Reverse Image In Telescope Viewfinder

[BobStar]

:scared: I have just purchased a Tasco Space Station reflector telescope & am in the process of setting it up. Major problem (of course the store is now closed for the weekend). When I look through the viewfinder the image is upside down! Can anyone advise what the problem is & how I can resolve this? Many thanks, BobStar.

[snowyskiesau]

The image will be upside down and/or back to front.
This is normal for an astronomical telescope.

Here's an FAQ that explains it.

http://www.telescopes.com/faq/4.html

[BobStar]

Many thanks Snowyskiesau. I feel like an idiot! The instructions say to sight the scope in on an object 100 - 200 metres away & then align the top sight on this. What they don't tell you anywhere in the manual is that the image will be upside down. To make it even more confusing, the same model demo telescope showed objects the right way up. Thanks again for helping a newbie.:thumbsup:

[mill]

The fiewfinder works as in the picture here.
At least that is what i understand from optics.

[BobStar]

Many thanks for that mill. I was surprised that the image did not work like it does in binoculars. Now to find something in the night sky to look at. That will be the next challenge. Many thanks for replying.:thumbsup:

[Rob_K]

Hi Bob. Great to see another Tasco Space Station appear on the forum. I've been using mine for nearly two years and I love it. Never could get the GoTo working though, but I don't care. Be very interested to hear your experiences as you go along. "Small aperture" & "Tasco" appear to be anathema to many people, but I've found it a great performer within its limitations.

There's just so much to see in the night sky, and you'll find that sticking with a 20mm or so eyepiece will give you the greatest enjoyment. With planets & moon you can use higher magnifications. I bought a couple of reasonable quality eyepieces, which give much sharper views than the el-cheapo eyepieces supplied with the scope. Try to find some darker skies outside Brisbane too - every little bit helps! Fortunately the scope is very light and portable - easy to chuck in the car!

Observing is like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get. The more you look at things, the more you see. Over time, planetary detail and faint deep space fuzzies will become visible, where they just didn't exist before!

Have fun!

Cheers -

[ving]

hi bob, welcome to IIS :)

hope you enjoy ya stay :)

[xelasnave]

Hi Bob, at least you had the prescense of mind to remove the lens cap, thats usually the first problem. AND often when wondering why I cant get the object in the camera viewfinder I find I have fallen to that one. If you want an upright image for terrestial viewing there is available an erecting prism but the idea with astronomy is to remove any surfaces not really required so as to pass more light. Attention to stabalising your tripos helps, adding 6 ks on a srting from under the head or plaqcing same on the tripod tray really helps to obtain better views. An extended "dew cover"also helps improve contrast and that can be as simple as a roll of black cardboard.
Have a great time it is an experience difficult to describe and dont under estimate what you will see with your scope. Good luck. Keep your questions coming everyone here loves to help new folk.
best wishes
alex