Celestron StarPointer Finderscope
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Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | Celestron |
Color | Black |
Style | Finderscope |
Item Weight | 3.2 ounces |
Objective Lens Diameter | 23 months |
Magnification Minimum | 1 x |
Night vision | Yes |
About this item
- FIND TARGETS WITH YOUR TELESCOPE QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY: The StarPointer red dot finderscope adds “point & look” functionality to any telescope.
- RIGHT-SIDE-UP VIEWS: Unlike some finderscopes, the StarPointer keeps the sky right-side up, matching what you see with your unaided eyes for easy and intuitive use.
- ADJUSTABLE RED DOT: Turn the knob to adjust the brightness of the red dot. Keep it dim to preserve your night vision or turn it up to find land-based objects during the day.
- COMPATIBLE WITH TELESCOPES AND MORE: StarPointer attaches to just about any telescope thanks to its small footprint. It even works great with astronomical binoculars and spotting scopes.
- START OBSERVING RIGHT AWAY: Includes the mounting base and a long-lasting CR2032 3V battery.
- UNBEATABLE WARRANTY & SUPPORT: Buy with confidence from Celestron, a leading telescope brand in California since 1960. Your purchase includes a 2-Year US Warranty and unlimited support from our team of US-based experts.
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Top Brand: Celestron
What's in the box
From the manufacturer
Celestron 51630 Star Pointer Telescope Finderscope
- The StarPointer Finderscope adds “point and look” functionality to any telescope!
- This red dot finder keeps the sky right-side up, matching what you see with your unaided eyes
- The adjustable red dot is bright enough to see day or night
- Attaches to just about any telescope thanks to the small footprint, even works great with astronomical binoculars and spotting scopes
The Celestron StarPointer Finderscope is the way to go if you want the easiest way possible to locate an object and center it in your eyepiece.
A red dot finder, unlike an optical finder, has 1x magnification, displays a super wide field of view, and keeps the sky right side up and left-to-right correct, matching what you see with your unaided eyes. An LED creates a red dot, superimposed on a viewing screen, so you simply point the StarPointer to the area or object you wish to observe, look through your eyepiece, and if properly aligned, the area in and around place you pointed the red dot will be centered in the field of view.
If you like the idea of having some magnification, try installing both a red dot and optical finder on your telescope. Schmidt-Cassegrain and EdgeHD telescopes have multiple mounting bracket holes so you can get the best of both worlds. Just make sure to align both of them correctly, and you’ll get the best use out of each of your finders.
How to Align the StarPointer Finderscope
The first time you use your finder, you need to align it. This one-time setup procedure should be done during the day. Take the telescope outside and find an easily recognizable object, such as a streetlight, car license plate, or tall tree. The object should be as far away as possible, but at least a quarter mile away. Move the telescope left and right or up and down so that it is roughly pointing at the object. Look through the telescope using your low power eyepiece and move the telescope until the object you chose lies in the center of the view. Once the object is centered in your eyepiece, turn on the red dot. With your head positioned about a foot behind the finder, look through the round lens of the finder and locate the red dot. Without moving the telescope, use the two adjustment knobs located on the side and underneath the finder. One controls the left-right motion of the dot. The other controls the up-down motion of the dot. Adjust both of these until the red dot appears over the same object you are observing in the eyepiece.
Product information
Brand | Celestron |
---|---|
Color | Black |
Style | Finderscope |
Item Weight | 3.2 ounces |
Objective Lens Diameter | 23 months |
Magnification Minimum | 1 x |
Night vision | Yes |
Product Dimensions | 6.13 x 2.75 x 1.63 inches |
ASIN | B00009X3UU |
Item model number | 51630 |
Batteries | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
Customer Reviews |
4.4 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #4 in Telescope Finder Scopes |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | June 17, 2003 |
Manufacturer | Celestron Acquisition LLC |
Country of Origin | China |
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Product Description
The Celestron Star Pointer Finder scope is the way to go if you want the easiest way possible to locate an object and center it in your eyepiece. A red dot finder, unlike an optical finder, has 1x magnification, displays a super wide field of view, and keeps the sky right side up and left-to-right correct, matching what you see with your unaided eyes. An LED creates a red dot, superimposed on a viewing screen, so you simply point the Star Pointer to the area or object you wish to observe, look through your eyepiece, and if properly aligned, the area in and around place you pointed the red dot will be centered in the field of view. If you like the idea of having some magnification, try installing both a red dot and optical finder on your telescope. Schmidt-Cassegrain and Edge HD telescopes have multiple mounting bracket holes so you can get the best of both worlds. Just make sure to align both of them correctly, and you’ll get the best use out of each of your finders.
Product guides and documents
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the ease of installation using the aiming scope. They mention that the adjustments are small and accurate, and the red dot is bright. They also appreciate the mounting, and value of the product. However, some customers have mixed opinions on brightness, quality, and size.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the aiming scope sight. They mention that it works fantastic, is very useful, and the dimmer switch works well. Some say that the red dot is bright and the default mount worked great on their telescope. Overall, most are happy with the product and recommend it to others.
"...Worked very well otherwise right out of the box, was easily adjusted during the day on a landscape target and maintained adjustment for use during..." Read more
"...The red dot is bright, and the dimmer switch works well...." Read more
"...It's made of plastic, and feel like plastic, but it does the job without problem." Read more
"Perfect for my use. The adjustment range was adequate, visibility quite good. It is only light plastic, but works just fine." Read more
Customers find the installation of the aiming scope sight to be super easy and shockingly easy. They mention that it takes only minutes to align and it saves time when using a higher magnification.
"...It is much easier to use as the eye relief is so great, makes moving the ota into position initially extremely comfortable over peeping into a small..." Read more
"...Very easy to zero-in as well." Read more
"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..." Read more
"...I would give it 4 stars because it was easy to use but now I cant use it because that little plastic piece that fell off." Read more
Customers appreciate the value of the aiming scope sight. They mention it is easy to mount, bright, and provides a great convenience for very little money.
"...will be annoying to deal with, but overall, this is totally worth the $20 I paid. Very easy to zero-in as well." Read more
"...Not as good as a Telrad but much smaller, cheaper, and lighter...." Read more
"...This starpointer was a pleasant surprise, it's affordable and well made for what it is...." Read more
"...Lightweight and reasonably priced, I ordered one, figuring for less than twenty bucks, it was worth a shot...." Read more
Customers generally like the adjustment of the aiming scope sight. They mention that the adjustments are small and accurate, it weighs next to nothing, and works like a charm. The calibration is easy, and the red dot brightness can be adjusted. The knobs for adjusting are easy to use, and there is no problem fitting it to the Orion equipment. Overall, customers are satisfied with the adjustment and use of the product.
"...Worked very well otherwise right out of the box, was easily adjusted during the day on a landscape target and maintained adjustment for use during..." Read more
"This was my first red dot star pointer and it worked well, it was easy to adjust. Aligning the telescope was so much easier with it...." Read more
"...This is also cheaply made but quite easy to adjust and use...." Read more
"...The knobs for adjusting are easy to use. One of the greatest things about this scope is that there is no battery shield...." Read more
Customers like the mounting of the aiming scope sight. They mention that it comes with several different mounts, and the extra mounts are useful to mod and mount to other instruments. The kit comes with 4 base adapters, and two different types of attachments. Customers also appreciate the fact that it includes a handful of plastic bases and connectors to attach it to a number of different telescopes.
"Well packed in bubble wrap, came with battery installed, and several brackets for fitting onto a range of ota fittings...." Read more
"...The kit comes with 4 base adapters; and I ended up using the one it was already attached to due to the spacing of my mounting screws, and the fact..." Read more
"...things mount using a variation of a Picatinny rail so the extra mounts are useful to mod and mount to other instruments...." Read more
"...It comes with 2 or 3 different mounts to allow you to mount it directly onto your telescope...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the aiming scope sight. Some mention that it has made using the telescope much easier, while others say that it's cheaply made and the overall construction doesn't seem extremely sturdy.
"...It is made entirely from plastic, but seems more than rugged enough to be mounted on a precision instrument such as a telescope and handled with..." Read more
"...The overall construction doesn't seem extremely sturdy, it probably wouldn't survive a fall, but that's to be expected...." Read more
"...The fancier multi-reticle units are sturdier and are built to take a beating as they are repurposed firearms sights...." Read more
"The finder that came with our telescope was both cheaply made and a pain to adjust. This is also cheaply made but quite easy to adjust and use...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the brightness of the finder. Some mention that it makes night time observation much easier, while others say that the little red dot was too bright, the dot cannot be made sufficiently dim with the variable resistor, and it makes it a bit more difficult to see the object you're trying to zero in on.
"...The brightness adjustment is useful for the more dim targets you're after and in poor viewing conditions, much nicer than losing a dim target under..." Read more
"...You lose some brightness due to the coated plastic viewing window but it's enough to get you pretty close...." Read more
"...The red dot is bright, and the dimmer switch works well...." Read more
"...I could not find it the third time and now I have a really big dot in the viewing area which makes it difficult to set it precisely on an object..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the size of the finderscope. Some mention that it is great for any telescope, while others say that the knobs make it hard to adjust to the right spot, the led is too big and bright, and the adjustment doesn't go far enough to get the laser centered in the scope. Additionally, the base mount provided doesn' t fit the standoffs in the kit.
"...This seems to be a truly universal kit, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. The red dot is bright, and the dimmer switch works well...." Read more
"...I have a really big dot in the viewing area which makes it difficult to set it precisely on an object unless its the moon...." Read more
"...Not as good as a Telrad but much smaller, cheaper, and lighter...." Read more
"The finder that came with our telescope was both cheaply made and a pain to adjust. This is also cheaply made but quite easy to adjust and use...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews from the United States
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Worked very well otherwise right out of the box, was easily adjusted during the day on a landscape target and maintained adjustment for use during the next viewing session.
After a short practice session to get used to judging the center point etc., a viewing target is extremely simple to acquire in the sight. It is much easier to use as the eye relief is so great, makes moving the ota into position initially extremely comfortable over peeping into a small finderscope and fiddling with controls blindly.
The brightness adjustment is useful for the more dim targets you're after and in poor viewing conditions, much nicer than losing a dim target under the crosshairs.
It is made entirely from plastic, but seems more than rugged enough to be mounted on a precision instrument such as a telescope and handled with appropriate care.
I will more than likely purchase another for my next instrument.
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021
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.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2022