A little help...

[Manok101]

I've been able to find more than a few stars and clusters with my little scope but moving from 4.5 to 10 I find it nearly impossible to find those stars again. This is hampering my abilities to setup go to, is it just me or is it really that big of a difference?

[Mr Spock]

There should be no difference. Is your finder aligned? Try aligning it in daylight first using a distant object. You should have no difficulty then finding a bright star in the finder and it being in the scope using a low power eyepiece.

[NickK]

The way I align is through orion. I know my way around it so it makes the set up easier. Pliadaes is another I can use.

I then start with the lowest magnification (21mm) I find the nebula, through the scope, centre it and centre the targeting scope. Next I'll move to one of the belt stars or beetleguese and use that to make a pinpoint reference to the centre. I'll then move up to 6mm and recalibrate the finer targetting.

From that point I can use the 6mm without a problem.

I think the key is not getting lost in the mass of stars, so learn an area to start off with. You will then get better at aligning and it becomes a kick off point for a night's observations.

[Talitha]

Do you have a red dot finder? It's fantastic for getting into the ballpark. Aim it at a star close to your intended target, and then use your regular finder scope to get closer. When the area of your target is centered in the finder scope, use your widest field of view eyepiece. Compare the view to what's on the star chart or program you're referencing. You might want to practice on some large targets you're already familiar with.