Konusmotor 500 (230 x 114mm) Telescope: i can not see the planets...

1. Get Stellarium or another fine astronomy program
2. During the day, point the telescope at a part of the landscape about 100 yards away.
3. Use the lowest power eyepiece (highest number) in the focal tube.
4. Center the landscape object in the telescope.
5. Align the finder scope so that it points exactly where the main telescope is.
6. At night, leave the scope out to reach thermal equilibrium (about an hour for small reflectors and refractors)
7. If the scope is on a EQ mount, polar align.
8. Point the finder at the moon. The moon should be in the main scope also.
9. Practice finding the moon before you start on the planets
10. Once you are comfortable with the moon and planets, you can go for the deep sky objects

you may be able to buy the motor on Ebay and or by calling this large retailer on this web site:
http://www.opticsplanet.net/konus-telescopes.html?gclid=CI-VpPSno6sCFcKd7Qod_FF33w

www.telescopeman.org
www.telescopeman.us
www.telescopeman.info

Every red dot finder uses a different size battery. If you do not have the old one call Optics Planet, they sell these scopes. Usually they take a small watch style battery.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/?gclid=CIX31Y-2o6sCFcY32godbnEB5Q

There are no manuals on-line for that imported telescope. Locate a local Astronomy club and the members will help you with your telescope.

This is probably a refractor setting on an equatorial mount.

You will not find a manual. However Meade brand telescopes maintains a web site with manuals. They all assemble pretty much the same way. Look at this web site under REFRACTOR header for one that is similar to your scope.

http://www.meade.com/manuals/index.html

Read my tips on my profile page.

Is NOT -- what?

It is highly unlikely that the setting circle on low cost telescopes is accurate enough to actually use.

This is a small equatorial mount. The setting circles are very inaccurate on these small telescopes -- you will NOT be able to find anything in the sky, even if you set them properly. Sorry.

You bought an equatorial mounted telescope which is never recommended for a beginner. However I have posted instructions for aligning the mount on Polaris on my profile page in the TIPS section. Read those instructions. You must first align the scope on the North star in order to use the telescope.

Here is a manual for a very similar Meade telescope:
http://www.meade.com/manuals/TelescopeManuals/Reflectors/Meade4500.pdf

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

Try again.

Is it like THIS telescope?
http://www.opticsplanet.net/konus-knonusmotor-130-telescope-1786.html

The focuser mechanism is at the FRONT end of the telescope. The Mirror is in the back-end or bottom of the telescope. This scope is on an equitorial mount, which means it must be POLAR ALIGNED in order to work. You can get a rough polar alignment by using the star Polaris (the North star).

We never recommend an EQ mount to beginners. Polar alignment introduces an additional beginner frustration with using the telescope. Read these web sites to get an idea of polar aligning a telescope.

Their are TWO knobs on the telescope that control Right Ascention and Declination movement. Declination IS your latitude, so the angle must be set to where you live. I am at latitude 32 degrees N --- so the angle is 32 degrees, which is where Polaris is above the horizon.

Read these:
http://www.tucsonastronomy.org/observing-resources/Polar%20Alignment.pdf

http://www.astronomy.net/articles/4/polaralign.html