5
The Basic Components of Your Telescope
Figure 1 shows the fully assembled StarSeeker 60. All the major components of the telescope are described and numbered to
help you identify each part and understand its use. Refer back to this figure when assembling the telescope.
Optical tube:
This is the main optical component of the telescope. The
glass lens at the front of the tube gathers incoming light
and focuses it by bending (or refracting) the light rays.
The tube assembly has several parts built into it, which
are shown and discussed in detail in the next section.
90° Mirror star diagonal:
The diagonal contains a mirror that reflects the light gath-
ered through the optical tube to the eyepiece. The diago-
nal is angled to allow for viewing objects that are high in
the sky from a comfortable position.
Eyepiece:
The eyepiece is the part of the telescope that you actually
look through to see things. The focal length of the eye-
piece and the telescope determine the magnifying
power of the telescope. Magnification is discussed in
more detail in the Using Your Telescope section.
5x finder scope:
This finder scope is a small telescope with a wide field of
view that helps you aim the telescope and locate objects
in the night sky. The use of the 5x finder scope is dis-
cussed in the Getting Started section.
“Yoke” altazimuth mount:
The mount couples the telescope to the tripod and allows
you to move the optical tube easily both up and down and
right and left.
Tripod legs:
These aluminum tripod legs support the telescope and
can extend from 27" to 50" long.
Accessory tray:
This tray is a convenient place for holding extra eyepieces
and other small pieces of equipment.
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