Sunday, February 14, 2010
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.
paper
- 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.
- Now I also bring some (custom) large format log sheets. These remind me of
data to collect or note. And they offer a large, clear space for sketching.
writing instruments
- Pencils. They work in all temperatures. And for when you run out of ink. Necessary
for sketching. Different softnesses.
- Eraser, rubber, and rubbing stump, for blending.
- 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 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.
charts, books, etc.
- Um, it should go without saying, that you should have 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 regular one as well as
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...
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.
- Consider a full lawn chair, if you're going to be sitting for a long time,
perhaps waiting for something, or to take notes.
binocular equipment
- 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.
electronic dew-fighting equipment
- 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.
- 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).
- Aforementioned items now stored in a metal case for easy transport.
- Telrad dual-resistor heater (custom made).
- Finder scope heater (custom made Sep 2007). Uses nichrome wire wrapped and
insulted around the objective and eyepiece.
power source(s)
- Century J 300 portable 12V car battery (purchased circa Aug 2000). Sealed
lead acid. Very 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 to nearly empty, 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.
- 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 to drive my
12V equipment when I'm near a wall socket.
- 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. I use 2 of these for converting 12V to 6V for my palmtop
and 9V for my mount controller and motor. Remarkably cheap at Sayal Electronics.
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.
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.
carrying boxes
- 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...
- 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.
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.
portable table
- 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.
viewing equipment
- I am listing eyepieces in the accessories area even though I only have a couple
of merit. Still, as they are all 1¼" shaft size, they can be interchangeably
used between Mom's and my telescopes. So, they are accessories to each other.
- Celestron Plössl 26mm.
- Meade Orthoscopic 18mm multicoated.
- Meade Orthoscopic 4mm multicoated.
- Edmund Kellner uncoated, it's a 1", i.e. 25 or 26mm focal length, it
is without field stop.
- Celestron Ultima 2x Barlow doubler.
- baader hyperion aspheric wide-field 36mm 2".
computing devices
- If you have a palmtop computer, it is likely you can load it with some astronomy
software. Charge up or bring extra batteries!
- I use Procyon X (registered shareware), Solun, and SolarMap on my Psion EPOC
pocket computer.
- If you have a laptop or netbook computer, consider bringing it along.
- I use RedShift, Cartes du Ciel (freeware), EasySky, Stellarium (freeware),
and others on my Windows laptop computer.
transportation
- K.I.S.S.
- I admit it: I'm a pack rat.
- Still, 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!
- Consider a dolly or hand truck. Some observing chairs can be adapted to be
a dolly. I have a folding garden cart with pneumatic tires. From Canadian Tire
(from a clearance sale).
- 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
- Obviously, you need appropriate clothing. Even on summer evenings, it can
dramatically cool down. Combined with dew and humidity, it is easy to get chilled.
- 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° colder than what the evening
low temperature will be. Good boots too!
- A blanket might be useful as yet another layer.
- I lost a pair made for me... Consider 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!
- A hoodie is very useful to cut out stray light. Consider a dark colour.
- I'll throw it in here, since we're talking about keeping comfortable: a hand
warmer! I have a butane-powered unit. Some people use disposable heat packs.
miscellaneous
- Duffle bags. Lots and lots of duffle bags. To carry all this gear!
- Black cape or towel. Used—like photographers of old—to block out
extraneous light while you're at the eyepiece.
- Red goggles. I use Laser Enhancing Glasses to help preserve my night vision.
- 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).
- Eyeglasses strap. As I move rapidly into the bifocal camp, I have to constantly
remove and put back on my eyeglasses. With this strap, I never have to worry about
where I put them.
- Music stand. Hold a star chart at eye level while viewing at the telescope.
- Green laser pointer. To show stuff to people.
- Spare batteries.
- Bug repellent. 'Nuf said.
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