Need help beginner telescope user and cant operate

[Deegan1234]

Hi iv just recently bought a Saxon EQ3, and im not really sure how to operate it, iv set my telescope up and i can get an object in the cross airs but im having difficulty seeing through the eyepiece, can anyone give any pointers please on how to see, it would be highly appreciated.

[glend (Glen)]

Hi. Can you tell us what sort of telescope you have? Is it a reflector (with a mirror in the tube) or a refractor (with glass elements in the front)? If your telescope is a refractor, are you using a diagonal mirror in front of the eye piece?
What sort of eye pieces do you have, they should have something written on the outside of them, particularly the focal length in mm?
Do you have a finder scope attached to the telescope ( a small telescope you use to aim the big one)?
Start with those questions. It is probably something easy to fix.

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Hi Deegan,
Yes, as Glen has intimated, The term Saxon EQ3 relates to the mount, and does not identify the type of telescope.

You talk about cross hairs so I presume that is a finder scope.
Firstly that needs to be aligned with the main scope.
Best to do it during the day.
Point the scope at a distant object and center the object in the scope, then adjust the finder (per manual) to center the same object in the centre of the finder scope cross hairs.
That can be fine tuned later during night use.

The normal problem with seeing nothing is starting with too high magnification eyepieces. Lower magnification eyepieces have higher numbers printed on them so try to start with a 20mm eyepiece then adjust the focus until you see an image.

Hope this helps for starters.

[iborg (Philip)]

Hi Deegan


I also suggest trying to look through the scope during the day, a distant tree can be useful.



Some eyepieces can be difficult to see through unless you have your eye in just the right place. I have exactly this issue with some old eyepieces from Father. It can take practice and small movements of your head.


If you can, post a photo of the scope and eyepieces.


I hope you enjoy it, and the forum



Good luck.