How to Use a Small Telescope

Find a dark viewing location away from streetlights or other forms of light pollution. Light pollution reduces the contrast of the night sky and makes viewing fainter objects such as galaxies and nebulae more difficult.

Set up the telescope according to the instructions provided in the owner's manual. Telescope designs vary significantly among manufacturers, so the setup procedures will depend on the model.

Point the telescope in the direction of the object you want to observe. Begin with the moon if you have never used a telescope before. You will have no trouble finding the moon in the sky, and it will reveal considerable detail when viewed through a telescope. Finding fainter objects such as galaxies and nebulae requires the use of star charts.

Look through the telescope's finder. Center the object in the finder's field of view by moving the telescope up or down and left or right.

Insert the eyepiece with the longest focal length into the focuser. Long focal-length eyepieces typically measure between 20 and 50mm. They provide low magnifications and wide fields of view. Manufacturers typically print the focal length on the barrel of the eyepiece.

Look through the eyepiece and adjust the focuser knob until the object appears sharp in the field of view. Study the object at low power to see what details the telescope reveals.

Insert a medium or short focal-length eyepiece to view the object at higher magnification. Medium focal-length eyepieces typically range from 10 to 20mm. Short focal-length eyepieces measure less than 10mm and provide the highest magnifications.