Your first night with a telescope
A checklist for the first evening: set up in daylight, let the telescope cool, start with the Moon at low magnification.
- Before it gets dark
- When you go out
- Things to take
- What to expect
Telescope support and guides
Guides for setting up and looking after your telescope, and help from people who build them when something needs a hand.
Repairs and calibration
Collimation, GoTo calibration, repairs, upgrades and spare parts. Tell us the problem; we reply with what can be done and the cost before any work.
Orders, delivery and replacements
Track an order, or request a replacement within 7 days of delivery from your order page.
Warranty and policies
Delivery, payment, replacements and warranty - what applies to your order.
Guides
Getting started
The first nights, and getting a sharp view.
Focus and magnification: which eyepiece to use
How to work out magnification, why lower is usually better, and what the sky over Pakistani cities allows.
Setup and alignment
Lining up the finder and the mirrors.
How to align the finder
Line up the finder or red-dot finder with the telescope in daylight, then fine-tune on the Moon or a bright star.
How to collimate a Newtonian reflector
Why reflector mirrors need occasional alignment, how to check it, and the three steps to collimate with a collimation cap or laser.
- Do you need to collimate?
- What you need
- Step 1 - Centre the secondary under the focuser
- Step 2 - Tilt the secondary towards the primary
- Step 3 - Tilt the primary
- Confirm on a star
Care and maintenance
Keeping it clean, dry and working.
Care, cleaning and storage
Keeping dust, humidity and knocks away from your telescope - and when (rarely) to clean the optics.