National Geographic Recent Questions, Troubleshooting Help & Support

This scope does not have motors or encoders-- you cannot control it with a laptop. It is manually operated.

No one has a manual for that small telescope-- it's imported fropm overseas.

Here is a link to all of TASco's manuals-- find one that is similar to your telescope and use it.

http://www.tasco.com/pages/instruction-manuals/

also read this:

http://texasastro.org/telescope.php

Yes, all astronomical telescopes show upside down images--- no up or down in outer space-- and you would need more lenses in the light path to erect the image.

Read my frequently asked questions tip on my profile page. Your question is asked just about every day by beginner amateur astronomers.

Directions for the NatGeo tumbler are apparently non-existent online. However, I did find the video below to be quite useful. It has some general tips that work with any brand of tumbler. I hope this helps out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAi7qH_SJzw

Just put the eyepiece with the LARGEST number written on it into the focuser. DO NOT USE the 2x or 3x barlow if you have one. Practice focusing on a distant object during the day time-- and NEVER point the scope at the sun or try to look at the sun.

Turn the focus knob until you get a sharp image just using this one eyepiece.

Read my tips on my profile page.

Measure the hole in the focuser-- eyepieces come in 3 sizes: .965, 1.25 and 2 inch. Buy the correct size. Here are two retailers:

http://www.optcorp.com/category.aspx?uid=30-718

http://www.agenaastro.com/

Mirrors are probably NOT out of collimation. You cannot apply more than 50 times aperture to any telescope. Your scope is about 3.5 inches so about 150-160 power is the maximum and then ONLY on the most stable transparent nights.

Watch this video if you want to learn about collimation of the mirrors:

http://www.andysshotglass.com/Collimating.html

Join the free: www.astronomyforum.net

and read my tips on my profile page.

From many places -- here are two--

http://www.agenaastro.com/eyepieces.html

http://www.optcorp.com/category.aspx?uid=30-718

You don't need a telescope to see the stars--- just look up.

Stars always look like -- just stars-- in any telescope. They are too far away to see a disk.

However you can see other objects if you point the telescope directly at them. For example Jupiter is up in the Southwest after dark-- and Saturn comes up about 11PM or so.

There are also 110 Messier objects that you can see.

Download this free star chart:

www.skymaps.com

and install the free planetarium software Stellarium.

www.stellarium.org

Read my tips on my profile page.

The general rule is 50 times aperture. Your scope is about 2.5 inches-- so 50 times 2.5 or about 125 power--- MAXIMUM and only when the sky is very stable and transparent.

No where-- sorry. There are no repair locations for that scope.

Do NOT attempt to look at the Sun through a solar filter! These can crack from the heat and you will be blinded instantly.

Most telescopes use a standard fitting eyepiece with a 1.25 inch outside diameter barrel. You can measure the mount where the eyepiece goes to make sure that yours is this size, then search on eBay or Amazon for "1.25 eyepiece" and you will find many available. None of these will be made by National Geographic, but any make will fit.

The other variable will be the focal length of the eyepiece, which is what determines it's power. The power of the scope will be the focal length of the main objective divided by the focal length of the eyepiece, so a 9mm eyepiece will give a higher magnification (and be dimmer and harder to focus and find objects) than a 20mm eyepiece. It is usual to have two or three different focal length eyepieces for viewing different objects.

You will find a large variation in prices, which is partly due to the difference in quality and type of construction of the eyepieces. Kellner eyepieces are simple and cheap, whereas Possl or orthoscopic ones are more complex and cost more. There are reasons why people will pay more for the better eyepieces. Avoid eyepieces marked with the letters "H" or "SR" before the focal length.

Telescope manuals recommend that you do this in daylight, by pointing the scope at an object on the horizon and adjusting the finder to match (never point a telescope toward the Sun!). Use the lowest power eyepiece you have (the one with the highest number). Once you have a tree or mountain peak in the center of the main scope's image, you can then adjust the screws around the finder scope to get the crosshairs (or red dot) centered on the same object. It is very difficult to do this job in the dark, especially as objects in the sky are constantly on the move.

Hi,
Please get your similar manual in pdf file at this link :
http://www.citiwellint.com/manuals/264966_NG55CS_English_Manual.pdf
Regards, Jay

No, that telescope is not worth very much and you should not spend any money upgrading it. A good tripod would cost over $100. You really cannot buy a use-able telescope for much less than $200.

Here is the one I recommend to beginners, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEs_MMcJ7JA

I answered this question in your OTHER posting.

Put the eyepiece with the largest number written on it into the telescope. DO NOT USE the 2x barlow if you have one.

Practice focusing on a distant object during the daytime-- objects in the night sky are smaller than the tip of your finger held at arms length. The scope must be pointed directly at them or you will see nothing.

Your first target should be the moon.

Tome la tapa del objetivo. El fin de enfoque es hacia arriba. Coloque el ocular con el mayor n?mero escrito en ella en el sistema de foco. La pr?ctica se centra en un objeto distante durante el d?a.