close, but it won't be necessarily be perfect. Perfect collimation can be achieve by the following two pieces of software:

1. MetaGuide by Frank Freestar (https://smallstarspot.com/metaguide/). It is free.
2. Skywave Collimator ( https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/7...d-collimation/). AI Collimation based on a defocused star. It is not cheap, it is what I use now and I just love it.




Cheers
Peter