Why tune a telescope?

Everything running smoothly and every part doing what it is supposed to do: if this is the case then observing is fun. Sometimes you only need to swap out a few screws.

Telescope tuning should be more than a kind of competitive sport – even if some star lovers might see it that way. It does however make a lot of sense to at least be aware of the limits of telescope tuning. After all, however many tricks you try, an elaborately optimised instrument will not out-perform a well-designed telescope with a 20% greater aperture diameter. Although this viewpoint does not seem to bother those star lovers who are also big do-it-yourself fans with time to spare on a rainy New Moon weekend. But you should also forget any notion of working miracles with your telescope.

An achievable goal, however, is to gain the recognition of your fellow hobby astronomers. After all, an optical system performing at its maximum within the constraints of its aperture is just as noticeable to others as those clear weaknesses that cause problems when observing. After a few years of observation, this also brings a certain satisfaction: that of observing with a telescope that is performing at its best, regardless of its aperture. Such observations, as well as the instruments involved are noted, and often word quickly spreads among groups of observers, with these telescopes building a name and a reputation over time. In this respect, tuning can also be seen as a tribute to a good telescope: you are allowing the instrument to provide an image that you can enjoy anew with every observation. Then it doesn't matter that you maybe even have another device with a larger aperture in your cupboard.

Author: Sven Wienstein / Licence: Oculum Verlag GmbH