Eyepieces

Eyepieces are the most important accessories that you can add to your telescope and they play a large part in determining how big objects appear through your scope. They can also affect how wide your field of view will be. If you want to look at the surface of the Moon, you may want a high-power eyepiece that allows you to zoom in. If you want to get a view of an entire star cluster, you may want an eyepiece that is better at wide angles.

The eyepiece actually focuses the light that is gathered by the telescope and magnifies the image to your eye. The amount of magnification that will occur is determined by the dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. For example, a 10mm eyepiece being used on a telescope with 1000mm focal length will give you a magnification of 100x. The smaller the eyepiece’s focal length, the larger the magnification will be. Thus, a 10mm eyepiece will give you high magnifications when you want to zoom in. A 30mm eyepiece will give you a wider field of vision with crisp views of large, far away objects.

Eyepieces do more than magnify, though. Use an erecting eyepiece on a reflector telescope, and it will correct the upside-down views you usually get with those scopes. A collimation eyepiece is also used on reflectors--it’s a handy tool to have when you need to adjust the telescope’s mirror.

It’s important to note the diameter of the eyepiece. It will either be .965”, 1.25”, or 2”. Most telescopes accept 1.25” eyepieces, but some accept other sizes or can be fitted with an adapter. Be sure to check first before you load up on eyepieces!

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Filters

Filters help you see certain nighttime objects better by enhancing or blocking particular wavelengths of light. Imagine you are outside on a bright, sunny day. If you put on a pair of sunglasses, they will filter out bright sunlight and you can see better and with less glare. Telescope eyepiece filters work in a similar way. By filtering out parts of the light spectrum and enhancing other colors of light, they can reduce glare, increase contrast, and really bring out certain details of, say, the surface of the Moon.

• Filter Sets- Our quality filter sets will take your telescope to the max.
• Ultimate Bundles - Designed to be complete backyard astronomy starter kits, every Ultimate Bundle
  comes with a filter set.

Motors

If you’re new to astronomy and telescopes, you probably didn’t realize that objects viewed through your telescope will move fairly quickly out of view if you don’t move your telescope with them. Yep, stars and every other object in the sky rise and set just like the sun. That’s why star-tracking motor drives (called RA Motor Drives) are so useful--they will continuously and automatically move your telescope to follow the stars, Moon, and other objects.

Now, you can only use a motor drive to track the stars if you have a manual telescope with an EQ mount. Those are the mounts that are capable of star tracking. And it will be difficult at first for you to get the hang of aligning your telescope and setting up the motor drive. But it’s worth it! Imagine how much easier it will be once you set everything up--you can just relax and enjoy the view.

If you want your stargazing experience to be even more automatic, go for a computer-controlled telescope with a motorized mount. These telescopes can take you to any object in the sky (all you have to do is push a button). They are the latest and greatest in backyard astronomy, and about 1,000 times easier to set up than a manual scope and motor drive.

Want to take photos of space? A motor drive will keep your object in the center of your view, and is the only way to get good long-exposure shots. If you want crisp, bright pictures of your favorite galaxy or even just the Moon, you’ll want to invest in an RA motor drive or an automatic telescope with one included.