best laser collimator in "Sky at Night" - Laser Collimator Reviewperfect adjustment of Newtonian and SC Telescopes
Compared with simpler models, the Baader Laser Collimator Mark III has a couple of advantages:
Precisely machined 1¼" barrelGenerous viewing position from the sideFull metal designLaser alignment with 6 setting screwsLaser beam exits through a 0.8 mm aperture causing a very precise laser pointEtched and translucent reticle: the reflected point can be seen clearlyEvery laser is carefully aligned before shippingDetailed instruction manual
Brief Newtonian collimation instruction
1. The Newtonian´s focuser should be above the OTA and the collimator should not be clamped in order to prevent tilting. A tilted laser would degrade the collimation result.
2. Switch on the laser diode and center the laser spot on the main mirror using the adjustment screws at the secondary mirror (see picture on the left).
3. Now, adjust the primary mirror with its collimation screws until the laser beam is reflected back into its central bore.
The picture on the right shows a slightly miscollimated primary mirror. When the system is far out of collimation, the laser spot would sit outside the reticle. The picture on the left shows a collimated system. The laser beam is fully reflected into the central bore.
Detailed instructions: Baader Planetarium provides instructions for Newtonian alignment with this alignment laser in German, you can find the PDF file here.
Adjusting Schmidt Cassegrain (SC) Telescopes with the Baader Mark III Laser Colllimator
To adust an SC Telescope, the Laser must be very precise. Cheaper Lasers are not good enough and the reflected laser beam is too big to make an accurate adjustment. The new Baader Laser Mark III produces a smaller point for more precision.
Suggestions:
Fasten the Laser-Colli straight into the SC visual back without using star diagonal, in order to avoid wrong alignment due to inaccurately tilted mirror diagonalsCheck, that the laser point goes into the center of the secondary mirror (you will see it from the front site of the telescope)Change the secondary mirror with the 3 screws to center the laserpoint in the laser into the central bore.
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