FOLLOWUP- Damaged Optics Need Assistance

Last month I posted a thread related to accidentally dropping my secondary mirror and holder onto a Swayze 10" primary. Several of you gave me thoughtful comments and advice which were much appreciated. We considered collimation problems, damaged optics, etc.

Initially the mirrors did not appear damaged. Specifically, the secondary had no obvious scratches or cracks on the front and side.

Yesterday I removed the secondary from its holder where it was attached by silicone. Lo and behold the backside of the secondary revealed a large crack including ap. 1/4 of the mirror surface!

I learned two lessons from this mishap: 1) Always be careful with loose optics, and 2) Damaged optics can be tricky to diagnose.

Demetrios
Bummer, I'd be sweating bullets if I had done that to a familier SM11. I just went back and reread the thread and didn't see any mention if there was any damage to the Swayze mirror?
Buck

Demetrios,
Though damage is never a good thing, I am happy that it was the secondary that was damaged. It is not as expensive to replace. This certainly explains the problems.