Star hopping seems a dwindling art. Some think a correct image is best, I think it is sixes. Once you are past the learning curve it makes little difference and I think the curve is the same. Magnification is most important with finders with proper objective size.

for Messier a telrad type puts objects in the eyepiece often, the trick is knowing where what you want look at is. I would be afraid of getting a plane cockpit I did not see while looking at one part of sky. Greetings and thanks to all for the comments.

I thought I would follow up with a few thoughts based on comments I received.

Funny, the night before my post, I had experimented with a green laser pointer laying alongside the DOB. Seemed to have possibilities. So, next day, I cobbled up a way to mount the pointer into the centering bracket on the DOB in place of the old finder scope. Well, it really, really, works well. Once I had it aimed, I am pretty sure to hit my target in the center of the eyepiece with magnifications of (around) 60x or less. With my 9mm (128x), I have to hunt a bit but I think I could improve it with more careful adjustment (aiming) of the laser pointer.

Another cool thing is that the use of the laser pointer is simply cool if you have folks watching what you are doing. They like the green light.

The downside is that, if you cannot see your target, the laser pointer is not a viable solution. Still, if you can find a guide star, you can always go from there.

That said, I am still looking for the right solution (for me) that will give me relief from neck pain. I have found one at this link: http://agenaastro.com/gso-8x50mm-right-angle-correct-image-finder.html

but have not pulled the trigger, yet.

Again, thanks to all for the comments. They were most helpful.

Jim Harvey

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James Richard Harvey - The Wyoming Geezer The Great Curmudgeon AKA El Gran Cascarrabias AKA J. Peter Fudpucker Hunkered down on Planet Earth

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