Starting out...
1. Must-haves at the telescope: A dim red LED torch, binoculars and something to sit on especially if there are two of you. With binoculars a deck-chair is useful as this lets you lie back and look up quite comfortably.
2. Maps - for a beginner:
- Phillips Planisphere,
- Nortons Star Atlas,
- Sky Atlas 2000
There are many more which you will find later.
3. Reference books:
Hartung's "astronomical objects for southern telescopes : a handbook for amateur observers", 2nd edition. Now out of print but you can find one secondhand on Amazon.
4. Electronic aids - charts and apps
- Taki's star atlas (use this on an iPad)
http://www.geocities.jp/toshimi_taki/ its basically the equivalent of Sky Atlas 2000.
- Sky Safari Pro, and/or
- StarMap Pro,
- Emerald Chronometer's "Observatory" and "Chronometer". With respect to their Chronometer app, the main display of interest is the "Mauna Kea" face.
5. Alternative finderscopes.
Finderscopes have always been problematic. Many still prefer a 7x50 optical finderscope. Others prefer the zero-power devices such as the TelRad, or red-dot sights. Then there's the question of whether to use a green laser.
Having tried them all:
- Definitely have a finderscope, the bigger the better. 50mm is a bit small, 80mm is better, and I use a 100mm refractor (!) as a finder.
- The zero-power devices (red-dot finder, Telrad...) work pretty well too.
- In an urban area do NOT use a laser, it will draw unwanted attention. A laser is good for pointing out objects for other people, but as a finder for a telescope they're pretty useless IMHO.
6. Decent Eyepieces
If the scope came with a budget set of eyepieces, sooner or later you'll see what others are using and you'll be itching for better ones. Buying cheap ones is, in my view, a false economy as you will discard them and few want these secondhand. Wait until you are ready to buy a good set as you'll keep these forever. A set of Explore Scientific 82-degree eyepieces...
http://store.explorescientific.com/eseyepieces.aspx,
If you're really into it, Pentax XW or Televue Panoptic/Radian/Naglers/Delos/Ethos perhaps.
For a dob, a set with focal lengths spanning 4mm to 30mm - and note that 4 well-chosen ones are sufficient, say 4, 8, 16 and 30mm. While some observers have more eyepieces than you can count this is completely unnecessary. Much better to have a few really good ones than a box full of junk ones.
7. Eyepiece rack and case
One really useful accessory to have on the side of the telescope is a rack that holds the red torch, map/iPad/iPhone and several eyepieces securely, so you're not constantly searching for them or going back to a case on the ground. This is something most will construct for themselves out of ply.
You can buy a cheap padded case from Bintel. Bunnings have robust plastic cases which are clones of the Pelican ones replete with "pluck & pick" foam. Or, if you are in the mood, make a wooden case yourself, but note that with eyepieces, dust and moisture are their worst enemies. Moisture in particular promotes the growth of a fungus which eventually ruins glass lenses.
8. "Whole kit & caboodle".
Add position encoders and SkyFi to your dob, then it can be interfaced to Sky Safari Pro so that the iPad app will show where the scope is pointing as you push it around the sky. You can also add drives (Servo Cat) to make it GOTO... touch an object on th iPad and it slews to it.
