Name: Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope for Celestron CGEM, Advanced VX, CG-5 Equatorial Mounts
Brand: Celestron
SKU: CNPAF
Price: 61.95 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.4 (37 reviews)

Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope for Celestron CGEM, Advanced VX, CG-5 Equatorial Mounts

Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope

Celestron

Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope for Celestron CGEM, Advanced VX,CG-5 Equatorial

In Stock

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Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope 

Find the Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope for CGEM, Advanced VX & CG-5 mounts. Simplify polar alignment for precise astronomy. Backed by a 2-year warranty. Shop now!

Become an expert in polar alignment with the Celestron Polar Axis Finder, specifically designed for CGEM, Advanced VX, or CG-5 Equatorial Mounts. This innovative tool simplifies the process of aligning your telescope, making it a must-have accessory for astronomy enthusiasts and astrophotographers alike.The Polar Axis Finder is installed into the polar finder port located at the rear of the mount. Once installed, you can easily focus the eyepiece until the reticle becomes sharp and clear. The reticle is etched with recognizable star patterns, making it easier for you to align your telescope accurately.For users in the Northern Hemisphere, the reticle features the familiar patterns of the Big Dipper and the "W" of Cassiopeia. Depending on the season, use the Big Dipper as your guide in the spring and summer months, and Cassiopeia during the fall and winter. The North Star, Polaris, is also designated on the reticle, along with the NCP, or North Celestial Pole. Align your telescope so that the stars line up with the positions shown on the reticle, then adjust the telescope's azimuth and altitude controls to place Polaris right in the crosshairs. This ensures almost perfect alignment, saving you time and hassle.For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the Celestron Polar Axis Finder is equally useful. The reticle features four stars of the constellation Octans. Simply adjust your telescope until those stars align as shown on the reticle.Compact, durable, and user-friendly, the Celestron Polar Axis Finder is a high-quality tool that enhances your stargazing and astrophotography experience. Whether you're a seasoned astronomer or a beginner, this Polar Axis Finder is an essential addition to your telescope setup.

Yes it's needed but it is not illuminated. Polar alignment is done at night - right!

Needs illuminations

Easy to install.
Not as easy to adjust.
But got it aligned with a little effort.
Happy with it and recommend it to others.
Would be better if they made it illuminated.

Polar axis finder

This was a very worthwhile investment.  Prior to having it, I would do a rough polar alignment through the tube, and though close, I was constantly having to make adjustments in declination.  This polar axis finder is a must have if one wants to have trouble free tracking of celestial objects.  Installation was a snap although the process of aligning the polar scope to the mount was a bit more tricky.  The three collimation screws are tiny and I believe that it would take very little to strip them.  Overall, the form, fit, and finish are first rate and it is a wonderful compliment to my CG4 mount.

A must have.

This fit and works great in my Celestron CGEM II mount.

Fits CGEM II Mounts

I've used polar axis finders before on prior CG-4 mounts. This one makes it very easy to set up and incorporate into your routine for accurate locating and viewing. Indispensable.

Essential Tool

It was so easy to use. Probably the best purchase I?ve made yet.

Very easy Polar alignment

Love this little scope for alignment. Fits inside my AVX mount and makes the job easier.

Nice little alignment scope

I'm sure it works....but I haven't been able to figure out how to use it yet.

Not sure about this polar finder.

Nice piece working perfectly to help in my polar alignment

Celestron German equatorial Polar alignment

Excellent match for the CG-4 mount. It facilitates polar alignment.

A great tool for polar alignment.

Excellent quality, very happy with purchase.
Installed on my Celestron AVX amount.

Celestron polar Axis finder

Let me start by saying this product is built with solid materials. Overall, it seems quite nice. But either due to the threading on my AVX mount or perhaps more likely because of this piece, when you thread it in all the way, it has a piece which spins freely. That seemed to make sense, until I realized the glass imprint of the night sky in the eyepiece does not spin with it. So you thread it into the mount, but then you have to unthread it to get it oriented correctly. No problem, except that it then wobbles around.

Take for example, that you screw the piece all the way in, take note where the center crosshair reticle is, then unscrew it. That reticle may now be off center. If you're not paying attention exactly, which is easy to do when you're kneeling down in the dark looking up at the dark sky, you may mistake the new positioning as falsely correct, when it is in fact off center.

If you're not too concerned about exact polar alignment, you will likely one day start to. And if that day comes, you may as well buy a PoleMaster or some other more accurate solution.

Easy to use, but poor design

Excellent. I get perfect polar alignment each time. BUT I should have gotten the illuminated one--instead I shine a dim light near the front of the scope to see the guide markings if I cannot set up after twilight.

Great scope at good price.

I purchased this along with a new Celestron AVX mount, perfect for my 8" Cassegrain. I have owned polar scopes before and found them to be wanting. Some had internal dust or reticle blemishes, others lacked clarity and ease of seeing the polar alignment guides printed on the reticle. This scope is extremely easy to install, focus and has the best polar reticle I've seen to date. It is very well marked showing polar constellations and a ring with a circle to pinpoint the true celestial pole. I have yet to see one that is as sharp, clear and easy to read and use!!

OUTSTANDING POLAR ALIGNMENT SCOPE!!

Works great, some people complain about not having illuminated crosshairs but that is really not necessary. Crosshairs are not illuminated on a finder either and you can still see them.

Works great

I purchased this finder as part of the package with my AVX mount. The first scope shipped was damaged, but very quickly replaced by Adorama's customer support team. The scope is well made and of high quality. It is very useful in making a polar alignment with my Celestron mount. I only wish Celestron made one with an illuminated reticle.

The scope is well made and of high quality

The right tool to fit professionally in my CG-4Equitorial mount.  Alignment to the pole star will now be quite easy.

The right tool to fit professionally in my CG-4Equitorial mount.

The polarscope is a good idea and works well. The documentation describing how to co-align the reticle is very terse.  My mount only adjusts down to an elevation of about 7 deg, so, during adjustment, the polarscope is going to be pointed up a bit.  That's important.  Gravity works against you.

The goal of alignment is to position the reticle (2 dimensionally - up down left right) so that its center coincides with the rotation axis of the mount's R.A. axis.  In the process of adjusting it I noticed that the telescope and reticle weren't in focus at the same time no matter how I adjusted the eyepiece and, just as I thought I had the reticle centered, the reticle came loose completely.  So I unscrewed the eyepiece and looked at what is in there.  The reticle is held in by the set screws but in order for them to grip it, it has to be all the way forward against a stop. It is pushed forward by the eyepiece being screwed in all the way, or by gravity if it is angled down a bit - but my mount wont let me do that.  
So to put it back together and align it, I pointed the polarscope down at the ground (holding it in my hand), unscrewed the set screws just a bit and screwed the eyepiece all the way in.  That seats the reticle against a stop. The set screws can then be screwed in and will grab the edge of the reticle.  Then back out the eyepiece.  The distant object and the reticle will then be in focus at the same time (same eyepiece position). That told me I was on the right track.

Here's the trick: before you make an adjustment of the set screws (with the polarscope angled up) , screw the eyepiece in all the way - gently, don't torque down hard on it. Then when you loosen the set screws, the reticle won't slide back (and hence out of focus).  Only adjust the set screws by very small amounts - 1/8 of  turn or less.  Then when they are tight, back the eyepiece out till it's all in focus again and see how well aligned it is. Once I started screwing the eyepiece in all the way in each time before adjusting the set screws, the focus behaved correctly and the reticle moved the way I thought it would.  (I think it is better to use the set screws to move the reticle half way towards the desired position - not all the way - on each adjustment. It will converge in fewer steps.)  I got it centered pretty quickly after that and when the eyepiece is positioned so the stars are in focus, then the reticle is also in focus.

very useful, nontrivial setup

I chose to upgrade my existing ASGT Polar Alignment Scope because it was too dim and the FOV was too narrow. The reviews on Adorama were very positive, and, Adorama offered the best price by almost $ with Free Shipping. I bought it, and, installed it in my ASGT. (Note: I needed a friend to keep my ASGT from tipping as I adjusted the reticule.) This scope makes Polar Alignment almost fun. The polar image is bright with a very wide FOV and easily visible reticule  I highly recommend the product and Adorama.

One of my Best Buys

If you are having issue polar aligning your mount then this is a must! It makes aligning a lot easier. 
I do wish it was illuminated but all you need to do is shine a soft red light down the polar axis chamber and you can still see the etchings! 

Its well crafted and pretty solid. It also makes for easy focusing when looking for the stars in your hemisphere. 

I bought this from Adorama because it was a couple dollars cheaper here and they ship faster then most stores I know.

Worth It!

For long exposure pictures a polar alignment is critical.  This finder does the trick.

Polar Alignment Critical

It would simplify matters if Celestron would include the small allen wrench that's required (1.5mm).  On a CGEM mount the front elevation locking bolt must be removed to lower the mount past 20 degrees.  I appreciated Celestron's customer support for a quick and useful response to this problem.
As far as the alignment went, it went smoothly and quickly when, and I reiterate for others, I remembered to watch the circle described as the mount was flipped and move the cross hairs towards its center, not towards the target.  After doing that twice, I moved the tripod legs to recenter the cross hairs on the target, then resumed flipping.  This helped me zero in on the axis of rotation very quickly and without fuss.
It might help someone to suggest not drinking five cups of coffee and becoming easily frustrated; it will work as described.  There is no way Celestron could pre center the axis of rotation with everyone's scope.  Tant pis.

faster, easier than using star allignment.

All of my Astronomy is visual but I decided to get the Polar Finder to assist me in getting some accurate alignment so not to have to adjust the telescope every few seconds.

When I started using the Polar Finder, I was able to use higher power and stay on the object much longer than before.  My example is splitting double stars at maximum optical ability and having them stay in view.  

Anyone imaging needs critical alignment.  I've not used it for imaging and cannot evaluate.

The four stars rating is because the reticle is not illuminated, nor is one available. (to my knowledge)

Polar Alignment

I received the polar scope fast and exactly as described. I am very pleased that I purchased it through Adorama

Very pleased with this scope

Fits mount perfectly, but instructions leave something to be desired. 

POLAR ALIGNMENT SCOPE

Finder is well made.  Easily screws securely into mount.  Well worth the price.  Now the murky part.  Being an engineer, I dispensed with the instructions.  The CG-4 mount has a fixture where the polar scope inserts.  The fixture has an internal o-ring and 3 radial positioning screws.  The polar scope will not fit into that fixture no matter how hard you try.  I than resorted to looking at instructions.  1st instruction:

"Remove the finderscope housing on the rear of the telescope’s polar housing"

This nicely machined fixture can than be thrown away and the polar scope neatly threaded into the back of the mount in its place.

I guess I couldn't come to terms with really believing the finderscope housing was superfluous and does Celestron sell something that makes use of it?

The back of the finderscope has a knurled knob.  It looks like a means to focus the reticle , but if you loosen it, the reticle can be pushed out of its correct position and you have to unscrew the back piece and re-position the reticle.  If these comments are incorrect, I would like to hear about it.

Great polar finder - murky instructions

Does the job...makes alignment a lot easier

Worth the cost

Hard to use with dark sky. I prefer illuminated polar scopes, but couldn't find any for my mount.

Not illuminated.

quick polar alignment of CG-5 mount (CG-4 requires a different model), but the reticle is very dificult to see at night. Holding a red light near the objective end helps.

Wish the reticle were lighted

Fits CGEM mount. As always great Adorama service!  I've purchased DSLR cameras, telescopes, lens and many accessories from these folks - always fair, helpful and timely shipping

Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope for Celestron CGEM, Advanced VX, CG-5 Equatorial Mounts

Key Features

Protect your gear with Adorama Protect.* Learn more

Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope for Celestron CGEM, Advanced VX, CG-5 Equatorial Mounts

Save 5% Every Day†

Key Features

Protect your gear with Adorama Protect.* Learn more

Save 5% Every Day^†