Astrozap Artificial Star

Astrozap Artifical StarCollimation, in its simplest terms, is the alignment of the mirrors or other optical surfaces in the telescope. A telescope that is out of collimation will typically not perform as well as a lesser telescope (25-50% less aperture) that is in collimation. If you put the extra money into a larger telescope, you are not reaping any benefits of it unless the scope is collimated. Also, no telescope will allow you to reach a crisp focus at the high power end unless collimation is perfect. It is well worth the time and effort.The picture below (Fig 1) represents an optical system that is in perfect collimation. The rings themselves make collimation easy to perform. Note the complete lack of any atmospheric disturbance. This photo was taken with an eight inch SCT using a modified webcam at prime focus. Star distance was approximately 50 feet from the telescope. This picture was taken on a 95 degree summer day just before dusk! (Fig 2) is an example of an optical system t