LDW1

I loved my Lunt 40 mounted on my SW Solar Quest mount. If you ever get a chance to try that mount it tracks the sun perfectly.

When you are long retired you have the luxury of picking and choosing, IF you want !

I really don't think you ask that question, lol ! PS: Do you have any astro gear to sell, lol ?

Just happened to me half an hour ago, took my 90mm f5.5 refractor out, set it on my Porta II, skies were identified to be clear with average seeing in my Bortle 4-5 zone, I didn't use my SQM-L. Temp was +3°C, I started with my Celestron 24mm Ultima Edge. All my eyeball saw was haze caused by ice crystals from the humidity vs dropping temps from todays high of +10°. Within a half hour everything was back inside, I should have tried out / stuck with my new Lunt 50 solar scope under perfectly sunn skies !

Be happy then with 4mm, whats 1mm in a view that high powered, especially the sun.

I never noticed with my f5, f5.4, f5.5, f8.4 refractors, I will have to check that next time out. Unless it is just barely noticeable.

As a bit of an aside to this topic, I enjoy using all of my wedges with my Svbony 10-30 zoom ep, for me a zoom is the perfect combination for WL and Ha viewing and basic ap. You don't have to worry about FOV issues.

CA on the sun ?

I understand, with a 1.25" wedge there is no variable polarizer built in but with a 2" it is built in with a nurled adjustment ring part of the upper stem of the wedge. My 1.25" vs 2" wedges are like that so I do use a seperate variable polarizer with the 1.25" and it makes a big, big difference. Then sometimes I like to use just the green filters for a change because they do give a different contrast. And they are only a fraction of the cost of the continum filter yet do the same job.

Many experienced solar viewers just use a no. 56-58 green filter to reduce brightness and increase contrast as a great alternative. I use them all. Just more info for the poster ie. performance vs safety ! And there are other factors to a great view of the sun , at any given point in the day, as we all know.

The variable polarizer has nothing to do with safety, its just to vary the brightness, tone it down same as when viewing the moon. Even if it is too bright its safe, don't give a wrong information. The 1.25" models don't have variables, my 2 Lunts sure didn't.

Is the polarizing filter not already inside the workings of the wedge and all you have to do is turn the polarizing ring to vary it ? My 2" Altair Astro came that way, already installed. How did you notice it was missing, open up the wedge ?

I just sold my Lunt 40 as I mention above but the scope is a great well built scope, with excellent, detailed views, you just have to remember to pull the diagonal out about 1/2" to gain perfect focus, thats a common given.

Lunt ha scopes come with a searcher as part of the package, when it comes to viewing / positioning the sun there is no alternative. I have had my Lunt 50 for a couple of months, replacing my 40 but the temps have been too low that I haven't had a chance to try it, lol. I ordered the Moonlight focuser for it and the case but they are on a few months backorder.

A beautiful combination, you are a pretty lucky astronomer. I have the early 1990's Celestron / Vixen model of the same size, my views are great as well. I only asked to varify what I already thought. A wonderful original ! Thanx for your reply and many Clear Skies to you !

Up here in my Northern Ontario viewing sites the clouds, the ice crystals in the very few clear times, the cold has been around for a long, long time. The count since even a good, average sky is now in months not days or weeks. My scopes are starting to wilt, lol ! Are many of my fellow astronomers having it just as bad in other parts of our world ? When will all this nonsense end, it appears not to soon enough based on the two week long range forecasts ! Any good news ? PS: With all the daytime ice crystals causing haze even solar viewing is not up to par, I have had my Lunt 50mm ha scope for a couple of months and it hasn't even been out side, just some WL, lol !

What brand, what year ?

Believe me I have the right scopes, several variable polarizing filters, both 1.25" / 2", the yellow filters and the odd time when I do swing that way I lose interest after a minute or so. I even took some afternoon pics with my 4se but it isn't my long session thing. I haven't looked at it for a long, long time.

As a pure point of interest how many don't even bother to get their scopes out when the moon is big and bright between say just after the first quarter and just after the third quarter ? I am not a moon viewer, my scopes stay on idle during that time and I stick with solar seeing. I can't be the only one ? And for those that love the moon it shouldn't be an issue because they are in their environment !

By noon the sky was completely socked in, lol !

After a long cold winter of cloudy, dull skys, nite and day, the sky this morning finally gave in to bright sun at 0° F at about 10am. So out came my new to me Celestron SS80 scope, my newly arrived 1.25" Lunt WL wedge, my Svbony 10-30 zoom all attached to my SW Solar HelioFind mount. I couldn't wait any longer, it has been a few months ! The views of several sunspots looked great even though they came and went as expected in a lite breeze. The views were also pretty glaringly bright, maybe due to icy moisture in the heating air, so I threw on a variable polarizing filter and the views improved 90%. Once again the variable polarizer prooved its virtues when it comes to solar viewing under the right conditions. It did feel good to get out, fingers xrossed for more !

The day time weather has been so bad the last couple of months that I have yet to give it a go, on the odd bright days it has been cold, windy, subzero temps well in the minus figures. Can u believe it !

That Lunt 40 was a great scope mounted on my SW Solar Quest mount with HelioFind, it tracked perfectly, very easy to use, great views as can be seen, lI sold it a couple months ago and bought the Lunt LS50 only because I want to try the Pressure Tuning.

Has anyone converted the helical focuer on a Lunt LS50 solar ha scope to the Lunt crayford model ? Did it change / increase the focusing function, making it smoother / easier ? I understand that the actual views would not likely change on any given day. Just trying to access whether it justifys the $500-$600 C cost. I didn't mind the helical on my Lunt 40 model but ......