Top Essential Accessories for Smart Telescopes (Tripods, Filters & Power Banks)

Once someone gets their smart scope up and running, the next question I get is almost always the same: "okay, what else do I actually need?" Honest answer — not much. Seestar, DWARF, and Vespera scopes all ship pretty complete out of the box. But there are three accessory categories that come up over and over, and after running a Seestar S30 Pro and S50 between my Atlanta backyard and Starfront's dark skies, I've got real opinions on all three. Here's where I'd actually spend money, and where I wouldn't.

1. Tripods — Do You Actually Need to Upgrade? 🔭

The S50 already ships with ZWO's own carbon fiber tripod, and it's genuinely solid for casual backyard use. The S30 and S30 Pro, though, come with a much smaller mini tripod that's fine for a quick grab-and-go session on a table or cooler, but starts feeling shaky the second you want more height or you're running EQ mode for longer exposures.

That's the actual trigger for upgrading, in my experience — not "my tripod is ugly," but "I want to run EQ mode and get high exposure times without the whole rig wobbling every time the wind picks up." If that's you, ZWO's own TC20 Carbon Fiber Tripod is the obvious pick since it's purpose-built for the Seestar line, adjusts from about 9 to 14 inches, and pairs with their TH10 head if you want the full EQ-ready setup. I've used both the TC20 and TH10 with my S30 Pro, and they get the job done.

2. Filters — What They Actually Do, and Whether You Need One

This one trips people up because Seestar and DWARF scopes already have dual-band light pollution filters built in — that's part of why they punch above their weight from a Bortle 7-8 backyard like mine. So the real question isn't "do I need a filter," it's "do I need a different filter than the one already in the scope."

Full transparency: I haven't personally run a supplemental clip filter on my own S30 Pro or S50, so this section leans on published specs rather than my own testing. Broadband filters like the Optolong L-Pro are a well-known option in the wider astrophotography world for cutting general sky glow rather than isolating specific nebula wavelengths — useful if you're experimenting with attaching a filter externally or running a DSLR alongside your smart scope, but not something most Seestar or DWARF owners need to bolt on day one. If your built-in dual-band filter is already handling your usual targets fine, I'd save the money here before anywhere else on this list.

3. Power Banks — Don't Get Caught in the Cold 🌌

This is the one I'd actually prioritize. Smart scopes run their sensor, mount motors, and Wi-Fi off internal batteries, and that drains faster than you'd think — especially once temperatures drop. I've had a session in Atlanta get cut short simply because I didn't have a supplemental battery on hand.

Early on I started velcroing an Anker power bank to the outside of my S50, and it's worked with no problems since. I haven't done that yet with the S30 Pro — for now I just set the power bank on the ground on top of a towel or something similar to keep it protected from the dew.

Accessories at a Glance

"Most of what you actually need came in the box. These three are the accessories that genuinely earn their spot in the bag."