Celestron StarPointer Finderscope

Well packed in bubble wrap, came with battery installed, and several brackets for fitting onto a range of ota fittings. My off brand ota required two new holes drilled and I had to find two bolts/nuts/washers but still used one of the mounts provided. Worked very well otherwise right out of the box, was easily adjusted during the day on a landscape target and maintained adjustment for use during the next viewing session. After a short practice session to get used to judging the center point etc., a viewing target is extremely simple to acquire in the sight. It is much easier to use as the eye relief is so great, makes moving the ota into position initially extremely comfortable over peeping into a small finderscope and fiddling with controls blindly. The brightness adjustment is useful for the more dim targets you're after and in poor viewing conditions, much nicer than losing a dim target under the crosshairs. It is made entirely from plastic, but seems more than rugged enough to be mounted on a precision instrument such as a telescope and handled with appropriate care. I will more than likely purchase another for my next instrument.

The Celestron Finderscope I ordered was delivered the same day, on time, and packaged with care. The red dot star finder was easy to install on my Celestron 127mm telescope. Also, I enjoy using a red dot finderscope to locate celestial objects in the night sky. When I first got my telescope, I spent over an hour trying to get my gear into alignment. And it wasn't a perfect alignment, because, when I changed my eyepieces, I had to make some big adjustments to find the star or space object. But with my new red dot, Celestron 51630 Star Pointer Telescope Finderscope, I switch lenses and only have to refocus. It is a lot less of a headache when you're trying to set your telescope calibrations. It took me less than 10 minutes to get my telescope and finderscope aligned at the same object. At first, the little red dot was too bright. I couldn't see the planet or star I was browsing for. But I was able to use the brightness knob to dim it down so I could see the object I wanted to get into sight. This accessory comes with several installation plates to help you attach the finderscope to your telescope model. I had to use the screws from my old finderscope, none came with this one. Also included are the batteries, but don't forget to turn them off when you finished using the star pointer for the evening. I give this product 5 stars for the delivery time, packaging, installation, ease of use, and efficiency.

This finder scope is one of the best we have ever purchased. Its wide optic and perfect circle center laser makes dialing in to a star planet or galaxy incredibly easy. For the money it is a great value. Highly recommend.

The standard "red dot" that came with my NexStar 5SE died, so I went looking for a replacement. I first bought the Telrad because of the excellent reviews, but as I reviewed elsewhere, it does not fit on the 5SE; it's just too big. I returned the Telrad and got this instead. This was a little harder to mount than I expected, given that both it and the scope are Celestron products. I ended up cannibalizing the mount from the 'red dot.' I also had to insert a thin piece of plastic under one end as a shim to make this finder line up with the scope. But with all of that behind me, the finder has worked superbly. It has not lost its alignment after a dozen movements in and out of the house. Once I get the desired object inside the red circles, the object is indeed in the center of the scope eyepiece. I deducted one star for the installation troubles, but this is a good product.

I purchased this item to replace the basic star pointer on a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ. Despite being a Celestron product, it does not seem to align properly on a Celestron telescope. The finder features a very nice bright circle for aligning objects, but I could not come close to centering the object using the included alignment screws. Celestron kindly replaced the new scope when I reported the issue, but the replacement is exactly the same. The build quality also seemed somewhat poor. Even if the alignment screws had worked, they felt pretty flimsy and not very tight. I ended up using a plastic shim and pushing the alignment to one extreme. The scope is still not centered, but at least it is pointing to a spot on the circle that I can use as my finder spot. Good customer service from Celestron, but unfortunately not a good product.

works well

I needed a small, lightweight finder for my Celestron FirstScope. I have Telrads on my two larger scopes, but the Telrad would be rather cumbersome on something as compact as the FirstScope. After doing some online searching, I found the Celestron Star Pointer. Lightweight and reasonably priced, I ordered one, figuring for less than twenty bucks, it was worth a shot. The Star Pointer comes with an assortment of mounting bases, one of which fits the FirstScope well. The base attaches to the scope using the two preinstalled screw posts on the scope tube, and the Star Pointer slides onto a dovetail on the base. Two screws on the side of the Star Pointer tightens the dovetail mount to keep the Star Pointer secure while using. Adjusting the single red dot aiming point is easily accomplished via two small knobs on the Star Pointer, and intensity of the red dot is adjustable by the switch knob. Once adjusted, moving the scope until the object desired is under the red dot put the object in the field of view, even using the higher powered eyepiece This makes for much quicker aiming of the scope as opposed to "gunsighting" along the tube, reducing frustration factor during viewing sessions. Finders of this type are among the simplest to use, even for younger viewers, and a worthwhile investment. Unlike small scope finders, these do not magnify or invert the image, and it's very easy to go from spotting what you want with the naked eye, to centering it in the finder (when such objects are visible to the naked eye). The Star Pointer is just as easily removable from the base after an evening of viewing, allowing for safe storage and transport. All in all, a nice option for a good price.

This is a great product to install on a celestial telescope. I never have figured out why most telescopes come with a view finder that shows the target image upside down compared to the right side up image projected on the viewing eyepiece! This little view finder comes with several different mounting attachments which should fit the majority of telescopes available. The view finder was easy to mount on my telescope and set up was quick and easy. The view finder now shows the targeted object right side up and the red dot when matched with the image viewer is spot on for accurately viewing the sky image that is targeted. A great product to enhance the astronomy experience! It is well made and is offered at a reasonable price. I would highly recommend this view finder.