If astronomy is a favorite pastime of yours and you enjoy spending many hours gazing through a telescope at the sky, then the words collimation and collimator might be familiar to you. For the rest of us, while we understand that a telescope helps one look at an object or image that is a great distance away, we probably are quite unfamiliar with the collimation and why it can be a necessary step when using a telescope.
Not all telescopes need a collimator and not all telescopes are optical telescopes. Radio telescopes, x-ray telescopes and other types of telescopes also can be handy for astronomers, but they will not need a collimator in order to work precisely. With an optical version of a telescope, light is directed and focused and this is how an image is magnified. It doesn't have to be just to view the night sky; however, telescopes also are handy tools for ship captains.
There are several main categories of optical telescopes and these include the catadioptric telescope, the reflecting telescope and the refracting telescope. With a refracting telescope, images are made by an arrangement of lenses, while a reflecting telescope uses mirrors to form the image that you see. The catadioptric variety of telescope actually uses both mirrors and lenses to form images.
In ancient time, optical devices that were similar to telescopes were created and used by civilizations such as Ancient Greece. As the years progressed, so did telescope design and Galileo is the astronomer who truly created the first quality telescopes for the study of the universe. As the years progressed, more advanced forms of telescopes were created including the Newtonian telescope, which was created by Sir Isaac Newton. This telescope design still is used today and can be a very cost-effective and easy-to-use telescope for the astronomy novice or amateur.
While it has cost and ease of use on its side, Newtonian telescopes can have problems regarding collimation. This means that the alignment of the telescope can need to be adjusted from time to time. Often when you move or jostled the telescope, it will come out of alignment, and collimation is the process by which you align the telescope in order to ensure that you have a clear image. While this might not be something that an amateur needs to be concerned about, professionals who use telescopes or perhaps other types of optical instruments will use a device known as an alignment collimator to ensure accurate positioning.
Alignment instruments, such as an alignment collimator are useful for many different types of instruments. Alignment instruments are not just needed by those who study astronomy and use telescopes. These instruments also are needed by many professionals to ensure that different tools and equipment are aligned and accurate. While accuracy might not be crucial to a casual fan of astronomy, for many professionals it is of huge importance.
Not all telescopes need a collimator and not all telescopes are optical telescopes. Radio telescopes, x-ray telescopes and other types of telescopes also can be handy for astronomers, but they will not need a collimator in order to work precisely. With an optical version of a telescope, light is directed and focused and this is how an image is magnified. It doesn't have to be just to view the night sky; however, telescopes also are handy tools for ship captains.
There are several main categories of optical telescopes and these include the catadioptric telescope, the reflecting telescope and the refracting telescope. With a refracting telescope, images are made by an arrangement of lenses, while a reflecting telescope uses mirrors to form the image that you see. The catadioptric variety of telescope actually uses both mirrors and lenses to form images.
In ancient time, optical devices that were similar to telescopes were created and used by civilizations such as Ancient Greece. As the years progressed, so did telescope design and Galileo is the astronomer who truly created the first quality telescopes for the study of the universe. As the years progressed, more advanced forms of telescopes were created including the Newtonian telescope, which was created by Sir Isaac Newton. This telescope design still is used today and can be a very cost-effective and easy-to-use telescope for the astronomy novice or amateur.
While it has cost and ease of use on its side, Newtonian telescopes can have problems regarding collimation. This means that the alignment of the telescope can need to be adjusted from time to time. Often when you move or jostled the telescope, it will come out of alignment, and collimation is the process by which you align the telescope in order to ensure that you have a clear image. While this might not be something that an amateur needs to be concerned about, professionals who use telescopes or perhaps other types of optical instruments will use a device known as an alignment collimator to ensure accurate positioning.
Alignment instruments, such as an alignment collimator are useful for many different types of instruments. Alignment instruments are not just needed by those who study astronomy and use telescopes. These instruments also are needed by many professionals to ensure that different tools and equipment are aligned and accurate. While accuracy might not be crucial to a casual fan of astronomy, for many professionals it is of huge importance.
About the Author:
Carey Bourdier likes writing reviews on precision scientific instruments. For more info about an alignment collimeter, or to know more info about surveying instruments, check out the WarrenKnight.com website today.
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