How to Align a Refractor Telescope

The refractor telescope is the simplest of all telescopes.

A refractor telescope is one of the simplest types of telescopes. Essentially, a refractor telescope is a tube with a lens on either side of it. Aligning a refractor telescope, because of the simple design, is simply a matter of pointing the telescope in the direction of the object you want to see. Even if you are a beginning astronomer, you'll have no trouble using the refractor telescope.

Instructions

1. Point the refractor telescope in the general direction of the object you want to observe. For example, if you want to look at the moon, locate the moon in the sky and point the telescope in the direction of the moon.

2. Look through the eyepiece and adjust the telescope until you have the object you want to look at in the center of your view. Note it is the wider end of the telescope that has to be pointing toward the object, while the narrower end of the telescope is where the eyepiece is.

3. Focus the refractor telescope by twisting the knob of the eyepiece. Note that not all refractor telescopes will have the ability to focus, since some of these telescopes are extremely simple.

References

• Universe Today: Refractor Telescope
• Astronomy Notes: Telescopes

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish