Schoolboy error!

[biggysmalls]

This may seem like a bit of a school boy error but I have bought my first scope a celestron astromaster 130 eq. I was out last night and got a great view of Venus. My problem was that my starfinder wasn't lined up and it took me an age to get it aimed at Venus very frustrating. Any tips for this?

[astro_john_palmer]

Hi,

Not sure if anyone else has a better technique but I use my lowest power eyepiece in the scope and then I use the finder scope to line up with something bright and easy, like the moon or venus. With it centred in the finder, it should be somewhere in the FOV of your low power eyepiece. Then you want to centre the object in your eyepiece and go back to your finder scope, and adjust the finder so it is perfectly aligned with the main scope.

It may be easier doing this alignment in the daytime with a distant object, that way you don't have to muck around in the dark!

John

[astro_john_palmer]

Let me know if you have any questions, as re-reading the post, I wasn't all that clear!

[pel]

I use the same method as John. The trouble is the RDF (Red Dot Finder) on the 130eq is useless (I had one). You need to buy something different. I bought a Telrad for mine and still use it on my new scope.

There are some great free skymaps available you can use with the telrad -

http://www.atmob.org/library/member/skymaps_jsmall.html

[biggysmalls]

Yea I have been told that the red dot is pretty rubbish I'm guessing that if I bought an alternative it would be mounted on the screw on the top? (I'm not very well educated on all this learning as I go along)

[pel]

The Telrad comes with double sided tape. I just positioned my Telrad to the right of the RDF. The telrad comes in 2 parts - a base and the finder, you just leave the base attached and unscrew the finder each time. It should retain alignment with the OTA (Optical tube assembly) if the base stays in the same place, mine did.

The telrad is also easier to use than a finder scope as the image is the right way up and at normal magnification.

[richbyers]

strange, i really like the red dot finder on my heritage- never failed me, always lands me in the right place for dsos

[biggysmalls]

Ahhh I see I'll have to get hold of one has got to be better than that pants rdf thanks for your help

[dav1d]

My RDF is pretty good - as long as I remember to switch it off afterwards. Even so, it's not out of batts yet & is still bright & precise

[pel]

I expect the RDF is different on the Heritage then. The one on the 130eq can be too bright or too dim depending on your scope, mine was too dim. It is also difficult to adjust.

IMHO I don't think you can beat a Telrad.

[chownsie]

Having just started I found it very much easier doing this in the daytime. I picked a house around 500 yds away and got it bang on. Made things very straight forward later on!

[Tribal-Wolf]

The RDf on skywatcher scopes is better the those on the celestron 114 & 130. I'm old fashioned and like a decent finderscope with a right angle.

[David JM]

I set up my red dot by driving to a big hill and looking at an object [a church is ideal] on the horizon. I set the object in the middle of the eyepiece FOV at the highest magnification then set the red dot on the same object.

Oh, I do it in daylight as well...

[perrin6]

I start by finding a bright object in the main telescope, note where it is in the finderscope and from then on whatever I want to look at I place at the same point in the finderscope. It doesn't have to be perfectly aligned.