This collection was started, first, as a record for my own use of
where the collimation of this scope started and how it proceeded; and,
secondly, perhaps for others who are going through the journey of collimation
and would like to compare their experience with others.

When I started, I never imagined that it would be such a long story.

I received the scope in October 2010. I put off changing any collimation adjustments
for a month or so, wanting to get to know the scope and take a cautious approach. I then
worked, without success, on collimation until October 2011, when I concluded that the scope
needed to go back to Starizona for repairs. I received the scope back again in February 2012,
and progress toward achieving good collimation was accomplished (apparently!) fairly quickly
after that. The images in this gallery go from the earliest attempts at the top to the latest
images at the bottom.

So, what have I learned (or at least come to suspect)?

1. Don't assume that the secondary mirror arrives centered. I believe that a de-centered
   secondary mirror was at the foundation of much of the trouble I had for the first year.
   Fortunately, the new Hyperions have a center marked on the secondary mirror, and centering
   adjustment bolts, which makes checking and adjusting the centering of the secondary fairly easy.
   
2. Don't assume that the focuser (or focuser tube cap) is perfectly square. Put the laser in, rotate
   the entire focuser (not just the laser), and see if the laser dot on the secondary is perfectly
   stationary (for me, it is not) before trying to center the secondary using the laser.
   
3. If there is any laser movement at all in step 2, use a chesire eyepiece to center the secondary. I'ts easy!
   
4. Before you adjust any of the collimation bolts, mark their current position with masking tape so that you can do a "reset".
   
5. Don't believe the laser if it tells you to do major adjustments (more than 1/2 turn) of the collimation bolts.
   They probably didn't shift that much in shipping.
   
6. Once you have the secondary centered, use a single-beam laser
   to adjust the secondary tilt. Just make the beam return to the exit
   port on the laser. However, if the laser dot "wanders" with focuser
   rotation, then after centering the secondary with the cheshire scope,
   find the focuser rotation which puts the laser dot closest to the
   secondary's centering mark, and proceed from that position.
   This is what I had to do. Do not bother trying to adjust the secondary
   tilt by examining an out of focus star; at least for me, working with
   the laser was far more precise, and it was sufficient.
   
7. Do not blindly trust CCDInspector to tell you anything too precise about your primary collimation.
   Instead, take a 20-second image, look at the stars in corners, and adjust (in 1/8 turn increments)
   to make the stars round. It's (relatively) easy. Though I still enjoy checking with CCDInspector,
   it also reported good results when the mirrors were clearly out of alignment.
   
8. Tighten the primary lock bolts securely. Use the long arm of the hex wrench for leverage.
   You will not strip them (at least, I haven't), but they do need to stabilize a heavy mirror.
   They should be tight!
   
9. Practice patience.
   
10. When #9 is wearing thin, call Scott at Starizona. Do not rely on other advice (like the
    stuff you're reading here). Scott will talk you through the problems with more patience than
    is reasonable to expect.