T E L E S C O P E B A S I C S
Image Orientation
Once your telescope has been fully assembled and the accessories attached, you are ready to take a look. This section deals with basic telescope operation.
The Newtonian optical system produces an upside down image. This will only affect your terrestrial observations. For celestial viewing, star charts can be made to match the view in the telescope by rotating the chart 180° about the center. The view through the finder is also inverted.
ActualVeiw
NewtonianView
Figure
The figure illustrate the image orientation of a Newtonian telescope. Top is the actual orientation while below is the image seen through the telescope. The finderscope produces an inverted (upside-down and backwards)image.
26 • Telescope Basic