Accessory shelves are metal plates or trays that attach to the tripod or mount of a telescope. They provide a convenient place to hold eyepieces, filters, and other observing accessories close at hand and out of the dew-soaked grass. They often have a series of 1.25” and 2” holes machined in them to store individual eyepieces and keep them from being knocked off the tray by accident.
Additionally, some accessory shelves act as alignment plates to make it easier to install heavy telescopes on their tripods.