So you have decided that you want to take up astronomy. Many do! Its a fascinating hobby after all. Many take up astronomy because their interest has been fired by a TV documentary which introduces them to the wonders of the heavens. Others become interested after talking to an avid amateur astronomer, and get bitten by the bug of wanting to look at a closer view of the stars and planets.

If you are new to astronomy and are clueless as to how to use your telescope, rest assured, you are not alone. However, its really not that difficult learning how to use a telescope. It just takes a few adjustments and knowing what equipment your telescope has. You must be familiar with the pieces of the telescope and how each of them work. The rest is easy.
The first thing you will need to know in learning how to use a telescope is does your telescope have a polar axis or not. A polar axis is intended to track. A telescope without a polar axis is merely a point and look, or what is called Alt-Az. Alt means altitude and Az means azimuth, where Alt is the distance above the horizon, and Az is the direction in a circle around the horizon. If you have an Alt-Az mount, just skip the polar alignment step.