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I am not sure I am in the right place for my query but I am sure someone will direct me if I am not.

I have just been given a Celestro Astromaster 114 by my son, it is all set up for use but i have no idea what to do now. I look through the viewfinder and see only a cross and my own face.!! i am 83 years old and not particularly stupid but cannot get the hang of the instruction book. Can someone please help?

stjustpaul 

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Has the view finder got a cover on the end of it?  For that matter bits of the telescopes and the eyepieces might also have covers on them - you need to take the covers off everything and some of the might be quite tight.  Please don't think this is a daft suggestion, I left the covers on bits of my own telescope before spotting them.  You then need to align the telescope with the sight during the day time when you can see a distant tree or spire (the view might be upside down in the eyepiece view, just as a marksman lines up a gunsight - the finder will have knobs that adjust its position.  Also, you wouldn't be the first to have possibly managed to get the finder on back to front!!

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can I suggest a couple of things to helps is to help you?

post in the Getting Started forum, one level up, you are in Primers and probably won't get as many views

post a picture of your set up, exactly as you are using it.

hopefully we can help you. :)

first thing to say is, your telescope is a reflector, so point the large open hole at the sky, at look through the eyepiece on the side, check it in the day time at a distant house, much easier than at night

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Hi and welcome.

Looks like your post was moved for you into the help getting started section.

Your telescope is a reflector. There is a mirror at the bottom and you point the open end at the sky (do NOT look at the sun).

During the day you should be able to focus on a very distant object tree building use the eyepiece with the biggest number probably 25 this is your lowest magnification. 

Magnification is telescope focal length, your one is 1000mm, divide my eyepiece focal length, 25, gives x40 magnification.

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I've just had a thought here - is it possible the OP has installed a Cheshire collimating eyepiece or a Collimation cap and has maybe confused this for an eyepiece?

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Hi there,

If you can see your face then I think I agree with Red dwarfer, you are probably looking down the main barrel of the telescope towards the mirror.  This video is a fairly basic explanation of how a similar reflector telescope works.

 

It might help to have your son look at it with you or you may both want to take a trip to a local astronomy club - they will be only too pleased to help you out.  Clubs in Cornwall can be found here:

http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/Clubs/Default.aspx?CountyId=18

I hope you get it sorted out.

John

 

 

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There is a difference between the finderscope (the baby telescope) on the top of the main tube and the eyepiece.  The finderscope may well have a cross in it and if you look at it oddly there is a chance you might see you face in it.  It has adjustable screws on it too.  The eyepiece goes into the other holder on the side of the tube.  On a clear day (though no where near the sun!) find a tree or spire or telegraph pole in the distance and put the eyepiece in the other holder on the side of the tube.  Move the telescope so that you can tell you've hit the area of the horizon where your object is located and move the focus wheel on the eyepiece unit (possibly a lot - until the shadow of the mirror disappears (you might see this if its really out of focus) and until the object comes into focus (things may be back to front and upside down, but don't worry that's OK).   Then run the telescope along the horizon objects until you locate your telegraph pole, for example, and get the top of the telegraph pole in the centre of the eyepiece.  Then go to the baby finderscope and peep through this and twiddle the adjustment screws until the cross hairs line up on the top of the same telegraph pole without moving the telescope anymore.  Keep checking until the view through the eyepiece and the view through the finder line up on the same bit of the telegraph pole.  Now if you find a planet in space in the baby finderscope you should get the same view in the EP - just closer. 

Remember that this will repeating whenever you set up the telescope as things will move slightly. 

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The two big knobs below were you are looking down is the focuser, turn one of them very slowly, the reflection 

you are looking at should get smaller, keep turning until you reach focus, hope this is the problem?

If it doesn't, turn the knob the other way.

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