Brand
Inexpensive metal accessories with their fittings published
Astromania appears on more accessory shelves of this site than any other maker: Barlow lenses, eyepieces, eyepiece sets, a zoom, finder scopes, guide scopes, nebula filters, red dot finders and a solar filter. Most cost under $50 on Amazon.com.
Usually the fitting. The Barlows give an M42 × 0.75 camera thread and a filter thread; the Plössls give four elements and 50 degrees; the zoom gives its field at both ends, 30 and 47 degrees; the 60 mm guide scope gives an 80 mm ring bore for tubes of 53 to 79 mm; the solar filter gives the outside diameters it fits, 70 to 92 mm, and cites ISO 12312-2:2015.
Shared text. The 3x Barlow’s listing says it “doubles” an eyepiece, copied from the 2x. The 4 mm and 8 mm Plössls both claim long eye relief, which a 4 mm Plössl cannot have. Two 9x50 finders carry identical bullets, one titled correct image and one not. The H-alpha filter gives no bandwidth.
Trust the fitting figures, check the claims. A thread or a ring bore is usually right; an adjective copied across products often is not.
2x Barlow · 2 in barrel · ED glass · multi-coated · 2 in filter thread · 1.25 in adapter included
A 2-inch 2x Barlow in ED glass with multi-coated surfaces, a 2-inch filter thread and a 2-to-1.25-inch adapter, so both eyepiece sizes can be doubled.
Best for: A 2-inch focuser and wide-field 2-inch eyepieces that no 1.25-inch Barlow can take
≈ $63
2x Barlow · 1.25 in · apochromatic glass · M42 × 0.75 male thread · 1.25 in filter thread
A short 1.25-inch 2x Barlow in CNC-machined aluminum with apochromatic glass, multi-coating, a filter thread and an M42 × 0.75 thread for a camera T-ring.
Best for: A first Barlow that will also carry a camera, on a telescope that struggles to reach focus
≈ $19
3x Barlow · 1.25 in · apochromatic glass · M42 × 0.75 male thread · 1.25 in filter thread
A short 1.25-inch 3x Barlow in CNC-machined aluminum with apochromatic glass, multi-coated optics, a 1.25-inch filter thread and an M42 × 0.75 thread that takes a camera T-ring.
Best for: A short-focus telescope that needs planetary magnification, or a camera that cannot otherwise reach focus
≈ $24
60 mm (2.36 in) FMC · 240 mm focal length · helical focuser with brass ring · 80 mm rings for 53 to 79 mm tubes · Teflon inlays
Astromania's 60 mm FMC guide scope: 240 mm focal length, a helical focuser with brass compression ring and 45 mm of range, male T-threads, and two rings of 80 mm bore with Teflon inlays on a Synta-style plate.
Best for: A guide scope whose rings have to clamp a 53 to 79 mm tube without marking it
≈ $98
9x50 · right angle · fully multi-coated · crosshair reticle · Synta-style dovetail bracket
Astromania's 9x50 right-angle finder: fully multi-coated, with a crosshair reticle, objective focusing, two-screw-and-spring alignment and a Synta-style dovetail bracket.
Best for: A telescope that regularly points high, where a straight finder is painful to use
≈ $69
9x50 · right angle, correct image · fully multi-coated · crosshair reticle · Synta-style dovetail bracket
Astromania's 9x50 right-angle correct-image finder: fully multi-coated, with a crosshair reticle, objective focusing, two-screw-and-spring alignment and a Synta-style dovetail bracket.
Best for: Star-hopping from a printed chart on a telescope that points near the zenith
≈ $87
7–21 mm stepless zoom · 30° at 21 mm, 47° at 7 mm · 16–33 mm eye relief · four multi-coated elements · 1.25 in
Astromania's FMC 7-21 mm zoom: four multi-coated elements, an apparent field of 30 degrees at 21 mm and 47 at 7 mm, 16 to 33 mm of eye relief, a rubber traction ring and a 1.25-inch filter thread.
Best for: One eyepiece instead of four, for someone who wants to know what the long end costs in field
≈ $43
70 mm (2.76 in) · 400 mm (15.7 in) focal length · helical focuser with brass ring · 90 mm focus range · takes 1.25 in eyepieces
Astromania's GS70 deluxe guide scope: 70 mm aperture and 400 mm focal length, a double helical focuser with brass compression ring and 90 mm of range, pipe clamps, a Synta-style plate and a balance weight.
Best for: Guiding a longer main telescope, where a short guide scope would not resolve the correction
≈ $156
H-alpha narrowband · 1.25 in · hardened multi-coatings · for imaging H-II regions · no bandwidth published
Astromania's 1.25-inch H-alpha narrowband filter, sold for high-contrast imaging of hydrogen regions and as an extreme anti-light-pollution filter, with hardened multi-coatings and no published bandwidth.
Best for: Imaging hydrogen regions, by someone who will ask the seller for the bandwidth before buying
≈ $70
4 mm (0.16 in) Plössl · 50° apparent field · four elements · fully multi-coated · 1.25 in
Astromania's 4 mm Plössl: a four-element, fully multi-coated 1.25-inch eyepiece with a 50-degree field, an aluminum body, a filter thread and a fold-down rubber eyeguard.
Best for: High-power lunar and planetary work on a long-focus telescope, by an observer without glasses
≈ $16
8 mm (0.31 in) Plössl · 50° apparent field · four elements · fully multi-coated · 1.25 in
Astromania's 8 mm Plössl: a four-element, fully multi-coated 1.25-inch eyepiece with a 50-degree field, an aluminum body, a filter thread and a fold-down rubber eyeguard.
Best for: A step up from a supplied short eyepiece, for planets and the Moon
≈ $17
Three Plössls 4/10/25 mm · 2x Barlow with T-thread · 4 elements · 50° apparent field · fully multi-coated
Three 1.25-inch Plössls of 4, 10 and 25 mm with a 2x Barlow: four-element, 50-degree, fully multi-coated, internally blackened metal eyepieces with filter threads, and a Barlow that takes a camera T-ring.
Best for: Replacing lost or poor supplied eyepieces, where the 4 mm and the Barlow add the high powers
≈ $48
Three Plössls 6/12.5/20 mm · 4 elements · 50° apparent field · multi-coated · fold-down eyecups
Three 1.25-inch Plössls of 6, 12.5 and 20 mm: four-element, 50-degree, multi-coated eyepieces with filter threads, fold-down eyecups for glasses and dust caps.
Best for: An eyeglass wearer buying three eyepieces, where the eyecups matter more than a filter
≈ $36
UHC · 1.25 in standard thread · optical glass in an aluminum frame · anti-reflection coatings · no passband published
Astromania's 1.25-inch UHC filter: optical glass in an aluminum frame with anti-reflection coatings and a standard thread, sold for the Orion, Lagoon and Swan nebulae from city and dark skies alike.
Best for: An observer in a suburban sky who wants the effect explained before buying
≈ $27
A manual filter wheel holding five standard 2 in filters in an aluminum housing, with a 2 in adapter for the focuser and a light-tight interior. The Amazon.com listing warns that the focuser needs 22.5 mm (0.89 in) of extra inward travel. About $85 from a third-party seller.
Best for: A Newtonian or Dobsonian imaging train with enough inward focus, where filters change often during a session.
Astromania's Deluxe solar filter: Baader AstroSolar film in an anodized aluminum cell 100 mm across, with a 75 mm clear aperture, three padded clamping screws for tubes 70 to 92 mm in outside diameter, citing ISO 12312-2:2015.
Best for: The front of a telescope whose tube outside diameter has been measured first
Astromania's StarPointer-style red dot finder: a red LED dot on a non-magnifying window, thumbwheels for both axes, adjustable brightness and a foot made to fit Synta-style slots, battery not included.
Best for: Replacing a broken red dot finder on a telescope with a Synta-pattern shoe
Astromania's StarPointer Deluxe: a large-window reflex finder with four reticle patterns, five brightness levels in red or green, 1 MOA hex-key adjustment, a Vixen and Sky-Watcher bracket and a Picatinny rail underneath.
Best for: A telescope that needs a finder that holds its alignment, for someone who wants a choice of reticle
Any figure written into the body of this page was true on the day it was written. The amount shown next to each instrument is requested from the retailer as the page loads, and it is that amount, not the text, that stands.
