The traditional method of aiming a telescope has of course been the optical finderscope, supplemented in recent years by simple devices that project a red dot or circles onto a small screen. These have all required the user to carefully place themselves behind the finder to achieve correct aim; especially with some reflectors, not easily done.

In recent years another method has become available that takes a lot of the effort out of accurate aiming. This is the Green Laser Finder, around in limited numbers up to now and highly appreciated by those astronomers fortunate enough to own one.

Imagine not having to position yourself behind the finder? Simply switch it on, and a green pencil of light seems to reach out all the way to the object you are looking for, with the advantage that you can be off to one side of the scope and still aim accurately.

The finder needs to be aligned with the main scope just like any other, and existing brackets can often be modified to take it. Purpose-built brackets will be widely available in the near future. Once you have tried aiming your scope with a Green Laser Finder, you'll never want to go back to the old way again.