Re: Collimation difference--??

Jon Isaacs wrote:

> >
> >The NoTools collimation website has moved.
> >The new location is at:
> >
> >< http://www.vvm.com/~piscescs/collimat/NoTools2.html >
>
> Larry,
>
> Glad the page is up and running.  I thought I was the only one who considered
> it a great resource, but obviously I was wrong on that point.
>
> Best wishes and happy viewing to all.
>
> jon

Hello, Jon,
    Yes, I agree, I find the no tools site clearer than most, since some of the
diagrams are sequential.
    Note that the first diagram shows about a dozen concentric circles though.
Perhaps unavoidable but no bargain.
    What is to be gained by doing collimation without tools is not entirely clear
to me. It seems like riding a bicycle without using the handlebars: very
impressive I guess but why do it? I guess it saves a little money and makes one a
little less dependent on others.
    I do note, however, that Mel Bartels and Nils Carlin, both of whom I also
respect, describe the idea that star collimation is superior to other methods, as
a "myth." in their web site about Myths about Collimation.
    For me, the clearest explanation of collimation is in Phil Harrington's book,
StarWare. He is an engineer who makes his living writing, and it shows in  his
explanations.
    William Sommerwerck, who posts here occasionally, is another engineer who
writes lucidly, but he seems to do mainly manuals, such as the one for TheSky,
which won an award as I recall.
    Ciao,
Bill Meyers