[ATM] Pre-First Light!!!!!!!!!!

["Mitchell" <Funnybone101@comcast.net>]

     I wanted to do a quick run on something in the sky to make sure I had
enough focus. So I plopped in the mirror and secondary. The ONLY ALIGNMENT I
did was make sure the diagonal pointed toward the focuser by eye-balling it.


 

     I haven't yet attahced the upper OTA (hence this test) so I was holding
it in my hands and could slide it up and down the two "truss poles" of
square tubing till the object focused with the focuser at it's half way
racked out point. I found jupiter quickly and with just a slight slide of
the upper OTA it was focused! I don't mean perfectly, but it was round, and
I could even see one of the bands! This was with NO COLLMINATION AND I WAS
HOLDING THE WHOLE UPPER OTA IN MY WHOBLING HANDS!!!

 

     So then I defocused the image. The Collmination was so far off only
half the mirror could be seen in the de-focused star image, the other half
was missing the secondary completely! The secondary shadow was on the side
of the mirror you could see, it too was so far off the shadow was cut in
half by the edge of the mirror image from the defocused image. 

 

     So then I swung around to a bright star, it wasn't pinpoint, it was
stretched in a short bent line, sort of like this mark ) 

 

     But hey, I was holding the whole assembally in my hands! Which it did
more around quite a bit.

 

     Anyway, my measurement with the tape measure was off by exactly 1" from
where it needed to be (for whatever reason) so I got it marked now and I'll
attach the upper OTA soon.

 

     Not bad for a 1/5 wave mirror that has a hole and a high edge and is
pretty rough, sitting in a scope that isn't aligned what so ever, with the
other end being held in my hands!

 

     After over a year and a half of work, my first "image" was quite
exciting. I was amazed at the "quality" of it even with the TERRIBLE
alignment.  

 

Mitch

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