Getting Started With Your Telescope

First-Night Setup & Troubleshooting

For Celestron and Skywatcher refractor kits (and most beginner refractors)

If you've set up your telescope and all you see is black, don't worry - the scope almost certainly isn't faulty. Nearly every "I can't see anything" case comes down to one of a handful of setup issues. Work through the checklist below in order.

Quick checklist before you start

1. Set up outdoors, in daylight, with a clear view of something far away - at least 100 metres (a tree, rooftop, or hilltop). Telescopes cannot focus on close objects, and you won't get enough light indoors. Avoid pointing anywhere near the sun.
2. Remove the entire front lens cap - not just the small centre cap. Many caps have a removable middle plug, but the large outer ring must come off too.
3. Take the Barlow lens out. This is the long tube that sticks up and that you insert the eyepiece into. It multiplies magnification and makes the scope very hard to aim and focus when starting out. Set it aside for later.
4. Use your lowest-power eyepiece first - the one with the largest number on it (usually the 20mm). Save the smaller numbers (e.g. 4mm, 6mm) for once you're comfortable.
5. Insert the 20mm eyepiece directly into the focuser tube.

Then, to get an image

1. Point the tube at your distant daytime object and line it up by sighting along the top of the tube.
2. Look through the eyepiece. You should see light coming through, but it will be blurry.
3. Slowly turn the two focus wheels near the eyepiece end. This extends the focuser in and out. Keep turning gently through the full range until the image snaps into focus.

That's it - a clear image should appear. This is the exact sequence that resolves the vast majority of setup issues.

Other common beginner issues

The image is upside down or flipped left-to-right. This is completely normal for a refractor telescope and doesn't affect astronomy. For daytime/land viewing you can add an erecting prism (sold separately) if you want a correct-side-up image.

The finderscope (small scope on the side) points somewhere different to the main scope. It needs aligning once. In daylight, centre a distant object in the main eyepiece, then adjust the finderscope's screws until the same object sits on its crosshairs. After that it'll help you aim.

Everything wobbles or shakes. Make sure the tripod is on firm, flat ground and all leg and mount knobs are tightened. At high magnification even a light touch causes a lot of shake - wait a second after letting go before looking.

It works in the day but the night sky is disappointing. The moon is the best first target - bright, detailed, and easy to find. Stars will always look like points of light, not discs, even at high power; that's correct. Planets appear small. Avoid streetlights and give your eyes 15–20 minutes to adjust to the dark.

Can't reach focus / image never sharpens. Confirm the Barlow is removed and you're on the lowest-power eyepiece, then wind the focuser through its entire travel slowly - the focus point can be near one extreme.

Eyepieces look different to photos online. Eyepiece styles vary (some have a rubber eye-cushion, some don't). As long as the number matches (e.g. 20mm), it's the right one.

Still stuck?

Send us a short video showing the full setup and what you see through the eyepiece - it's far more useful than photos for spotting the issue.