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Telescope Accessories
Here at Clifton Cameras, we offer a large assortment of Telescope Accessories to suit a range of abilities. From the basic tools for beginners such as a Moon Filter for a 1.25” eyepiece, to essential pieces of kit like the PowerTank Lithium LT portable power bank, up to the impressive Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit that includes everything required for a night of solar observation. Not sure what you need? Get in contact today for expert advice on your astronomy requirements.
To best explore our Solar System requires the best accessories to go with your telescope. At Clifton Cameras we have all the essential items you’ll need whether you are ready to embark on your first observation or you are a seasoned astronomer.
Eyepieces and Barlow Lenses
An eyepiece is what completes the telescope. Even a top-of-the-range telescope is no good without an excellent eyepiece to view the planets through, and an astronomer’s collection is never complete without a range of focal lengths to choose from. For first locating objects in the sky use the Celestron X-Cel LX 25mm or 18mm Eyepieces. These will provide a wide field of view to locate your object and centre your telescope over it. Then for viewing those tantalizing details be sure to swap out for a Celestron X-Cel LX 7mm, 5mm, or even 2.3mm Eyepiece. Don’t forget – the shorter the focal length, the higher the magnification!
Still not close enough? By using a Barlow Lens with your chosen eyepiece you can enhance the magnification even further. Use a Celestron 2x Barlow lens to double, and a Celestron 3x Barlow lens to triple the magnification. It’s always best to experiment with different combinations of magnification to see what will best suit your chosen object on the night so be sure to take a range of eyepieces and Barlows with you.
Filters
Using filters with an eyepiece is a great way to enhance the view of any celestial object. Different filters work best for different planets by blocking particular wavelengths. The filter that you require is therefore dependent on which object you are observing. Check below to find out which will be best for you and remember that filters can often be stacked for multiple pleasing effects.
Red: Sharply define the contrast between Jupiter’s blue-tinted cloud formations and the lighter-toned surface features. Shows interesting details in the Venusian atmosphere.
Orange: Enhances the details on Jupiter and Saturn’s belts, polar regions and the Great Red Spot.
Yellow: Darkens Mars’ Maria and improves details in Uranus, Neptune and Venus. This will also enhance the definition of comet tails.
Green: Increases the contrast of Mar’s polar ice caps, yellow-tinted Maritan dust storms and the cloud patterns on Venus.
Blue: Enhances the contrast of the cloud belts on Jupiter and the polar ice caps of Saturn.
Moon: Enhance the contrast on the Moon’s surface, bringing out finer details of the seas and craters without affecting the colouration.
Explore our Lunar and Planetary Filter Set, Observer’s Accessory Kit and the Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit for an excellent selection of filters to enjoy.
T-Adapters and T-Rings
Looking to use your DSLR camera to photograph the stars and planets through a telescope? For that, you are going to need a T-Adapter and a T-Ring.
Built specifically for particular telescopes, the T-Adapter is the mechanism that fits into the telescope’s focuser where an eyepiece would usually go. We have a number of T-Adapters to suit your telescope including the Celestron T-Adapter for the NexStar 4SE, the Celestron T-Adapter for Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes and the Celestron Universal T-Adapter – 1.25” which will fit in any telescope that accepts 1.25” eyepieces.
Designed specifically for particular camera mounts, a T-Ring is attached at the camera’s lens mount on one end, and to the T-Adapter on the other, joining the camera to the telescope and allowing you to take images of celestial objects. Check out the Celestron T-Ring for Nikon Cameras, and the Celestron T-Ring for Canon EOS-EF cameras to get snapping.
Power Banks and Torches
An essential piece of kit for any astronomer with a computerised telescope is a power bank. Clifton Cameras has a range of the best power banks for astronomy on the market including the PowerTank Lithium LT that was designed for astronomers by astronomers and the PowerTank Lithium Pro which will power a telescope for up to 17 hours. For those without a computerised telescope, the power banks also have red light torches that are better for using in the dark during an observation, plus USB ports allow for phones and tablets to charge while using star finder apps.
