Altair 8-inch F4 Photo Newtonian telescope
As its name implies, the Altair 8-inch F4 Photo Newtonian is a reflecting telescope made to be used primarily with a camera for astrophotography. Its construction consists of a sturdy steel tube, rings and fittings, and even without a camera it weighs around 8.4kg; it’ll require a strong, stable mount to support it for best results. The tube is 730 mm long and 230mm wide, and presents quite a lot of surface area, but our observatory provided a sheltered environment from any wind that might nudge the telescope and spoil the images being taken.
Once the tube was mounted and balanced, we turned our attention to collimating, or aligning, the
