Spend less time centering your target and more time stargazing with the new premium Celestron StarPointer Pro finderscope. Traditional red dot finderscopes were originally created for shooting sports such as airsoft guns and shooting sports. StarPointer Pro was designed for astronomers by astronomers to provide the easiest experience locating celestial objects in the night sky. Whether you’re new to the hobby or a seasoned amateur astronomer, you’ll appreciate StarPointer Pro’s thoughtful design features.

While a red dot can obstruct your desired target, the Celestron StarPointer Pro projects two circular LED reticles. Just place your target inside the circles and it’s ready to view in the eyepiece. The circles also serve as a measuring tool while starhopping. For added convenience, StarPointer Pro offers a 40 mm optical window with a large field of view. StarPointer Pro attaches quickly to any telescope and secures with a dovetail connection and finger knobs. No screwdriver needed! Get more out of every stargazing session with StarPointer Pro.

The Celestron StarPointer Finderscope is the way to go if you want the easiest way possible to locate an object and center it in your eyepiece.

A red dot finder, unlike an optical finder, has 1x magnification, displays a super wide field of view, and keeps the sky right side up and left-to-right correct, matching what you see with your unaided eyes. An LED creates a red dot, superimposed on a viewing screen, so you simply point the StarPointer to the area or object you wish to observe, look through your eyepiece, and if properly aligned, the area in and around place you pointed the red dot will be centered in the field of view.

If you like the idea of having some magnification, try installing both a red dot and optical finder on your telescope. Schmidt-Cassegrain and EdgeHD telescopes have multiple mounting bracket holes so you can get the best of both worlds. Just make sure to align both of them correctly, and you’ll get the best use out of each of your finders.

How to Align the StarPointer Finderscope

The first time you use your finder, you need to align it. This one-time setup procedure should be done during the day. Take the telescope outside and find an easily recognizable object, such as a streetlight, car license plate, or tall tree. The object should be as far away as possible, but at least a quarter mile away. Move the telescope left and right or up and down so that it is roughly pointing at the object. Look through the telescope using your low power eyepiece and move the telescope until the object you chose lies in the center of the view. Once the object is centered in your eyepiece, turn on the red dot. With your head positioned about a foot behind the finder, look through the round lens of the finder and locate the red dot. Without moving the telescope, use the two adjustment knobs located on the side and underneath the finder. One controls the left-right motion of the dot. The other controls the up-down motion of the dot. Adjust both of these until the red dot appears over the same object you are observing in the eyepiece.

Your finder is now aligned and should not require realignment unless it is bumped or dropped. You can even take the finder off the telescope and reattach it while preserving alignment.

Specifications

Non-Illuminated Right Angle Correct Image Finderscope

The Celestron 9x50 Right Angle Correct Image (RACI) Finder is a great upgrade to the standard finderscopes included with many Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes. The generous 50mm aperture produces bright, sharp images with a magnification of 9x and a five-degree apparent field of view. Meanwhile, the right-angle, correct-image design keeps objects right-side-up and correctly oriented left-to-right, making it easier to find objects and track them as they drift through the field of view. You can rotate the eyepiece module left or right to find the perfect viewing angle based on your setup.

The double-crosshair reticle etched in the eyepiece makes it easy to center an object, whether you are aligning your computerized telescope or finding deep-sky objects on your own. The reticle can be focused separately from the finder itself. 

The Celestron 9x50 RACI Finder comes with a sturdy bracket consisting of two rings and an integrated dovetail. The oversized thumbscrews make adjusting the finder's alignment easy. The dovetail allows for easy attachment to and removal from most Schmidt-Cassegrain and EdgeHD optical tube assemblies without affecting the finderscope's alignment. The eyepiece also features an attachment point for an aftermarket M8x1.25 thread-in illuminator.