KWB
Postmaster
Reged: 09/30/06
Posts: 7635
Loc: Westminster,Co Elev.1646Meters
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To me any telescope/mount/eyepiece combination can be used so I don't count them as accessories. The 5 most useful items for me in the following order are:
1.Astro chair
2.RACI
3.Red flashlight
4.Star charts
5.Coat for the dark viewing site.
I wish the title question asked for the top 6 Accessories. Number 6 would be 110 volts of electricity to run my cooling fan but in a pinch I can view without it. The first 5 are indispensible to me and I can substitute number 5 with number 6 when viewing in my backyard in the mid-summer.
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Kenny
"When dealing with a mystery,choose the most unlikely of the likely possibilities"-Sherlock Holmes
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Gigas
member
Reged: 08/15/08
Posts: 21
Loc: Alabama
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1. Ep's
2. Star chart
3. Red flashlight
4. Focal reducer
5. A back up woman if mine dont want to go 
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Bowmoreman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/11/06
Posts: 2992
Loc: Bolton, MA
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My "top list" varies by both scope/setup AND location
A. Top 5 Observatory List
1) older eyeglasses that are ALREADY micro-scratched from eyecups, etc.
2) Thermacell - unless its December through early March
3) Hat (baseball in non winter, wool in winter)
4) Archos 605 WiFi (for capturing MCHP streams, since that is what I usually do from my Observatory setup)
5) beverage (Beer in Beer season, Bourbon in Bourbon season)
Non Observatory (i.e. XT10i)
1) My used/old eyeglasses and appropriate Hat (see above)
2) RTP
3) Thermacell (see above)
4) Full EP case including Paracorr, Red flashlight, etc...
5) Chair
6) Charts
7) If going remote: power supplies, Mallincam, Archos WiFi, etc...
There's some additional variants - by season - that are a constant across both setups:
1) in Winter, I have silk glove liners, balaclava and long underwear that goes under my "layers"; and I bring hand and toe warmer packs, boots, merino wool socks, yada yada...
and NO BEER! 
2) in Summer, well... its whatever I want to wear (I'm good to 50F with just a Tshirt and baseball cap and shorts - can you tell I'm a New Englander?)... and DEFINITELY Beer!
clear enough skies
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Dave
Ustream
YLive
XT10i, RTP, CGE, R200CF, TMB80SS
31T5, 22T4, 13Ethos, 8Ethos, TV 3-6 Zoom; Paracorr
MallincamColorHyperPlus,SBIG STV&237A;CanonRebel Xti
WilderSkiesObservatory(BYO #90)
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Doug Brown
sage
Reged: 02/24/06
Posts: 318
Loc: Fort Worth
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Quote:
Quote:
1. tank of gas to get to dark sky site
2. tank of gas to get to very dark sky site
3. tank of gas to get to very, very dark sky site
4. tank of gas to get to very, very, very dark sky site
5. tank of gas to get to (I think you get the jest of where I am going with this)
Doug whats the farthest you have ever driven in a car from your home to reach a dark site? I only did a 1 hour trip, but I know of a better area that is 6 hours away from where i live.
Is it worth it?
That would have been 5 hr. to a cousin’s place not too far from Fort Davis. Yes I think it was worth it, stayed 4 nights and had a great time.
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Doug Brown
Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too truly to be fearfull of the night. ---Sarah Williams, 1868
10” Mead converted to Dob
Broken 20 x 70’s
7 x 50’s
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mikey cee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/18/07
Posts: 2328
Loc: bellevue ne.
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Quote:
My "top list" varies and DEFINITELY Beer!
MMMMMMMMMM......Cold Beer!!   Mike
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Mike 10x50 sears tower binocs, 3" f/10 edmunds reflector, 2.4" f/11.7 manon refractor, 6" f/8 jaegers refractor, "The 8 Ball" 8" f/13.3 brandt refractor, 3" f/15.8 sans&streiffe refractor, 3.1" f/15 selsi refractor(towa 339), 2.4" f/15 sears refractor, selsi 30x30mm spyglass, criterion 5-draw 25x45x75x spyglass(1957).
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Lee Jay
sage
Reged: 02/27/08
Posts: 419
Loc: Westminster, CO
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Quote:
To me any telescope/mount/eyepiece combination can be used so I don't count them as accessories.
Me neither. Same with adapters, extension tubes, barlows, etc.
1) Off!
2) dSLR cameras and remote release
3) Webcam
4) Laptop
5) Extra batteries for cameras and laptop
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smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
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Hmm, well, I'm new at this stuff. Pretty much never viewed anywhere but my front yard. I've only been doing this for about 6 months. For the first 5.5 months with a donated C102 f/5, and as of a couple of weeks ago, with a Z8. I don't have much.
1 EPs
2 Powermate
3 10x50 Binocular
4 eye patch (I don't close my eye, leave both open)
5 chair
sometimes I sketch, so I need my notebook and pencil
It's so bright in my yard that I don't really need a flashlight. I've brought a laptop once or twice.
I did take my old C102 on a trip to my mother's. It was amazing. It's much darker at her house than mine. I'd really like to get out to a dark site now.
Also, now that I have a scope that doesn't require my camera tripod, I'll be taking my camera and tripod. I can't do much without tracking, but I still have a good time taking photos of the stuff that I'm looking at. I've gotten several clusters, some nebulae and a few galaxies.
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Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
 Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
Edited by smasraum (08/27/08 06:37 PM)
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 3295
Loc: Cattaraugus Co., NY
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My five:
clear skies - though sometimes of dubius quality
eyepieces - easier to view with
ladder - can't jump up that high anymore - 25" scope
flashlights - don't want to trip over the cats
sky chart - optional after years of practice
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Ted
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DaemonGPF
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/08
Posts: 1472
Loc: New Mexico
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1) Stable Power source
2) Favorite chair and blanket
3) Imager and Autoguider
4) Laptop
5) A strong source of caffiene and snacks
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-Josh
*Orion Starblast Imaging 150mm OTA
*Orion Starblast Imaging 114mm OTA
*Meade 50mm AR short tube OTA
*Meade DSI Pro IIc
*Orion Starshoot DSCI
*CG5 mount
http://cleardarksky.com/c/AlbuqNMkey.html
My Messier Project Gallery
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JAT Observatory
Space Freak
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 5655
Loc: Eastern PA
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1. Observatory
2. Computer
3. Cameras
4. Remote Control Software
5. $
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-Marcus
The problem with free speech is even the stupid have a voice.
http://jatobservatory.org
12" LX200R on a Paramount ME
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Paul G
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/08/03
Posts: 1766
Loc: Freedonia
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1) Starbound observing chair
2) Dew prevention system
3) Bug Shirt and Pants (www.bugshirt.com)
4) Daystar H-a solar filter
5) Coffee
As far as eyepatches go they help but you don't really need them. I worked in a microscopy lab looking through a monocular microscope 8 hrs a day and if you didn't want your head to explode you quickly learned to observe with both eyes open. With a little practice you can make the nonobserving eye's image just fade to black.
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Gus
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Brooklyn
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/24/08
Posts: 870
Loc: Central New Jersey
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Quote:
As far as eyepatches go they help but you don't really need them. I worked in a microscopy lab looking through a monocular microscope 8 hrs a day and if you didn't want your head to explode you quickly learned to observe with both eyes open. With a little practice you can make the nonobserving eye's image just fade to black.
This is very interesting paul. However, i cant seem to make that work for me although i know i have tried many times.
The only time i can use my dominant left eye and right eye open observing in a monocular eyepiece, is when my observing site is pitch black dark.
If there is any light in the area, the right eye that is not looking into the eyepiece will start sending accurate images of what it is seeing to my brain. So, when i am looking I am seeing two images converge on each other with of course the eyepiece image being more dominant because i am using my dominant 20/20 left eye.
Still, even when using both eyes open method, I see considerably less detail in the eyepiece since part of my brain is now focusing on a second image overlapping the first one. Once I close that right eye and only observe with my dominant left, I can perfectly see the entire FOV and field stops.
What do you think about training your eye muscles to close in a very relaxed way?
I have been trying to do this and have been getting better and better with each observing session. In the beginning I used to strain my eye muscles very hard in order to keep the right eye closed tight, but now i can do it in a much more relaxed way without straining either eye. I think that is why people use eyepatches, to learn how to close one eye in a relaxed way.
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Meade 8.25"(209.55mm) LX-90 EMC (SCT)
Albert Einstein =>
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.”
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Paul G
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/08/03
Posts: 1766
Loc: Freedonia
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Quote:
This is very interesting paul. However, i cant seem to make that work for me although i know i have tried many times.
The only time i can use my dominant left eye and right eye open observing in a monocular eyepiece, is when my observing site is pitch black dark.
If there is any light in the area, the right eye that is not looking into the eyepiece will start sending accurate images of what it is seeing to my brain. So, when i am looking I am seeing two images converge on each other with of course the eyepiece image being more dominant because i am using my dominant 20/20 left eye.
Still, even when using both eyes open method, I see considerably less detail in the eyepiece since part of my brain is now focusing on a second image overlapping the first one. Once I close that right eye and only observe with my dominant left, I can perfectly see the entire FOV and field stops.
What do you think about training your eye muscles to close in a very relaxed way?
I have been trying to do this and have been getting better and better with each observing session. In the beginning I used to strain my eye muscles very hard in order to keep the right eye closed tight, but now i can do it in a much more relaxed way without straining either eye. I think that is why people use eyepatches, to learn how to close one eye in a relaxed way.
Some people in the microscopy lab couldn't do it, either. They didn't last very long because of eye strain.
I can make even a brightly lit image fade out in my nonobserving eye and can do it with either eye. It took me a few weeks of doing it every day to get to that point, so don't give up.
If I close one eye, I tend to really scrinch it shut. I guess an old dog like me could learn to do that in a more relaxed way as well. I have eyepatches, too, and they work just fine.
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Gus
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HendyPhoto
Sith Lord
Reged: 08/09/06
Posts: 1498
Loc: Bountiful, Utah
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Camera/autoguider
Guidescope
Computer
Portable desk
Moonlite focuser
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~jon
SparkCast
CGE1400XLT w/HyperStar
90FD 66SD C6-R SN-8
CPC1100XLT Hutech 20D
Manny-Mod Vixen Porta
Mallincam MCHP
SPC900NC
CG-5 GT
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity;
and I'm not sure about the universe." --Albert Einstein
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TrevorW
member
Reged: 06/21/08
Posts: 40
Loc: Western Australia
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1. Camera
2. Mount
3. EP's
4. Power supply
5. Bottle of red
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120mmF5 Skywatcher refractor, Stellarvue Nighthawk 80mm ED, Pentax K100d DSLR, EQ6 Pro mount. Orion Autoguider
"May all your glasses be full and the nightsky clear"
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randtek
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/18/05
Posts: 694
Loc: Central Indiana
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My list has just changed as of last night. I have added a red dot finder to my arsenal, and after only one night, I don't know how I ever did without one. So, here is my list: (in no particular order - all are important)
1. Chair (right now just a plastic lawn chair. Plans for building an observing chair are in the works)
2. Laptop/Guide book/Printed charts
3. 48 qt. Igloo brand "Ice Cube" cooler. (a 16" cube shaped cooler) for beverages and does double duty as a laptop table
4. Mosquito repellent, although it has been so dry at my house lately, I didn't need it last night!
5. The previously mentioned "Red dot" type finder
6. Binoculars - indispensable for any good night of viewing.
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Randy
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
George Bernard Shaw
SkyQuest XT10
Homebuilt Surplus Shed 102mm f8.8 refractor (still under construction-OTA done, mount in work)
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dvb
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/18/05
Posts: 1924
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1. Unity finder (Telrad or Rigel)
2. red head lamp
3. planetarium program (Carte du Ciel ou The Sky)
4. Clear Sky Charts
5. White cloth spread over a small table or chair to lay out accessories
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Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Newt on Matilda
Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Collapsible Dob
Meade 8" SN f/4
Celestron C8 SCT
Celestron C6 SCT
Skywatcher ED100
Skywatcher ED80
EQ6 Pro "Matilda"
AT Voyager
Skymaster 15x70
Mallincam HyperColor Plus
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SUBSTORM
sage
Reged: 11/18/07
Posts: 248
Loc: Boise, ID
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1.Red light
2.Ep case
3.eyepatch
4.Cigar
5.Rumplemintz 
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chuck
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Orion XT8
Hyperion 24mm, 17mm, 8mm + ring
TV 2x Barlow
GSO 32mm
Eyepatch
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ToeMoss
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/18/05
Posts: 564
Loc: Jacksonville, Florida
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1. Observing chair.
2. Telrad
3. Star chart
4. Red flashlight
5. Dew Prevention
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Tom Morris
LXD75 SN8
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taffy
super member
Reged: 01/22/08
Posts: 144
Loc: Somerset UK
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1) Planetsphere
2) Pocket Sky Atlas
3) Red Torch
4) Notepad/Pen/Pencil
5) Portable Chair.
6} Binoculars
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skywatcher 130pm x 900mm reflector
7x50,10x50 binoculars
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