The finder is the small scope or red-dot sight on top of the tube. If it does not point exactly where the telescope points, you will struggle to find anything. Align it once, in daylight, and check it at the start of each night.
In daylight
- Put the lowest-magnification eyepiece in the telescope (the largest number, e.g. 25 mm).
- Aim the telescope at a distant, fixed object - a mobile tower, a minaret, a water tank - at least a kilometre away. Never aim anywhere near the Sun.
- Centre that object in the eyepiece and lock or hold the mount still.
- Look through the finder. Turn its adjustment screws until its crosshair or red dot sits on the same object.
- Check the eyepiece again: the object must still be centred. Repeat until both agree.
- Eyepiece
- Target centred. Upside down is normal for a telescope
- Finder, before
- Dot beside the target: turn the finder screws
- Finder, after
- Dot on the target: aligned
At night
Fine-tune on the Moon or a bright star: centre it in the eyepiece with a higher magnification, then nudge the finder screws so its dot or crosshair sits exactly on it.
Tips
- Red-dot finders have a brightness knob: use the dimmest setting you can see, and switch it off afterwards to save the battery.
- If the finder bracket is loose, it will drift. Tighten it before aligning.
- A telescope shows the view upside down or mirrored. That is normal for astronomical telescopes and does not affect the sky.