Telescope Accessories
There are lots of telescope accessories available to feed your stargazing desires – some are going to be essential, some may grow to be essential in your eyes over time and others you will just want because they are cool.
If they did not come with your telescope then your 1st essential bits of kit are a tripod and mount. It is imperative that your set up is sturdy and that everything fits together properly, ideally you should get the manufacturers models for your scope. Many new telescopes come with this essential kit, but please bear in mind that some, including some of the most popular telescopes on the market, do not. Your next essential telescope accessory is a good finder scope, you’ll literally be lost in the dark without one. White light at night will blind you to the stars so most consider a red flashlight an essential bit of kit and if you have a Catadioptric then you should definitely consider a Dew shield.
If you don’t have automated navigation then you will then want to get some astronomy software or a set of star charts to show you the most interesting and important sights in each visible constellation. You could of course jump straight in there with an Automated Tracking or GoTo system from the get-go.
Not essential telescope accessories but at the top of the ‘Should Have’ list are a selection of telescope eyepieces. At a minimum you will want ones with low, medium and high magnification and I would also recommend a wide field. Right behind these is a Barlow Lens which will double or triple the magnification of any eyepiece and a close third would be filters.
After you have the above lot there is still a whole lot of buying that could be done, but none of the following selection is really essential if you are just starting out:- telescope covers, accessory cases, star diagonal, collimating tool, red dot finder, drive unit, a personal planetarium or maybe just an observing tent or chair.
