ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR GEAR IMPROVEMENT by Chris Schur Perfecting Collimation With this routine, ensure your Newtonian astrograph will be at peak performance every night. I n the current age of affordable, large-format digital detectors, Newtonian astrographs have become popular among deep-sky imagers. These short-focal-ratio scopes are designed for capturing faint, deep-sky objects quickly and typically at a bargain price. However, these scopes are extremely sensitive to imperfect optical alignment. All too often, the first images taken with them are plagued with poor star images across much of the frame due to imperfect collimation. Here's an effective method I use to align and test my Newtonian astrograph using commonly available tools, plus a few that you can easily make at home. The goal here is simple: sharp star images from corner to corner. IN ALIGNMENT This image of NGC 7000 shows the results of a finely tuned Newtonian-reflector astrograph using the author's technique to precisely collimate its mirrors and square the focuser. The image was recorded through his Orion 8-inch f/3.9 Newtonian Astrograph and an APS-H-format Atik 16200 CCD camera. 60 MARCH 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE