Only if you have an
extraordinary
seeing (Pickering scale 9 or 10) you will be able to distinguish
between the first column (perfect collimation) and the second column ("almost perfect"
collimation). With a seeing that is just "very good" (Pickering scale 7 or 8) the effect of non-perfect
seeing will strongly dominate over the non-perfect collimation.
Please note that a properly executed "mirror's shadow" collimation will bring you at the level of
collimation of the second column. That method is not sensitive enough to reach perfect
collimation. Perfect collimation requires the Airy figure. Perfect collimation without the Airy figure
may happen, but it is simply… luck!
Remember: for deep sky imaging, a good "mirror shadow" collimation is enough!
6.6) Focuser tip-tilt
When the telescope is ready for imaging, there are usually several parts between the telescope
itself and the camera (CCD or DLSR). This “bunch” of pieces is called
the optical train
. A typical
composition could be: focuser, off-axis guider, filter wheel, adaptive optics, camera. Even if all this
pieces are manufactured and assembled properly, there is a chance that a minimum tilt between
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