Accessories
If
you are like most people, you may end up spending as much
or more on accessories than on your cost of the telescope.
Accessories include filters to digital cameras and anything
in between. I have a list of about 25 different items. I
will go over some of the ones I felt were needed and how
they benefited me in enjoying more of the night
sky.
Neutral
Density Moon Filters
1.
Helps
for washout and eyestrain.
2.
Color balance stays nice.
3.
Helps to
split double stars
Often times when you buy a scope they will come with this
filter.
I found it a necessity when looking at the moon. A full
moon can
be very bright and this will limit eyestrain and help
eliminate
washout in very bright areas. I’ve also used this on
planets.
Polarizing
Filter
1.
Tones
down levels - acts like a dimmer switch.
2.
Good for
terrestrial observing on bright days.
Broadband
(Nebula)
1.
Good for
moderate light conditions
2.
Very
good for nebulas
3. Contrast
is enhanced
4.
Galaxies
and star clusters also enhanced
I’ve found this to be very effective on nebulas like,
Orion, Lagoon, Dumbbell and the Ring.
Narrowband
(Nebula)
1.
Good in
highly lighted areas
2.
Rejects light from incandescent, fluorescent,
mercury and sodium light.
3.
Results
in high contrast gain.
Oxygen
lll Filter
1. Extreme
Filtration
2.
Useful
for very faint nebulas.
3.
Most
effective with large aperature scopes
Anti-Fringing
Filter
1.
Helps
eliminate purple fringing or halos around
bright objects common
to some refractors.
2.
Able to
push magnification a little higher
Color
Enhance Filters
1.
Enhance
the pale bands on Jupiter and Saturn.
2.
Helps
bring out details and hues.
I have used the yellow and dark green on Jupiter and Saturn
with good success.
Yellow also worked good on Mars as well.
"Orion Telescopes and Binoculars" has a good starter kit
available.
Solar
Filters
1. Glass
filters provide good contrast
and natural color.
2.
Mylar
filters - Not as expensive as glass, but not as durable.
3.
NEVER USE EYEPIECE SOLAR FILTERS
I have glass and mylar filters. I use a glass filter on my
ETX-90 making it an excellent and safe filter .
I made a mylar filter for my 8 inch reflector and my 22x100
binoculars.
I saved considerable money on buying mylar, on line, and
making my own cells.
You do have to be extremely careful with mylar because they
are not as durable.
If you buy or make your own always handle them carefully
and check
for any scratches or pinholes before each use.
Telrads,
Star Finders and Red Dot Finders
I have used all three and I'm satified with them all. I use
a telrad on the
larger scope, a starfinder on my small scope and a red dot
finder on my large
binoculars. Anyone of the three will probably work for you.
Finder
Scopes
Many times your scope will come with one. I have used them,
but I
preferr a telrad. I wear glasses making it difficult time
to look through the
small eyepiece. I have friends that use and like them. I
guess it's what you get used to.
Finder scopes do work well for guide stars you can’t see
with the naked-eye.
Mirror
Diagonals
These work especially good on refractors and SCT's, when
your objects
are high in the sky. They help to reduce neck strain.
Prism
Diagonals
It reverses the image both ways. They aren't recommended
for reflectors, so
I haven't used one.( My primary scope is a reflector.) They
also
have a tendency to dim the objects.
Laser
Collimaters
Almost a necessity if you own a reflector. I use one
everytime I'm out
with my reflector to fine tune my optics. I bought one from
Orion
which permits me to do my adjustments from the back of
the scope. It works great.
Dew
Shield and Dew Zappers
Dew shields are almost a necessity for refractors and
SCT’s, especially
if you're in a humid area. Some higher quality refractors
come with a built in
dew shield. There may be times you will even need a dew
zapper. It
runs on battery and keeps the front of your scope clear of
moisture. The downside
is you need a source of power like an external battery or
power from your vehicle.
Electronic
Drives
If you plan on doing some astrophotography this is a
necessity.
Make sure you match the drive to the size of the scope.
Don’t get one so small that it will labor from the weight
of the scope.
If you are not into photography they are still useful by
keeping your
object in the eyepiece for longer periods of time.
Binocular
Mounts
I bought a parallelogram mount for my large binoculars from
"T&T Binocular Mounts" and it works very well. This
type of mount is
beneficial if you are going to have several people sharing
the binoculars. If
you move it straight up or down, your object remains in the
eyepiece.
If you have small binoculars like 7x50 or 10x50, a simple
camera tripod
may work just fine. When you purchase binoculars make sure
they have
a tripod socket.
Observing
Chairs
I built my own and find it a vital part of my equipment.
The older
I get the more I need it. It helps you to be more stable
and less tiring at
the eyepiece for those long viewing sessions. Whether you
buy or build
make sure it is adjustable because you may not be the only
one using it.
Red
Lights, Pointers, Pens etc.
To maintain your “dark adaptive” vision you need to stay
away from
white light. Red doesn’t cause the iris in your eye to
close. It can take
up to a half hour for your eyes to dilate, so you don’t
want to lose the time with a
careless white light. There are many types of red lights on
the market, but you can
take a regular flashlight and put some red gel paper over
the front. Also, there are
various types of red lights at your local discount store. I
purchased one that fits
around my head so my hands are free to check my maps, star
charts, change eyepieces, etc.
I also use a red lighted pen to use to log the objects I’ve
seen for the evening.
Star
Charts and Maps
There are many types of star maps available. I found that
one of the best
sources for my first maps were from astronomy magazines.
They usually give
you what is up for the month. I also bought a book called
“Night Watch”, by
Terrence Dickenson, which has some excellent maps. There
are about 18 different
plates that list many objects of interest for telescopes
and binoculars. It also
gives distances and magnitudes to help you decide if they
are visible with
your equipment.
There are so many more accessories available like....
Eyepiece Holders
Laser Pointers
12 Volt Power Stations
Barlows
Accessory Cases
Scope Bags
Camera Mounts
Computer Software
The list goes on and on
We will be focusing on other accessories from time to time
so I hope you will return often to see what may be helpful
for your viewing sessions.
If you have any particular item you would like to know more
about...
let me know and maybe we can feature it in the months
ahead.