The Collimation Lecture

At our astronomy meeting tonight, we had a lecture on how to collimate a Newtonian telescope.  My friend John, standing at left, was the lecturer.  He is a master Amateur Telescope Maker and mirror maker.  "Collimation" is the process of aligning the optical elements in a telescope for the best performance - in the case of a Newtonian, the two mirrors which make the telescope work. Here John talks with another member, as a third member, in the foreground checks the alignment.  I love this photograph because there is so much going on in it.  This is about the most action you are liable to find in one of my photographs!