Do You Need Crosshairs?

[Don Pensack]

I've been using a finder scope for many decades. Occasionally, I was annoyed that a set of thick crosshairs hid the star I wanted to center.
Also, a good 50mm finder is capable of seeing a lot of DSOs directly in a dark sky, but the crosshairs get in the way.

Then I bought a 50mm finder in which the crosshairs were so thin I couldn't see them at night.

And guess what? I never missed them. I find I don't have any trouble estimating the center of the field in the finder (most have eyepieces with 50 degree fields or smaller), and that always puts the object in the field of view of the scope's main eyepiece.

Now, I can see the point to crosshairs (illuminated ones) on a photographic guide scope or in an off-axis guider.

But crosshairs in a finder scope? I don't think they're really necessary. In fact, without them I find myself looking to see if the galaxy or nebula is visible in the finder scope so I can more accurately gauge the brightness of the object.

And some objects, like the Pleiades, or Praesepe, are even fantastic objects to view in the finder itself. I've even put an O-III filter on the 50mm to see the whole Veil Nebula in one field. And looking at the NGC6231 area with a 5-6 degree field is an awesome experience.

So, if you don't have any trouble estimating the center of the field, clip the wires and spend a little time focusing the finder as sharp as you can. You just might find you enjoy it.

Don Pensack
Los Angeles

[leon]

Don, what you say is true, and some like them and some find them intrusive to their seeing, so I suppose that is a good thing, as it would be boring if we were all the same.

I personally like the cross hairs in my finder as with the illuminated finder it can be adjusted as fine or as coarse as one likes.

The hairs a pretty useful if one needs accurate positioning of the main scope, but i do understand your point, so if you like it that way, stick with it I reckon.

Leon :thumbsup:

[Marclau]

i also thought cross hairs would assist in breaking the field of view in quarters thus allowing you to view and find things even more easily.......or is my understanding wrong in this respect?

[Rod66]

I like them. I use the laser pointer to get to the general position in the sky, then the finder to get the point accurate in the middle of the scope, using the crosshairs and finally into the eyepiece for that close up view. The crosshairs are pretty thick though and they do cover up the star or planet I am looking for but then then I know its dead centre.
Because the finder is in such an awkward position, I try to use it as little as possible. Of course if something is particularly hard to find, its out with the 15x70 bino's to locate it first.

[JethroB76]

I like them and prefer them illuminated also

[erick]

Answer - yes, but illuminated and with a centre circle.

Look for the finderscope on this page:-

http://www.kkohki.com/English/kkohkiparts.html

[rider]

me too: fine, illuminated and with a pulse

Look for the finderscope on this page too:

http://www.sdmtelescopes.com.au/shop/index.php?cPath=30

(I got the 60mm, it's like having a second scope on the mount)

[GrahamL]

When I got my sparrowhawk (illuminated) I had every intention of useing it as it was ,first time i looked through it I took an instant disslike and its illuminater rolls round in a drawer someplace to this day.Not content i then dissmantled the supplied eyepiece and removed its crosshairs. Never had a problem with locateing objects with it and often slip in some high power eyepieces without a problem . So a definate NO here, I much prefer the whole view without them.

[seanliddelow]

What does DSOs stand fro? (Newb)

[stephenb]

Deep Sky Objects - nebulae, galaxies etc ;)

Yeah mine are quite thick. I do like the crosshair/centre circle Eric!

I once made a crosshair in a finder with a filament wire from an old electric blanket, and made a little circuit so it pulsed. It was only just visible and only gave off a faint glow, at the same time warming the internals of the finder!