How to Align Your Astro Aimer and Green Laser Pointer

The following is from HoTech Corporation (http://hotechusa.com). Reproduced with permission.

Install your Laser in your ring type finder scope mount
Make sure the inside diameter of the scope ring is larger than the 1" diameter Laser.

If the I.D. of the scope mount is too large and the screw is too short to tie down the Laser, go to a hardware store and purchase a nylon tipped thump screw with compatible threads.

Go to "Align your Laser to your telescope" below.

Install your Laser in your Tripod mount
Fasten the ¼-20 screw firmly onto the bottom of the Laser's ¼-20 female screw hole.

Align your Laser to your telescope
Pre-install the Laser in the scope mount at the position where the laser ON/OFF button is at an easy access location (e.g. between the two mounting rings).

Point your telescope to an easy to find object (e.g. the moon), and check through your viewfinder (use the lowest magnification or large field of view) and move the telescope until the object is in the approximate center of your view.

Turn on the Laser and adjust the laser pointing to the same approximate center location of the object.

While the laser is on, you should be able to see the diverging green laser line in your viewfinder pointing toward the object.

Fine adjust the Laser's pointing until the green line diverges into the center of your viewfinder. During this adjustment process, you don't need to point at the moon. Your telescope can point at the dark sky for best visibility of the laser line.