FAQ Group: Telescopes

The numbers refer to the focal length of the eyepiece. The higher the number, the lower the magnification. You should always start with the eyepiece that has the highest number (lowest power); that will make it is easier to find…

Generally you should avoid cleaning telescope optics unless absolutely necessary. To avoid cleaning, you should always put on any caps/covers when not in use to prevent debris or dust from gathering on the optics. For a refractor, you can clean…

Some telescopes are just for astronomical usage, as looking at the moon upside down is not an issue. If your telescope has an erecting prism, this will invert the image to correctly orient the view (right side up).

Alt-Az (Altitude Azimuth) mounts move in an up-down (altitude) and left-right (azimuth) fashion related to the user, so they are more intuitive for beginners.

Equatorial mounts use only one knob to track celestial movement but must be polar aligned to work properly.

Celestial coordinates are like latitude and longitude for the night’s sky, but they are in a system that uses Declination (Dec.) and Right Ascension (RA) instead. You can look up these celestial coordinates in a star almanac and use them…

Some telescopes include setting circles which let you dial in your celestial coordinates so it’s easier to find specific objects. However, proper use of setting circles requires that you have completed all necessary alignment.

Alt-Az (Altitude Azimuth) is easier better for beginners as since it’s easier to find and locate objects, but it is more difficult to track and follow the objects. For more advanced users, equatorial mounts are easier because if you are…

Please go to our YouTube video on how to balance an equatorial mount.

A finderscope is a small optical telescope mounted on top of your main telescope tube (optical tube assembly). A finderscope has a much lower power which makes it easier to locate objects. When setting up your telescope, be sure to align…