Above: Optical layout of a typical Cassegrain reflecting telescope This section details the optical design and inherent aberrations of Cassegrain-type reflecting telescopes. For a more basic overview of these designs please see the Ritchey-Chrétien page and the Cassegrain page. For...
Above: Optical layout of a typical Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope This section details the optical design and inherent aberrations of Schmidt-type catadioptric telescopes. For a more basic overview of these designs please see the Schmidt-Cassegrain page and Schmidt-Newtonian page. For a review...
Above: Optical layout of a typical Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope This section details the optical design and inherent aberrations of Maksutov-type catadioptric telescopes. For a more basic overview of these designs please see the Maksutov-Cassegrain page and the Maksutov-Newtonian page. For a...
Getting started stargazing is easy, but there are some helpful hints to know in order to make using your telescope easier. The other pages of theUsing a Telescope section give specifics on polar alignment, balancing, and aligning a computerized telescope,...
If your telescope uses an equatorial mount, you will have to align the mount with the north star, Polaris, in order for the telescope to track properly. For basic visual observing, polar alignment is not particularly critical and is easy...
For many applications, a fork-mounted telescope will be sufficiently balanced as it comes from the factory. However, precise balance becomes critically important when taking astrophotos or when using heavy accessories such as 2" eyepieces. Proper balance causes less wear on...
Unlike a fork-mounted telescope, a German equatorial mount must be balanced every time it is set up, whether for visual use or photography. Once you have balanced the telescope a few times, this will become second nature. Proper balance causes...
Star testing a telescope can be a great way to determine if any errors are present in the optical system and what those errors are. The star test is very critical and can show even slight aberrations. It does require...
Cleaning telescope optics can be important but there are some cautions that must be observed: Only clean optics if absolutely necessary. Do not clean optics more often than needed. Be very careful not to scratch the optics. Dusty glass is...
Collimation is critical to obtaining the best performance from your telescope. There is a bit of an art to collimating a Newtonian. Once you have done it a few times, it will start to become second nature. Unless you have...
Collimation is critical to obtaining the best performance from your telescope. Aligning the optics of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT) is much easier than collimating a Newtonian telescope and can easily be learned by any user. However, there are some tricks...
Note: To select items from a list on the Advanced Series GT hand controller, use the UP and DOWN buttons (6 and 9) on the right side of the hand controller. First Steps Balance the telescope. For help with this,...
