Explore Scientific 8x50 Illuminated Right Angle Polar Finder Scope with Illuminator II

An 8x50 right-angle finder scope with an erect-image eyepiece, dual-hemisphere polar alignment reticle, and variable-brightness red LED illumination — built for precise polar alignment on German equatorial mounts without the neck strain of a straight-through polar scope.

The 90° eyepiece lets you look down into the finder instead of crouching behind the mount, and the erect image means what you see matches what’s in the sky — no mirror-reversed confusion. The precision-etched reticle includes star patterns for both hemispheres: a triangular asterism around Polaris for the north, and a polygon pattern around Sigma Octantis for the south. Match the pattern to the stars, center the pole star, and you’re aligned.

Dual-focus adjustment lets you sharpen the objective and eyepiece reticle independently — critical for getting both the stars and the alignment pattern crisp at the same time. The Illuminator II uses standard AAA batteries for significantly longer runtime than coin-cell illuminators. The 7° field of view is wide enough to acquire alignment stars quickly.

Mounts on any Explore Scientific finder base (standard, T-shaped, or Hybrid).

Key Features

• 8x50 optics with 7° field of view
• 90° erect-image eyepiece — comfortable, intuitive viewing
• Dual-hemisphere polar alignment reticle (Polaris + Sigma Octantis patterns)
• Dual-focus: independent objective and reticle sharpness
• Illuminator II with variable red LED, AAA batteries
• 200mm × 62mm × 112mm, 1 lb 9.1 oz

Ideal For

• GEM astrophotographers — precise polar alignment is the foundation of accurate tracking for long exposures
• Observers who find straight-through polar scopes uncomfortable — the right-angle design eliminates crouching behind the mount