Parts of a Telescope

Universetoday, has this great photo of all the parts of a telescope. Wow, who would have thought that it would have so many! Seventeen to be exact.

I guess telescopes are more than just those long tubes with lens and wheels for looking at things. And, you know what? They're so much more powerful than just your grandmother's magnifying glass.

So, let's see if we can name them all.

1. Finderscope
2. Focuser
3. Eyepiece
4. Release Control For Mount
5. Mount Base or Mounting Plate
6. Outer Tripod Leg
7. Tripod Leg Extension
8. Tripod Support Brace
9. Accessory Tray
10. Tripod Leg Clamp
11. Mount Axis
12. Mount
13. Mirror Cell- Primary
14. Telescope Tube
15. Slow Motion Control Lock
16. Finderscope Eyepiece
17. Finderscope Bracket.

Wow, kinda overwhelming when you think about it... all those parts.  How do you remember them all, right?

How about we start with just the most common of them?

When you learn to drive a car, you don't always have to know all the parts of the car. Take it from a gal who doesn't know how to change a tire. When it comes to learning to use a telescope the most common parts you need to know are:

Finderscope Eyepiece
Focuser
Telescope Tube
Mirror Cell
Mount

Why are these the most important?

Well, let's go backwards shall we.

The mount is what holds your telescope to your tripod and allows you to swing it around.
The mirror cell, is just that, it's a mirror that reflects what is in the sky to your eye.
The telescope tube is the long casing part of your telescope, it's the shell on the turtles back.
Your focuser is like tuning in a static channel on your television and helps you make things crystal clear to see.
Your eyepiece is the piece you look through,like those of you, like me, who wear glasses to hold our lenses in place in order to focus on what is in front of us.

Now, if I'm wrong, please correct me. Be gentle. I am a newbie, after all.