You Just Got Your First Refractor Telescope - Here's What to Do Next
- Ritik Shah
- 1 hour ago
- 11 min read
So the box is open. Parts are laid out on the floor. You are excited, a little confused, and probably tempted to just rush outside and point it at the sky.
Hold on for just a bit. Most first time refractor telescope owners run into the same frustrating problems in the first few sessions and almost all of them are avoidable. This guide walks you through everything, from assembling the setup correctly to actually finding objects in the sky, with honest tips on what to expect along the way.
Table of Content
What is a Refractor Telescope?
A refractor is the classic long-tube telescope with a lens at the front. Light enters through the objective lens, travels down the tube, passes through a diagonal, and reaches your eye through the eyepiece.
You will often see refractors described with two numbers like 70/700 or 80/640. The first number is the aperture (diameter of the front lens in mm) and the second is the focal length (the optical path length inside the tube).
These numbers affect how much light the scope gathers and what magnification you can achieve. Here is a quick honest breakdown of what each aperture size can realistically show you:
Aperture | Good For | Realistic Expectations |
50 mm | Moon, Stars | Moon craters, Jupiter as a disc with moons, Saturn with rings visible as an oval shape |
70 mm | Moon, Planets, Double stars | Clearer planet detail, cloud bands on Jupiter visible, Cassini division not visible from cities |
80 mm | Moon, Planets, Double stars, Brighter nebulae | Sharpest views in beginner range, slightly more contrast on planets and star clusters |
Important note: None of these will show you colourful nebulae like Hubble images. Those are long exposure photographs. Through the eyepiece most nebulae appear as faint grey smudges, which is still worth seeing, but set expectations correctly before your first session.
You can explore the StarTracker 50/600, Celestron 70/700, and Explore Scientific 80/640 on the CTare to see which aperture fits your needs.
Step 1: Unbox Everything and Remove the Dust Caps
Before assembling anything, take out every part and remove all dust caps and lens covers. Check both ends of the optical tube, the diagonal, and each eyepiece.
Hold the front lens up to a light source and look at it. If it looks slightly hazy or foggy, that is just temperature difference between the stored scope and room air. Give it 10 to 15 minutes to settle on its own.
If there is dust or a smudge, do not wipe it with your shirt or a tissue. Use only a microfiber cloth, the same kind that comes with spectacles. Anything rougher will scratch the lens coating. A small amount of dust on the lens actually has very little effect on the image, so when in doubt, leave it alone.
Step 2: Assemble the Full Setup
Do this at least once at home before your first night out. Assembling in daylight once means you are not fumbling with unfamiliar parts in complete darkness.
Open the tripod. Spread the three legs evenly. If your tripod has separate leg sections, screw them together firmly. Tighten all leg lock knobs or clips so the tripod does not wobble or sink.
Attach the mount head. Place the mount on top of the tripod and secure it with the central bolt underneath. Tighten until the mount sits flat with no rocking.
Slide in the optical tube. The tube slides into a ring or saddle plate on the mount and is held by one or two thumbscrews. Tighten just enough to hold it firmly without crushing the body.
Attach the finder scope or red dot finder. This mounts onto a bracket on top of the tube with two thumbscrews. Do not fully align it yet, that comes in the next step.
Insert the diagonal. Slide the diagonal into the focuser at the back of the tube and tighten the focuser thumbscrew until it holds firm.
Now the eyepiece. Which one goes in first?
Always start with the eyepiece that has the highest focal length number. If your kit came with a 20mm and a 10mm, start with the 20mm. If it came with a 25mm and a 6mm, start with the 25mm. The highest focal length gives the lowest magnification and the widest, brightest view. It is the easiest to focus with and the easiest to find objects through.
Think of it like Google Maps. You never search for a location starting at maximum zoom. You start zoomed out, find the area, and then go closer. Same idea here.
Slide the eyepiece into the open end of the diagonal and tighten the thumbscrew gently.
Before it gets dark, try every knob. Sit with the assembled telescope and figure out which knob moves it left and right (azimuth) and which tilts it up and down (altitude). Try locking and loosening the tension on each axis. Know what happens before you need to do it in the dark. This one step saves a lot of frustration on your first night out.
Step 3: Align Your Finder Scope or Red Dot Finder
This can be done during the day or at night. Pick any distant stationary object, a far away building, a cell tower, a street light at least 300 to 400 metres away. A moving object like a vehicle or the Moon will drift out of frame while you are still adjusting.
For a red dot finder:
Switch it on using the dial on the side. If you turn the dial and no red dot appears on the window, check the battery compartment. There is usually a small plastic tab inside the compartment that was placed there to protect the battery during shipping. Pull that tab out and the finder will power on.
A red dot finder has two adjustment dials, one for left and right movement and one for up and down. Turn them until the red dot sits on the same object you have centred in the main eyepiece.
For an optical finder scope:
Centre your target in the main eyepiece first. Without moving the telescope, look through the finder scope and adjust the three thumbscrews around the bracket until the crosshairs sit on the same object.
A useful night session trick for both:
Once roughly aligned, treat the finder as a coordinate grid. Note where in the finder your object sits when it is perfectly centred in the main eyepiece, slightly upper left of centre for example. For that whole session, whenever you put a new object at that same spot in the finder, it will show up in your main eyepiece. Not perfectly accurate every time but good enough to work with in the field.
Step 4: Daytime Practice Run Before Your First Night
Spend your first session during the day on a terrace or open area. Pick a distant building or sign, point the telescope at it, and learn how to focus.
The focuser has two knobs, one on each side of the barrel. Both do exactly the same thing. Turning one will move the other along with it. At the fully in or fully out position you will see nothing useful, just blur or blackness. Slowly turn either knob until the object sharpens into a clear image.
This is the step most beginners skip and then wonder why they are seeing only grey or black through the eyepiece. Once you can focus sharply on a daylight target, you are ready for nighttime.
Step 5: Let the Scope Cool Down Before Observing
If the telescope was stored in an air-conditioned room, bring it outside 15 to 20 minutes before you start observing. The temperature difference causes air turbulence inside the tube that blurs the image. Just let it sit open and pointed away from the ground. Views will be noticeably steadier once it adjusts.
Step 6: Your First Night, Start With the Moon
Install Stellarium (free) or any sky chart app on your phone before your first session. Open it, point it at the sky, and spend two minutes getting familiar with what is up and where. Know which direction the Moon is, at what height, and roughly where it will be an hour later.
The Moon is the best first target for any beginner telescope. At 35x magnification on a 70mm scope the craters, ridges, and mountains are genuinely stunning. Look along the terminator, the line dividing the lit and dark parts of the Moon's surface, where shadows are longest and the surface texture is most dramatic.
Start with your biggest eyepiece. Once you have the Moon centred, you can try swapping to a smaller eyepiece for more magnification. When you do swap, always refocus. Different eyepieces have different focus points and the position you set for a 20mm will not be correct for a 10mm.
Above half Moon phase the brightness can get overwhelming. A Moon filter screws into the eyepiece barrel and cuts the glare significantly, making the view much more comfortable. Worth picking up once you are comfortable with the scope. You can find Moon filters on the CTare accessories page.
Step 7: What to Observe Next
Do not jump straight to planets after the Moon. They are small and require decent alignment skills to find and hold in frame. Build up to them.
A good next target: The Alcor and Mizar double star system in Ursa Major (part of the Big Dipper). At low magnification you can split them into two distinct stars. Simple, satisfying, and a good test of your alignment.
For planets, check Stellarium for what is visible on your night. Once you have a few sessions behind you, Jupiter and Saturn are worth the effort.
Jupiter shows its disc and two main cloud bands at around 50x. The four Galilean moons appear as tiny bright dots arranged in a line.
Saturn's rings appear as a distinct oval shape at around 50 to 70x.
Stars will always look like points of light, even at high magnification. That is normal.
Nebulae from Indian cities under light pollution mostly appear as faint grey patches. Galaxies are invisible through beginner scopes in urban locations.
What a beginner refractor genuinely excels at: the Moon, planets, double stars, and open star clusters. That is more than enough to keep you busy for a long time.
Step 8: Using Your Eyepieces and Barlow Correctly
Always find your target first with the biggest eyepiece. Once centred, swap to a smaller eyepiece if you want more magnification, and refocus each time.
Most beginner kits include a Barlow lens, usually 2x or 3x. A Barlow multiplies the magnification of whichever eyepiece it is paired with. Leave the Barlow out of your first few sessions entirely. Get comfortable with your two eyepieces on their own first.
When you do start using it, avoid pairing the Barlow with your smallest focal length eyepiece on a 50mm or 70mm scope. A 3x Barlow on a 6mm eyepiece pushes magnification beyond what the optics can cleanly resolve and you get a large blurry image rather than a detailed one.
The factory Barlows that ship with beginner kits also tend to add slight false colours to bright objects. A metal bodied Barlow from a reputed brand makes a real difference if you decide to upgrade later. You can find better Barlow options on the CTare accessories page.
Troubleshooting: I Can't See Anything
This is the most common first-night panic. Almost always one of these is the cause:
Dust cap still on - check both ends of the tube, the diagonal, and the eyepiece.
Not focused - the focuser knobs need to be turned slowly from one end until an image appears. Many beginners stop too early.
Wrong eyepiece in first - always start with the highest focal length (biggest number).
Scope not cooled down - if it came from an AC room, wait 15 minutes outside before observing.
Mount too loose or too tight - if the scope drifts on its own or won't move smoothly, adjust the tension knobs on the mount.
Red dot finder battery tab not removed - check the battery compartment if the finder won't switch on.
If none of these solve it, reach out on WhatsApp. At CTare we have helped first-time telescope owners across India go from unboxing to their first clear views and we are happy to help you do the same.
Accessories Worth Getting Once You Are Comfortable
Once you have a few good sessions behind you, here is what is worth adding. All available on the CTare accessories page.
Accessory | Why It's Worth Getting |
Screws into the eyepiece barrel and cuts glare above half Moon phase. Affordable and immediately useful. | |
Lets you observe sunspots safely during the day. Only use once you fully know how your telescope moves. Never attempt solar observation without a filter designed for your exact aperture. | |
Better Barlow (Metal Body) | Removes the false colour issue of the kit Barlow. Gives cleaner, sharper images at higher magnification. |
Green Laser Pointer (Adults Only) | A quick way to point the telescope at targets during night sessions or star parties. Keep away from children and never aim at aircraft or eyes. |
The Green Laser Trick for Finding Objects
This is a practical shortcut many experienced observers use at events and during quick sessions.
A powerful green laser pointer, when placed on top of your biggest eyepiece with the beam pointing down into the eyepiece barrel, follows the reverse light path through the optical tube and comes out as a straight beam from the front of the telescope.
This only works at night. The green beam is invisible in daylight, so do not attempt this during the day.
With the laser switched on and in place, loosen the mount knobs and move the telescope until the beam appears to land on your target, the Moon or a bright planet for example. Then switch off the laser, remove it, and look through the eyepiece. Your object will be right there.
This removes the need for finder scope or red dot alignment entirely and is especially useful when switching between targets quickly.
Before trying this, check the laser on a wall first. The beam should come out as a single straight continuous line, nothing else. No dotted pattern, no spread, no other shape. Make sure it is fully charged. A poorly aligned or low battery laser will point you in the wrong direction.
Important: never point the laser at anyone's eyes, never aim it at aircraft, and keep it away from children completely.
If you or your child wants to genuinely learn the sky and understand how to use a telescope properly, skip the laser for now. Use the finder scope or red dot finder, learn the alignment, and explore the sky through Stellarium. The laser is a convenience tool, not a learning tool.
What you do not need right away: coloured planetary filters, additional eyepieces, motor drives, or any electronic accessories. Learn the telescope first and upgrade based on what you actually find yourself wanting.
You Are More Ready Than You Think
Every experienced astronomer in India had a first confusing night with a new telescope. The first session is for learning the mount. The second is for getting focus right. By the third session you will be moving through the sky with confidence.
If you are stuck at any point, whether it is figuring out why you cannot see anything, which eyepiece to pick up next, or just wanting to know what is worth observing this month, reach out to us on WhatsApp. At CTare we have helped first time telescope owners across India go from unboxing to their first clear views, and we are happy to help you do the same.
Clear Skies!
Next up: You just got your first reflector telescope. Here is what is different, when it needs collimation, and how to actually do it.
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