by Jne_K on Wed Oct 13, 2010 8:11 am
Hi
Collimation will improve image clarity by correcting optical aberrations from improper mirror alignment, but it will have no affect on image brightness. That is a function of the magnification/eyepiece you are using and your telescope's aperture.
What size scope do you have? A basic law of
optics is that image brightness drops as magnification goes up, which it is when you use the 6 mm and, especially the 4 mm. In other words, it is perfectly normal for things to get darker as eyepiece focal length gets shorter. The only way to compensate for this loss of light is to go to a scope with a larger mirror or objective lens. In a small
telescope, though, things get dark in a hurry, since small mirrors or objectives don't transmit enough light to support higher magnifications, In other words, a small
telescope can't support as much magnification as a large
telescope and, if you have a small scope, that 4 mm and 6 mm eyepiece may be too much. Don't overdo on magnification - the number one beginner's mistake in astronomy. See
Ten Top Telescope Eyepiece Questions.
Then, too, you field of view is also pinching down, drastically, when you go from your 32 mm (low power) to your 4 mm (high power eyepiece). If you did not center the object you wish to see, perfectly, in the center of the 32 mm eyepiece field of view, it will not be visible when you switch to the 6 mm or 4 mm. That is quite a drastic jump in magnification. Your finder scope will really have to be exactly adjusted, too, at such magnifications, but always start out at lower magnifications and work your way up when trying to locate objects. You may also want to see my article,
Telescope FAQsas how to set up your
telescopeHi
Collimation will improve image clarity by correcting optical aberrations from improper mirror alignment, but it will have no affect on image brightness. That is a function of the magnification/eyepiece you are using and your telescope's aperture.
What size scope do you have? A basic law of [link=http://www.OpticsPlanet.Com]optics[/link] is that image brightness drops as magnification goes up, which it is when you use the 6 mm and, especially the 4 mm. In other words, it is perfectly normal for things to get darker as eyepiece focal length gets shorter. The only way to compensate for this loss of light is to go to a scope with a larger mirror or objective lens. In a small [link=http://www.opticsplanet.com/telescopes.html]telescope[/link], though, things get dark in a hurry, since small mirrors or objectives don't transmit enough light to support higher magnifications, In other words, a small [link=http://www.opticsplanet.com/telescopes.html]telescope[/link] can't support as much magnification as a large [link=http://www.opticsplanet.com/telescopes.html]telescope[/link] and, if you have a small scope, that 4 mm and 6 mm eyepiece may be too much. Don't overdo on magnification - the number one beginner's mistake in astronomy. See[url=http://www.opticsplanet.com/telescope-eyepiece-questions.html]Ten Top Telescope Eyepiece Questions[/url].
Then, too, you field of view is also pinching down, drastically, when you go from your 32 mm (low power) to your 4 mm (high power eyepiece). If you did not center the object you wish to see, perfectly, in the center of the 32 mm eyepiece field of view, it will not be visible when you switch to the 6 mm or 4 mm. That is quite a drastic jump in magnification. Your finder scope will really have to be exactly adjusted, too, at such magnifications, but always start out at lower magnifications and work your way up when trying to locate objects. You may also want to see my article, [url=http://www.opticsplanet.com/telescope-faq.html]Telescope FAQs[/url]as how to set up your [link=http://www.opticsplanet.com/telescopes.html]telescope[/link]
