Q&A for How to Focus on a Planet With a Telescope

There's a lot of planetarium software available for computers, tablets, and phones. These programs can show you what's in the sky at a given location, date, and time. You can also look at star charts or planispheres. If you want fun objects to look at, consider looking into the Messier objects.

Continue to focus in whatever direction "shrinks" the object until it finally snaps into clear, sharp focus. Once that's done you will have focused "past" the spider and won't see it anymore.

You can use the 20 mm lens, and if you want to get more details of the moon, use the 12.5 mm. To look at craters, you can use the 4 mm eyepiece.

Your finder might not be aligned to your telescope. To align your finder, set up your telescope in the daytime and pick a distant object, such as a stop sign at the end of the street. Try to point your telescope at that object and using the surrounding area make adjustments until it is perfectly centered in your eyepiece. Then use the adjustment screws on your finder to adjust it until the object is also centered in your finder. Now your finder is properly aligned. Try using it to find a few more distant objects like the top of a telephone pole or a bird on a branch. Warning: Do not point your telescope at the sun!