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✅ Other Accessories
1. What accessories will I need?
2. I want to take astrophotos - What do I need?
3. How can I view the sun through my telescope?
4. What do coulor filters do?
5. Is it better to use a Barlow lens or rather an eyepiece of the appropriate magnification?
6. Which binoculars are designed for astronomy?
1. What accessories will I need?
That depends on what you particularly enjoy observing - but generally it's advisable to start with the eyepiece.
Most telescopes come with two eyepieces which offer different magnifications, but it certainly can't hurt to buy yourself a few more. It would make sense to buy one of a low, medium and high magnification. But also the more subtle stages in between can be useful. For example, observing planets starts getting interesting with a magnification of at least 150 times. Deep sky objects, on the other hand, are often nicely viewed with a lesser magnification.
Careful: The smaller the lens' focal length, the higher the magnification! Depending on the telescope, there will be a different maximum magnification that's recommended. Apart from the lens a moon filter is also a worthwhile buy, or perhaps a colour filter so that you can pick up on more contrast when you're observing planets. If you're interested in daytime observations, an objective sun filter is recommended, especially the Baader sun filter foil.
Barlow lenses increase the focal length of the telescope by two or three times. If you have a Barlow lens which increases the magnification by two and use that along with your eyepiece, you'll get twice the magnification.
So when you use an eyepiece which magnifies by 50, for example, and you use it with a Barlow lens, you'll achieve 100 times magnification. That will save you buying more eyepieces - but remember: it's a compromise, because single eyepieces offer a better picture.
Interested in more than just astronomical observation? In that case you'll be needing an erecting lens as a telescope always shows an upside down picture. For stargazing it's not really important whether it's the right way round or not, but for other observations this isn't the case.
If you're interested in astrophotography, you'll need the appropriate accessories. The easiest thing to do would be to use a normal, compact digital camera and a universal camera adapter. However, you'll achieve even better results by using a digital or analo-gue reflex camera. We've got a wide range of adapters and T-rings for all types of camera.
2. I want to take astrophotos – what do I need?
The easiest way to practise astrophotography is by attaching a camera. This way you can take photographs of the stars with a photo objective. You don't need much except for a good mount, and for bigger objective focal lengths you'll also need a positive eyepiece with micrometer . Your mount should of course also have a motor.
With a PC-eyepiece you can put images of the Moon and planets up onto your PC's screen and then save them. If you don't have a PC or prefer to transfer images onto a video camera or TV, a TV-eyepiece is also available.
Another favourite for taking astro shots is a webcam, mostly used to photograph our Earth and the Moon. A PC or laptop must be nearby your telescope so that the photos can be transferred directly. The Phillips Webcam SPC 900NC is especially well designed for this. It uses a CCD chip rather than a CMOS chip like other cameras, so it's particularly good for astronomical purposes. You can attach it to the telescope using a 1.25'' adapter. We would also recommend a Barlow lens, as you can lengthen the focal length to increase the magnification of the planets.
Another possibility would be to use Meade's DSI camera. It's similar to the Phillips webcam, but unlike the webcam it can stay exposed for longer. With the integrated supersensitive chip and temperature sensors, after a little vocational adjusting it's possible to take some really nice deep sky pictures, ones that just a few years ago only professionals were able to take.
If you have a compact digital camera, you can use a universal camera adapter to connect it to your telescope.
With a reflex camera, a camera adapter and a suitable T-ring, it's possible to connect your camera directly to your telescope.
If you want to photograph planets, you'll need a projections adapter. You can connect it to your eyepiece and then project the images of the planets into a photo.
3. How can I view the sun through my telescope?
For solar observation you'll need an objective sun filter, usually made from foil. As it's placed in front of the lens, it only allows a tiny, safe amount of sunlight through the telescope. Be sure to avoid lens sun filters (that you can't buy from us), as they can be dangerous.
Another possibility is to use a projection screen. With this method you allow the sun into the telescope and project the sun's image onto a white screen. The lenses should be binded together.
Warning: Never look directly at the sun through a telescope without an objective sun filter!
4. What do colour filters do?
When observing planets, colour filters strengthen contrasts. Using the right filter, surface details that were otherwise faint or unrecognisable become stronger.
5. Is it better to use a Barlow lens or rather an eyepiece of the appropriate magnification?
In our opinion, nothing can beat a good eyepiece. The Barlow lens is always just an extra optical tool, and the quality of image is reduced as reflexes occur. But on the other hand, the Barlow lens can be pretty handy, and for webcam photography it's almost essential because the focal length of the telescope can be extended and therefore the planet images will appear bigger.
6. Which binoculars are designed for astronomy?
Binoculars that are designed for astronomy should be relatively bright with a lens diameter of over 42 or 50mm. They should be compact, light but also effective and powerful enough. Be careful that the magnification of the binoculars isn't too high. Over 10 times is really pointless if you want to hold the binoculars in your hand rather than mount them on a tripod. Apart from that, the optical quality is a deciding factor – transparency, contrast, coating and colour fastness. These qualities set apart a simple pair from a high-quality pair.
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