Celestron StarPointer Finderscope

This is a great product to install on a celestial telescope. I never have figured out why most telescopes come with a view finder that shows the target image upside down compared to the right side up image projected on the viewing eyepiece! This little view finder comes with several different mounting attachments which should fit the majority of telescopes available. The view finder was easy to mount on my telescope and set up was quick and easy. The view finder now shows the targeted object right side up and the red dot when matched with the image viewer is spot on for accurately viewing the sky image that is targeted.A great product to enhance the astronomy experience! It is well made and is offered at a reasonable price.I would highly recommend this view finder.

Works great with my c11

These are by design not the best kind of finders, but for what it is this one is good quality. You lose some brightness due to the coated plastic viewing window but it's enough to get you pretty close. Not as good as a Telrad but much smaller, cheaper, and lighter. It comes with FOUR mounting bases, including the standard Syntha/Orion dovetail compatible one. Another is a generic type that mounts to a range of tube diameters with two screws, and two are sized for SCTs like a C8. Yes it's cheap plastic but it works and is super lightweight, which won't affect instrument balance. These things mount using a variation of a Picatinny rail so the extra mounts are useful to mod and mount to other instruments. I was able to use one of the extras to mount an old, similar finder more securely to a homebuilt scope. Very pleased with this. Not sure what to make of the critical reviews- you are getting more than what you are paying for. All of these cheaper red dots are compromises. If you want better get a Telrad or Rigel. Much better but more expensive, and the Telrad uses an uncoated glass beam combiner that doesn't lose anywhere near as much light.IMO the Telrad is the standard but it's too big, heavy and expensive for small entry level scopes. These cheap red dots get you about 60 percent of the performance for less than half the cost.The fancier multi-reticle units are sturdier and are built to take a beating as they are repurposed firearms sights. They have a similar light loss through a coated viewing window, and in my opinion they are fine if you want something that you can beat on. It won't work better than this cheap one, but those will last longer.I have multiples of these cheap red dots, three Telrads, and one of the multi-reticle finders. They all work and have their place.

I’ll start with what I like least, and that’s the actual position of the dot through the lens. It may just be my setup, but the dot, while easy to set and zero it, is clear at the top of the lens! I have to get all the way down and look all the way up to be able to see the dot. Also, mine came with a battery installed and didn’t have one of those little plastic tabs to keep it from discharging while in the box so it was almost completely dead when I got and mounted it. After a few days, it was completely dead and the scope didn’t come any instructions or a user manual so I had to hunt to find the battery compartment. And then it takes a non standard battery. I forgot to take it to the store with me and thought it was a CR 2032 like all my other button battery operated devices. No, it’s a CR 2025! Not a big deal, that’s why it’s the last of the things I like least about it.Now what I do like about it…for the price, this thing was SUPER easy to mount and zero in! So easy a caveman can, and did, do it! And once it was zeroed, it’s never lost that zero, no matter how much I move it around. I never thought that for about $20 I’d be able to get a reliably decent red dot for my telescope. Boy was I wrong!!!!

This is a great little star finder. Easy to set up, and once aligned it will make finding a specific target 10x easier allowing more time to actually use your telescope instead of spending all your time hunting for your target. I am new to astronomy and quickly finding out that everything is expensive, there's always something else you will want to purchase. You could easily sink 10k in equipment and still have plenty of other items on your wish list. This starpointer was a pleasant surprise, it's affordable and well made for what it is. I recently purchased a used Celestron 114 lcm it was missing the finderscope, this one fit on with only a small philips head screwdriver and took me about 10 to 15 minutes to align by following the instructions included. That night I was able to bring my telescope to bear quickly on whatever object I wanted to look at. If you don't have a finderscope, or aren't happy with the one you have give this one a try. At this price, it's worth the investment. If it works for you it will make up for its price on the first night, if it doesn't you can send it back or keep it as a backup for future use. It comes with 2 or 3 different mounts to allow you to mount it directly onto your telescope. If you don't have a mount or your mount is occupied you can install it anywhere on the telescope and mount it with bolts. I would suggest you try to find a spot that works best for you and temporarily mount it with double sided tape before you commit to drilling holes. There are definitely better, fancier finderscopes but this one will get the job done at an affordable price point.

I bought this back in October 2024. I used it for a couple of nights. I put my telescope away for a couple months. I just recently last week January 2025 and now it doesn't work. I thought at first that maybe it got left on and the battery needed replaced. However, I changed out the batteries twice and it just won't turn on. I tried everything. Nothing. I am disappointed because this received such highly rated positive reviews. I am bummed because I only got to use it once. It is passed the return window too.