Rigel Systems has introduced an innovative, accessible, and budget-friendly method for achieving precise telescope collimation using everyday devices like an iPhone, Android phone, or iPad combined with their Aline collimation eyepiece. This DIY approach offers live visual collimation capabilities at a fraction of the cost of commercial systems. It enables telescope users to meet three critical needs: live imaging of the telescope’s optical system, real-time display on a larger screen, and the overlay of concentric guide rings to assist in accurate collimation. The process is functional, precise, easy to replicate, and effective for a wide range of Newtonian-style telescopes.
Rigel Systems already offers a dedicated product called the WiFi-Aline, which can superimpose collimation guide rings onto a live view of the optics. It is arguably one of the most useful and affordable purpose-built systems on the market. However, while powerful, even this tool can be more than some hobbyists want to spend. Recognizing this, the creator set out to develop a more universal solution using nothing more than a standard smartphone and widely available software. What follows is a detailed breakdown of this alternative method, its execution, and how it delivers on all three foundational requirements of live video collimation.
The process begins by addressing the first foundational requirement: generating a live video view of the optical components. To set this up, only three key items are needed: the Rigel Systems Aline collimation eyepiece, a cell phone, and a holder to mount the device onto the telescope’s focuser. A 4.5-inch f/4 Newtonian telescope is used as an example, a short focal length instrument particularly sensitive to optical misalignment. Its fast focal ratio makes it an ideal choice for testing collimation techniques, as even small alignment errors quickly become visible in resulting star images.
The telescope’s aperture is illuminated using a well-lit white screen, which evenly lights the optics and makes the mirrors easier to see. A piece of white paper is placed opposite the focuser to create a bright background behind the secondary mirror. This simple step greatly enhances visibility of the secondary during collimation. Next, the Aline collimation eyepiece is inserted into the focuser and racked all the way in. With the eyepiece in place, the smartphone, an iPhone in this case, is attached to the focuser using the holder, allowing the camera to look directly into the Aline eyepiece.
At this point, the phone’s camera needs to be carefully aligned with the small peep hole in the Aline eyepiece. This is a crucial step, as centering the camera lens minimizes vignetting and ensures the camera is on the same optical axis as the telescope. The process involves nudging the camera lens until the view through the eyepiece is uniform, centered, and as bright as possible. A helpful short video demonstrating this step is below and features three stills that show exactly how minimizing vignetting centers the lens. Once properly aligned, the iPhone offers a clear and focused live image of the entire optical train, including the drawtube, secondary mirror, and primary mirror reflection. Zoom and brightness controls can be used to enhance this view.
The result is a live image of the telescope’s internal alignment that is significantly easier to assess than simply peering through the eyepiece by eye. Especially for users with less-than-perfect eyesight or those working in dim environments, the live video feed from the phone is a revelation. On smaller telescopes like the one used in the demo, it’s even possible to make mirror adjustments while watching the live feed directly on the phone. However, the screen is small, and crucially, it lacks the collimation guide rings that help judge concentricity. On longer or larger telescopes, it would also be physically impractical to adjust collimation screws while simultaneously monitoring the image on the phone.
This leads naturally to the second core requirement: displaying the live video image on a larger screen. Ideally, the iPhone’s video output could be streamed in real time to a second, larger device such as an iPad. However, Apple does not natively support AirPlay streaming from one iOS device to another, such as from an iPhone to an iPad. This limitation led to a search for alternative solutions, culminating in the discovery of AirDroid Cast, a third-party app that supports real-time screen mirroring across platforms including iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.
AirDroid Cast works seamlessly, earning what the creator called “five thumbs up.” It transforms the collimation setup into a streamlined system comprised of the Aline eyepiece, smartphone holder, iPhone, and iPad. With the app running, the iPhone's camera feed is displayed in real time on the iPad, which can be placed conveniently at the rear of the telescope. Now the user can perform adjustments to the primary and secondary mirrors while monitoring a bright, zoomed-in, and stable image on a larger screen. The zoom functions on both devices make it possible to fill the entire iPad display with the telescope’s internal view, making it significantly easier to detect slight misalignments.
Once this enhanced video setup is complete, traditional collimation steps are followed. First, the tilt of the secondary mirror is adjusted so that the reflection of the primary mirror appears centered within it. When this is correct, the focuser tube, secondary mirror, and the reflected image of the primary should all appear as concentric circles. Next, the primary mirror is tilted so that its center spot coincides with the black dot pupil created by the Aline eyepiece’s internal reflections. This indicates that the optical axis is aligned and the telescope is ready for high-performance viewing or imaging.
While this process works, it still relies heavily on visual judgment to determine whether all components are truly concentric. For higher accuracy, this leads to the third and final foundational requirement: the ability to overlay concentric collimation guide rings onto the live video feed. Rather than using specialized software or expensive optical overlays, the solution here is brilliantly simple. All that’s needed is a transparency sheet, PowerPoint, and a printer.
The process begins by capturing a screenshot or still image from the iPhone’s live video feed and sending it to a computer. The image is imported into a blank PowerPoint slide, where the user crops any unnecessary black areas and scales the image to fit the slide. Using PowerPoint’s drawing tools, three colored circles are drawn over the image, corresponding to the diameters of the focuser drawtube, secondary mirror, and primary mirror. These circles serve as visual alignment guides. Once the sizing and positions are correct, the background image is deleted, leaving only the colored guide rings.
These rings are then printed onto a plastic transparency sheet, which is carefully taped over the iPad screen. The user then adjusts the iPhone’s view and zoom so that the live image aligns perfectly with the rings on the transparency. No further touching of the camera is needed after initial focus and brightness adjustments, which prevents jitter or misalignment. Once aligned, the guide rings provide a consistent reference to ensure that all optical elements are concentric.
After making the necessary adjustments to the primary and secondary mirrors, the user can remove the transparency and assess the live image again. For final verification, the adjusted live image can be sent back to PowerPoint and digitally overlaid with the guide rings to confirm that all elements match. This step provides a visual confirmation of accuracy, ensuring the system is in optimal alignment before observing or imaging.
As an additional enhancement, the system can also be used alongside a laser collimator. By clamping the iPhone in a position where it can view into the telescope tube and see the bottom of the focuser, and then inserting a laser collimator into the focuser, the return laser spot becomes visible directly on the iPhone or iPad screen. One demonstration shows an intentionally offset laser return, highlighting how deviations can be easily spotted and corrected through the live display. This method adds another layer of precision, allowing users to verify and fine-tune laser collimator performance with greater ease.
In conclusion, Rigel Systems’ iPhone- and iPad-based video collimation method achieves all three foundational goals: live video of optical components, large-screen monitoring, and overlaying collimation guide rings. It does so affordably, using everyday tools, without sacrificing precision or ease of use. The Aline collimation eyepiece, when paired with the creativity of modern software like AirDroid Cast and the simple ingenuity of transparency overlays, creates a collimation system that’s powerful, intuitive, and within reach for any telescope user. For those seeking a reliable method to align their optics without relying solely on eye or mechanical guides, this approach delivers a new standard in accessibility and accuracy.
Whether you're working with a compact Newtonian or a large Dobsonian, this method scales effortlessly to suit your gear. The ability to walk to the back of your scope while watching a magnified live view of the optical path on an iPad, not to mention aligning mirrors to printed reference rings, is transformative. Rigel Systems has shown that with just a few clever tools and a well-thought-out workflow, video collimation is no longer a luxury, but a practical reality for anyone with a smartphone and a bit of DIY spirit.
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