What else do i need??

[steveangel]

hi, im fairly new to astronomy and have decided to splash out on a telescope. I've set my sights on the celestron nexstar 6 se and plan to buy a cheap powertank from maplins.

I was just wandering whether i will need any additional accessories...

(Obviously with time i plan to get more lenses, etc, but unfortunetly i'm not made off money!)

So are there any essential extras im gunna need?? (seen people talkting about dew shields, heaters, controllers, etc. on this forum)

Any help on this subject would be greatly apprreciated,

Thanks, Steve

[Talitha]

Hi Steve, welcome to SGL. I'd definitely get or make a dew shield and it'd be good to back it up with a dew prevention system, too. If you don't have any charts yet, Sky and Telescope's "Pocket Sky Atlas" has a lot of info for the price.. maybe download Stellarium, too.

[Capricorn]

The SE6 should come complete, except for power either batteries, mains supply or power tank.

Actually not sure if they sometimes come with a mains supply, one of them does or did, skywatcher or celestron, just not sure which.

If you get the power tank please be aware that if you drain it then you need a new one. They cannot be discharged as the lead acid battery in them fails. Problem is that until it gets discharged you will keep using it.

If you are going to use it in the garden I would suggest a simple mains converter, agros or maplin, they don't drain.

You may eventually want a couple of additional eyepieces but I think the SE6 comes with 2, probably 10 and 20 or 25, so you can get by with them for a good while.

Read tthe alignment and take a bit of care as it helps the accuracy, so makes locating and viewing easier.

Nice scope should give many years of good viewing.

[vlebo]

Hi Steveangel.

Nice scope for a first , and if you get it from FLO

SE Series - Celestron NexStar 6SE it comes with an extra eyepiece.

If I were you I would hold fire on buying any accessories at the moment as you have enough to take in for now getting used to your scope. Read the manual thoroughly and get out there and enjoy it and get the hang of it before you buy anything else.

Once you know your way around it you will soon get to know what you may or may not need.

You can end up spending a small ( or large ) fortune on this hobby so pace yourself and above all enjoy !

[Astro_Baby]

Dewshield and a red light torch would be good firsts. Dew is supposed to be a problem with Maks but even when everything else ws dewing badly at SSP last year my Nexstar 4 hung out dew free with just a simple dewshield.

You could also get a cheap 12v hairdryer if dew turns out to be a serious hassle. They cost about £12-£14.

Oh and if you havent already download Stellarium off thw e web - its free and a good bit of software for finding stuff.

Mel

[Chris H]

Get a stool or some kind of observing seat. Sitting comfortably at the ep can make a world of difference.

[TheThing]

A nice warm hat for those long winter nights!

[LukeSkywatcher]

Cloud free nights would be good.

[Uranium235]

Yeah, a head torch with red lights is dead useful as it will leave your hands free. You can pick them up at tesco for about a tenner - usually by the camping equipment. Oh, and while youre there get a foldaway chair, it will rest your weary back.

[steveangel]

Cheers for all the info guys, much appreciated