SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021
astronomy accessories
Accessories for astronomy are a curious thing.
Of course, if you're buying a telescope from a science or telescope
store, they are likely going to try to—like a good salesperson
would—sell you some extra stuff. This can be a very expensive
hobby...
That said, there were some accessories that I did not hear about
at the early stages of the hobby that I would have definitely obtained
sooner.
Presented below, in no particular order, are all the accessories
I consider using for astronomy.
There's a lot of stuff here! I don't take it all out every time.
If I'm going to a dark sky site, with my telescope, sure. But if I'm
packing light, maybe going to my Mom's (to use her 'scope), or a city
observing session, just planning some easy observing with the naked
eye, then I only take critical things.
I list this partly to inform the new user, the rookie, of gear that
may prove useful. I'm not trying to empty wallets! In fact,
a number of the items below I made myself,
inexpensively.
logging, blogging
- Notepad. I have a small, pocket-sized note book for all my random
thoughts, observation notes, on-the-spot lists. Also handy for sketching
at the eyepiece.
Log sheets. I have used (custom) large format log sheets. These
remind me of data to collect or note. And they offer a large, clear
space for sketching.- Pencils. They work in all temperatures. And for when you run out
of ink. It's what the cosmonauts use. Necessary for sketching. Different
softnesses.
- Sketching tools. Eraser (rubber), rubber, and rubbing stump, for
blending. Eraser shield, tortillons, eraser (plastic), charcoal
sticks, for sketching.
- Pens. I have a Fisher Space Pen, not just for the heck of it,
but so I can write in extremely damp or cold conditions. I used
get my Space Pens and refills from Science City.
- Lanyard with clip or loop. To hold pen around your neck, so you
always know where it is.
- Digital pen and receiver. To capture notes immediately into electronic
files. Sketching?
- Digital voice recorder. Critical for occultations to capture time
stamps and remarks. Handy for general observing sessions when updating
log/blog.
charts, books, etc.
- Charts. Um, it should go without saying, that you might want some
books or charts or maps with you. See my atlases, books, software
page for all the materials that I have, some of which I always carry
with me.
- Planisphere. Dual wheels are synchronised on date and time to
show the night sky and constellations overhead. Detailed planispheres
show some galaxies, bright star clusters, the Milky Way, and the
Ecliptic. I have a few including one that glows in the dark!
- Astronomy software printouts. I try to bring "reports"
from my programs, e.g. the positions of the moons around a planet
at a certain time. In lieu of bringing a whole computer...
- RASC Observer's Handbook. Don't leave home without it.
seating
- Observing chair. Adjustable height observing chair made by Dave
Getgood. Can be set very low when viewing objects at zenith; works
at full height with catadioptric for horizon viewing. Finished with
spar urethane.
- Stool. A short, compact, lightweight stool with can be collapsed,
Velcroed shut, and thrown over the shoulder. Fabric seat, tripod
base. Inexpensive. Obtained from Lee Valley. Handy when you need
a spot to sit but you need to pack light.
- Regular chair. Consider a full lawn chair, if you're going to
be sitting for a long time, perhaps waiting for something, or to
take notes.
- Inflatable chair. Like what is used at the beach or pool-side.
Recline and take in the whole sky during meteor showers.
binocular equipment
Perhaps this should not be really listed as an accessory; it is a
critical piece of equipment. For first-time buyers, it is often recommended
you get this before a telescope.
- Tripod adapter, if applicable. Newer or better or purpose-built
binos have an integrated tripod mount. I custom built a clamp for
my old binos.
- And tripod. Binocular views are greatly improved if they can be
steadied. I use my photography tripod.
dew-fighting equipment
- Dew shield.
- Kendrick dew remover system VI controller with 4 outputs (purchased
circa Aug 2000). Powered from a CLA male connector (or a car or
portable battery). Critical during humid evenings or winter nights
to keep dew (or frost) off the objective and eyepiece.
- Custom made (circa Feb 2019) dew controller with 4 outputs, two
controls ganged, status indicator LEDs, reverse-polarity protection,
CLA plug, long cord.
- Kendrick large 7"/8" heater (purchased circa Aug 2000).
- Kendrick small 2" heater (purchased circa Dec 2001). Broken.
New 2" heater in kit (purchased Mar 2009). Replaced 2012...
- Custom made (circle Aug 2019) dew strap for large and small eyepieces
(or camera lens).
- Aforementioned items now stored in a medium-sized case for easy
transport.
- Telrad dual-resistor heater (custom made).
- Finder scope heater.
Custom made unit Sep 2007 with nichrome
wire wrapped and insulted around the objective and eyepiece. Replaced
with 12V coffee cup warmer, hacked with an RCA jack.
- Heating pad sheets, 10x10", 55W, 12V. Can be used to heat
a seat, warm eyepieces, etc.
- Inexpensive LED dimmer controllers for independent heater control.
- Portable hair dryer. Runs off 12 volts. Note: a unit like this
can draw many amps...
- Spare fuses!
- Towel to cover things. Keep dew off paperwork, charts, eyepieces,
etc.
- Plastic sleeves. Used in binders. To keep dew off paperwork.
power source(s)
- Batteries. The Vixen RA motor could run off a bunch of C batteries...
The flashlights, barn door, and other accessories need AA, AAA,
and 9v batteries.
- Sealed lead acid batteries. Century J 300 portable 12V car battery
(purchased circa Aug 2000). Heavy. Obtained from Canadian Tire.
While battery has an integrated handle, I tote it around in an old
laptop bag. All that said, "traditional" car booster battery
packs are not ideally suited to astronomical applications. Marine
batteries, those used on trolling boats, that used for long periods
at slow draws and discharged over a long period, are better. So
consider deep cycle marine batteries. I was fortunate to learn of
lightly-used gel-cell 50 Ah batteries being sold for cheap; I have
a couple.
- Charger. Off-the-shelf booster packs include a charger adapter,
of course. For traditional car or marine batteries, a full battery
or intelligent charger is needed.
- Inverter. Changes car power (from the CLA plug) to 120V. You could
run a laptop or small TV... These can be found at The Source or
Canadian Tire.
- CLA splitter. I have an adapter that connects to the car's CLA
plug and terminates in 3 female CLA plugs. Handy if you need to
run many 12V devices. These can be found at The Source or Canadian
Tire.
- 120VAC-13VDC adapter with 3 female CLA connectors. Custom made
from old computer power supply unit (PSU) to drive my 12V equipment
when I'm near a wall socket. Also made a simple wall-wart adapter
from a find at Active Surplus.
- Extension cord. Long, grounded extension cord in the event you
are relatively near a wall socket.
- GFCI power bar. If you're going to be observing on hot summer
nights in the middle of a damp pasture, you might consider a power
bar with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Got mine at Canadian
Tire (on sale).
- DC-DC power adapters. Used 2 of these for converting 12V to 6V
for old palmtop and 9V for Vixen mount controller and motor. Remarkably
cheap at Sayal Electronics.
- Lithium-ion battery. Small, lightweight lithium-ion booster battery
or external battery. I hacked my NOCO geniusBOOST GB30 for driving
12 volt astronomy gear.
- Tester. So to test battery levels, a digital multimeter or an
Expanded Scale Voltmeter. I have a large 10 ohm resistor for load-testing
batteries.
filter(s)
- Celestron eyepiece filter, #12, yellow. Screws inside a 1¼"
eyepiece barrel.
- baader solar film filter, 8" full aperture. Aluminium ring
frame includes three nylon screws to secure to telescope tube.
- Oxygen-III filter. Screws inside a 2" eyepiece barrel.
light sources
- MagLite flash light, medium size (i.e. the one that takes two
AA batteries). Have the kit that includes a rubber "bumper"
around the light with coloured lenses. I think I bought all my MagLite
equipment at Canadian Tire and Mountain Equipment Co-op.
- Red LED pen. Very cool find at Active Surplus. No more left the
last time I checked. But keep your eyes peeled at the Dollar Store...
Light box. Custom made, 19"x14" with 108 small but
bright red LED. Left and right power switches and master dimmer
control. Runs off 12VDC power. Used to back light Tirion star charts
as well as printed reports and documents.- Desk lamp converted to red light. Small halogen desk lamp, with
telescoping dome, which I changed to use red LEDs. Also changed
to CLA 12V connection.
- Book light with clip. I converted this battery-powered white LED
unit to red LED.
- Clip light or head lamp. Battery-powered. Clip lights attach to
the bill of a baseball cap. The couple that I have use unusual batteries
such as 2032. MEC has excellent head lamps with adjustable straps,
white and red LEDs, and which use standard batteries like AAA.
- Tripod leg lights. Now have red LED blinkies from Astro Gizmos.
Illuminated loupe. Found at Princess Auto, this features a
large magnifying lens, integrated light, and runs off 4 AA batteries.
Folds up compactly for transport. I converted to red light.- LightWedge - Night Vision edition. Dark red LEDs. Version 1 has
high and low light level settings. Discontinued. It is the perfect
size for the Pocket Sky Atlas.
- Deep red flashlight / headlight. Custom made. With 660nm red LEDs,
9v battery, dimmable. Uses pulse-width modulation. Can be attached
to elastic head band by Velcro or worn around neck with lanyard.
- Red film to cover phone, smart phone, tablet, computer, or camera
screens. Lee Filter 26 is a great colour.
- Not strictly a telescope accessory but a RGB keyboard that can
operate in red mode... very helpful.
carrying boxes / cases
Large plastic "file" box with lid and handle. Holds
8½x11" sheets of paper or file folders. I use this for
small books, notes, small and loose items. As much as I like this
box, it is fragile. Plastic gets brittle in extreme cold. Metal
construction would be better... Retired.- A second plastic "file" box with lid and handle. This
is for cargoing nonessential items.
- Plastic box with handle. This is an old kitty litter box with
flip lid for carrying gears, parts, supplies. Water resistant.
- Aluminium attaché case for Tirion SkyAtlas loose leaf star
charts. Very large!
- Large Orion telescope case for tripod. Soft sided, padded, triangular
shape, large handles that suit carrying on shoulder. I keep other
ungainly items here.
- Small Orion telescope case for OTA. Soft sided, padded, cylindrical
shape, integrated handle, loops for shoulder strap. Side pocket
for the finder scope.
- Aluminium tool case for eyepieces and related accessories. Custom
foam inserts.
- Metal toolbox, old, for all the dew heating equipment, fuses,
etc. Also holds computer power supply!
- Make-up case! Large case in road-case style with metal edges and
corners. Lid splits open. Drawers on rails slide out. From Amazon.
- Metal file box. Holds 8½x11" sheets of paper or file
folders. I use this for small books, notes, file folders, etc. From
Amazon.
- Duffle bags. Lots and lots of duffle bags. To carry all this gear!
star party stuff
- Step stool. Three-step stool with wide/deep steps and upper hand
rail. Collapses flat. Obtained from Canadian Tire (on sale). I use
this at star parties to help the kids up to the eyepiece. Also helps
adults be steady.
- Observing list. Usually I don't take the computer to a public
event.
- Promo materials. For the astronomy group.
- Light-pollution materials. Education.
- Glow-in-the-dark stars. Tossed at the base of the telescope. For
the kids.
- UV torch. To recharge aforementioned stars.
- Green laser pointer. To easily show stuff to people in the sky.
- Signage. E.g. "Look but don't touch."
- Name tag. Pre-printed. I have programmable LED units.
- Light string. A gift. Christmas LED light string with "grain
of wheat" bulbs and fine wire. AA battery power pack. Various
pulse and blink modes available. Fun at star parties and public
outreach events. Used at feet of tripod for trip hazard warning.
workspace
- Simple TV-dinner style wood table. Collapses flat. Obtained from
Canadian Tire (on sale). Useful near the 'scope to view charts and
books, to make notes, and to perch the beverage of choice.
- Portable folding picnic table by Hillary. Folds into itself, about
the size of a large suitcase. Lightweight yet sturdy. Seats 4 people!
Bought used, super-cheap.
- Music stand. Hold a star chart at eye level while viewing at the
telescope.
- Black canvas shroud, 25' x 4', with poles. Heavy fabric. 1"
dowels. Used on balcony and railing to serve as a light shield.
Helps combat light pollution.
- Astro-tent. Dual compartment tent purpose-built for astronomy
with retractable roof. All the commensurate accessories such as
tent pegs... Suitable for astro-camping, star parties, and backyard
observing. Helps combat light pollution.
viewing equipment
Listed here as a reminder if one uses this as a checklist...
- eyepieces
- doubler(s)
- reticule eyepiece, for measurement
photographic equipment
- camera
- lens, if nec.; filters; lens hood; lens cap
- tripod, adapter, or clamp
- spare batteries and/or AC adapter
- data cable for control and/or transfer
- t-ring - for camera body
- t-adapter and/or eyepiece adapter
- Powermate 2x with PTR
- Intervalometer. Batteries.
- Ball head. Usually left on barn door.
- empty memory cards
- Tracker. I made a barn door tracker for astrophotography. It includes
the "barn door" proper and adjustable controller (with
battery). Added a finder scope for polar alignment.
- Focus mask. I made a simple Y-mask; many use a Bahtinov.
computing devices
- Computer or device. If you have a palmtop computer or smart phone,
load it with some astronomy software. Charge up or bring extra batteries!
If you have a laptop or netbook computer, consider bringing it along.
- Software. Used Procyon X (registered shareware), Solun, and SolarMap
on my Psion EPOC pocket computer. Now use SkySafari on Android tablet.
I use planetarium and planning astronomy software and camera controller
software on a Windows portable computer.
- Spare batteries. If possible, for computer or device.
- Adapter. A power adapter that can operate off 12 volt supply.
- Keyboard light. If you don't have a backlit keyboard, consider
small, flexible USB-battery LED keyboard lights. I hacked mine with
red LED emitters.
- USB-serial adapter. Portable computers do not have "classic"
serial port (9-pin male) so a USB-serial adapter is often required.
No issues with two units based on the Prolific chipset.
- USB-ethernet extension. From ioGear, this three-piece kit allows
extended a USB connection a great length. Consists of adapter with
USB male (at computer), adapter with USB female (at device such
as camera), and power supply. Supports USB 2.0 format.
transportation
K.I.S.S. I admit it: I'm a pack rat.
- Automobile. If you want a largish telescope and plan to get a
bunch of accessories, you're going to need some way to transport
this gear around. Unless, you're planning on building a permanent
observatory at some awesome dark sky site... But then... you'll
need a vehicle to drive to the observatory!
- Dolly or hand truck. Some observing chairs can be adapted to be
a dolly. I have a folding garden cart or wagon with pneumatic tires.
From Canadian Tire (from a clearance sale).
- Cart. Lead acid batteries, particularly if they are heavy, without
handles or straps, if you have a few, might be more easily moved
about in carts with wheels and handles, like luggage carts.
clothing
- Appropriate clothing. Even on summer evenings, it can dramatically
cool down. Combined with dew and humidity, it is easy to get chilled.
- A blanket might be useful as yet another layer.
- Mitt-gloves. Some designs are like a glove but with an additional
single cover which flips over the fingers, like a mitten. You might
consider battery-powered heated gloves!
- Hooded sweater. A hoodie is very useful to cut out stray light.
Consider a dark colour.
winter observing items
In winter observing, you need more clothing and layers than you think.
Remember, you'll not be moving about nor generating heat. I don't
remember the exact number but I think someone suggested dressing for
10° to 20° colder than what the evening low temperature will
be.
- Good boots too! Mine are rated for -100°C.
- Balaclava. To keep the face warm.
- I'll throw it in here, since we're talking about keeping comfortable:
a hand warmer! I have a butane-powered unit (don't forget a lighter
or matches and fresh fuel). Some people use disposable heat packs.
There are also sodium based ones that are reusable. Don't like flames
or chemicals? Try an electronic hand warmer.
eyeware
- Red goggles. I use Laser Enhancing Glasses to help preserve my
night vision.
- Eyeglasses strap. With bifocal eyeware, I have to constantly remove
and put back on my eyeglasses. With this strap, I never have to
worry about where I put them.
- Cleaning cloth. Eyeglasses micro-fiber cleaning cloth.
- Spare eyeglasses. Now that I need bifocals, I keep my old eyeglasses
in the astronomy case for "whole sky viewing."
miscellaneous
- Black cape or towel. Used—like photographers of old—to
block out extraneous light while you're at the eyepiece.
- A magnetic compass with clear base and rotatable dial. Useful
for determining north in unfamiliar territory. And magnetic north
is "good enough" for aligning your (manual) telescope
in daylight until you can bull's-eye Polaris. This assumes your
telescope mount isn't able to self-align.
- Timepiece. If you don't ordinarily wear a watch, bring one for
your observing sessions. So you can consistently note times in your
log sheets.
- Short wave radio to tune to time signals, if doing occultations.
- Portable weather station. I have two pocket-sized weather devices.
Each tells temperature and humidity. Date, time, and moon phase!
- The Oregon Scientific also tells pressure trend. It has an
extreme weather alert. Aqua backlight. I bought this from Radio
World.
- The OneWorld unit also barometric pressure. It has an altitude
feature (although it is not accurate) and timer. Amber backlight.
I bought this from Canadian Tire (on sale).
- Bug repellent. 'Nuf said. Update. Astronomers have a rule. Do
not apply anti-bug spray near telescopes. The chemicals can harm
the optics. So if you use 'em, apply away and downwind. I also use
cream or lotion type repellent.
- Ties. Velcro One-Wrap straps are excellent. To bundle or fasten
cables and wires. Carabiners are very handy.
- Collimation tools. This may include a cheshire eyepiece, laser
collimator, and hand tools.
- Level. Some mounts require extremely precise leveling for there
alignment process. A small bubble spirit level can help. Or an accurate
app on your phablet.
- Clock with alarm. If trying to observe/capture time-specific events,
like an occultation or a satellite flyover. If visually observing
an occultation, a stopwatch may be required.
- Covers. Caps, covers, tarps, blankets, etc. to cover gear. And
appropriate straps, wraps, twine, rope, bungees, to secure covers
in place.
- Tools. Sometimes a special wrench or driver is needed to tighten
or loosen something. Be a shame to leave it at home.
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