New telescope: picture upside-down !!!

ddlong

Hi there. My son got a Newtownian 700x76mm telescope for Christmas and we have just tried to set it up. However, although we followed the instructions,
(1) when we look through the viewfinder on top, everything is upside down and
(2) when we look into the H20 lens which we put into the side, everything is upside down. However, there is a '1.5xErecting eyepiece' and a '3x Barlow lens' in the package but the instructions don't mention what to do with either of them. We put the '1.5xErecting eyepiece' in with the H20 lens and this flipped the picture we see through the lens 180 degrees so it's now the right way up but tilted about 45 degrees to the left. (NOTE1: The picture through the viewfinder is still upside-down and NOTE2: When we relace the '1.5xErecting eyepiece with the 3xBarlow lens the picture goes upside-down again).

We are complete novices so haven't a clue but we would have expected what we're looking at (we picked a house a good bit down the road) to be the right way up in both the viewfinder and lens ? Could we have done something stupid in setting it up or does it sound like the telescope is faulty ?

Thanks for any advice !

username123

Newtonian reflector telescopes will always produce an image that is upside down, they are not recommended for terrestrial viewing - it doesnt matter if the image is upside down for star gazing.

Google 'newtonian telescope image upside down' for plenty of information on it.

Theres a bit of info here about the tilt you describe.

ddlong

Aha ! Thanks so much for your reply - we had no idea it was supposed to be like this. I wish they'd put something to that effect on the instructions !!! Thanks again. So great to get such a quick reply too