How To Use Bushnell Telescopes

Bushnell offer amateur astronomers three good-value telescope ranges. The Northstar range includes computerized telescopes with real voice output and have databases of 20,000 celestial objects built in. The Harbormaster range are nautical-styled brass and cherry wood refractor telescopes; and the Voyager Sky Tour models come in between, with LED red-dot finderscopes coupled with an audio tour talking handset.

Step 1

Aim the main telescope tube at a land-based target. Choose something about 200 yards away.

Step 2

Extend the focusing tube fully. You do this by turning the focusing mechanism. The focusing mechanism is a rack and pinion mechanism on the left of the main tube at the opposite end to the Bushnell logo.

Step 3

Slowly retract the focusing tube with the focusing mechanism until the object comes into focus.

Step 4

Align the finderscope. A finderscope allows you to roughly locate your object. You then zoom in by looking through the main scope. You will find finderscopes on the both the Northstar range and the Voyager Sky Tour range. Turn the red-dot finderscope on. Look through the main tube and turn the adjustment wheels until the red dot is exactly centered on the same object that's in the main telescope view.

Step 5

Decide on your your target object. The moon is a good beginning target object. Center the object in the finderscope's crosshairs.

Step 6

Look through the main telescope tube at low power and you should see the same object, in this case the moon. Focus on the object with the lowest power eyepiece. It's the eyepiece labeled with the highest number.

Step 7

Add the higher power eyepieces and look at some detail. Insert eyepieces in the focusing mechanism by backing out the eyepiece set screw and inserting an eyepiece fully. Tighten the set screw.

Step 8

Try to find Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and Venus. Again start with the lower power eyepiece and work up to the higher power eyepiece to see detail.