Collimation is the process of aligning all components in a telescope to bring light to its best focus. Most manufacturers collimate telescopes before shipping, but they often require recollimation to…

With a telescope you can see planets, stars, galaxies, constellations, meteors and much more. This article is a guide for astronomers and astrophotographers who are enthralled by the limitless space…

Aberrations are defects in optical systems caused by the deviation of light. This can be a result of either a limitation in your design or a defect in your optics.…

Distortion is an optical aberration, resulting in a difference in magnification across your field of view. This aberration does not affect optical focus but causes your image to appear curved.…

Field curvature is an optical aberration caused by a difference of curvature in the focal planes. Because of this, the lens is unable to focus the edges and center of…

Astigmatism is an off-axis optical aberration caused by the obliquity of focal planes. This results in rays of light meeting at different focal points, distorting the image. What Causes Astigmatism?…

Comatic Aberration, also called Coma, is an off-axis optical aberration, meaning it has a greater effect as it nears the edge of the field. This results in a blurred tail…

Spherical aberration is a common optical aberration that occurs when different rays of light reflect off of a spherical surface and do not all meet at the same image point. As…

Chromatic aberration, also known as “color fringing”, is a common optical issue caused by lens dispersion. As a result, the image can look blurred or colors could be obscured, especially…