The Tri-Finder  is a manual device that enables a telescope to be pointed accurately to any location in the night sky. It enables the eyes and the brain of the observer to essentially "plate solve" the heads-up display of the Tri-Finder with two specific bright stars depending on the celestial object which is sought.  The Tri-Finder system was developed over 30 years ago, long before the common availability of inexpensive micro-computers and high resolution cameras which are used on the more automated "plate solving" systems of today.  However, even though this is a manual system, the celestial object being searched for is usually found in under 30 seconds once you become familiar with its operation.    It should all become clearer after reading the following sections and examining the star maps.  The star maps shown below enable all the Messier objects to be found in addition to a few other bright celestial objects.  If anyone is interested I have print outs of the Tr--Finder coordinates for the entire NGC and IC databases.