Congrats! Dion. Welcome to the frustrating, enjoyable mind bending experience that is astronomy. Everything that Seth said is right on. There are power units that are also available through astronomical companies on line or through magazines. They are more expensive, but more attuned to the amateur. I bought such a unit from Orion, a reasonable priced company out of California and I can get you more info if your interested. The company advertises in S&T and other magazines, and they have a website, so you can look and not necessarily buy. These units also have a red light attached, slots for cigarette lighter connections and additional things an amateur would appreciate. Mine has an AM/FM radio, if you get lonely and a horrible bright white light (never used), that you might want to help find things when you pack up (hehehe) As for collimation of a SC. Defocus your scope as much as possible, then look through the eyepiece (low power of course). You should see a large fuzzy circle which is the secondary. If that is not centered, then yeah, you need to collimate. There should be screws on the backside of the secondary that can be tweeked to collimate - A little goes a long way. As for star maps, the world is the limit and based on your needs. Computer maps/programs are nice, but don't take the computer with you. Even in "night mode" the screen is a substantial light source that may be distracting to you and those around you. I strongly encourage you to attend a star party at SPOC if you can. While that is a public star party, the public tend to leave around 10 or 11 and you are free to hunt illusive targets with substantial support from other like minded individuals. And its a hellava lot more fun that way! Learning the night sky is not something you can do in one or two nights, so enjoy the ride.