I designed and 3D printed a Tri-Bahtinov mask to help verify the collimation of my Newtonian telescope. This mask is similar to a regular Bahtinov mask except it has three times the Bahtinov pattern rotated 120° apart. Aligning the mask patterns with the collimation screws of the primary mirror cell allows using each of the three diffraction patterns to set each of the screws. More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahtinov_mask
The Tri-Bahtinov pattern was generated with this great tool: https://satakagi.github.io/tribahtinovWebApps/Tri-Bahtinov_symmetric.html, exported to .svg, then converted to .dxf and imported in the CAD software to produce the complete mask 3D model.
I used three neodymium magnets to hold the mask to telescope using the ring with 6 magnets I designed to hold the telescope dew shield.
#astrophotography #astronomy #Astrodon #3DPrinting #Design #telescope #kstar #ekos #inkscape #foss #Astrodon