Highburymark

And here they are:

Lots of lovely bits arrived today thanks to FLO. Baader heavy duty changers - essential kit for T2 diagonals and binoviewers. ZWO tilter, and the dinkiest little camera - an ASI1600 to start solar imaging once I’ve tracked down the right laptop.

Interesting to see your old set up Garry. A unique combination of great scope and rare DS filter. How did you find the Solarquest mount handled the LS80 with 75mm external filter? I’m interested because I reckon yours was about the same weight as my TV85 SF70DS, (except mine is more front heavy), and I’m hoping the Solarquest will support my scope sufficiently for Ha imaging. So far in tests my Solarquest has coped well with the 5.3kg load, but I’m going to be very careful as it’s over the stated payload, and impossible to balance perfectly with two front filters. I’ve been eyeing up the amazing Rainbow RST-135 mount on FLO’s website, which would be perfect (small/3.3kg, alt az and eq, able to carry 14kg without counterweights!), but it’s very pricey.

Good stuff Stu - would like to have a peer through your scope one day.

The ‘Eiffel Tower’ prom was most impressive, though I thought it looked more like the Sagrada Familia (for any lovers of Barcelona’s great cathedral out there). Didn’t think that ‘Blackpool Tower’ prom was quite the right name to reflect such magnificence.

Nice. Like most TeleVue scopes, looks like it was bought last week.

All started in 2014 with £20 Baader solar film on Mak 105. Took me about an hour to find the Sun...... but once I did, got the bug bad. Progressed to Lunt 50 and then 60, doubled stacked. Currently have Solarscope SF70DS with TV85; Quark on Tak FC-100DC; and Baader wedge for photosphere. Do quite a lot of observing from my kitchen - hence not all pics outside.

That new Quark looks more promising Minh. Don’t know if you post on Solarchat, but you might get more advice on how to deal with the dust problem from other Quark owners there. Presume you can use flats to get rid of any blemishes on images?

It took me years to resolve a globular cluster. Even with a 5” Mak in relatively dark Spanish skies, M13 was just a fuzzy patch. A C8 from Oxford managed to resolve some outer stars. Only with a 4” frac/5” Newtonian with night vision image intensifier have I seen globs fully resolved. But would love to see one through a really large scope without any extra aid one day.

I think it’s Solar Spectrum you mean rather than Solarscope - an American manufacturers of solar Ha filters distributed and supported by Baader (whereas Solarscope is UK-based). Solar Spectrum doesn’t make a cheaper Quark competitor, but it does make very good rear end filters that compete with Daystar’s more expensive Quantum line. Only SGL member (that I know of) with a Solar Spectrum filter is Michael Wilkinson - and his images speak for themselves. The experts on Solarchat also rate them very highly. I know which I would choose between Solar Spectrum and Daystar if I were spending that sort of money on a high magnification, precision Ha filter. The problem with Quarks is that many owners are able to achieve amazing results, which otherwise could only be generated by instruments costing four or five times as much. But they are in the minority. And the variability of Quarks is far greater than other solar products. Although QC is supposed to have improved, it’s still a big risk considering the price. Hope you end up with a better solution Minh. Baffling why Daystar can’t just send you a replacement.

Agree Paul. These are two of the best currently available books. There’s also a new book coming out from a French solar expert who tends to post on Solarchat which looks really excellent - English version should be available in the next couple of months. I use either Solarscope SF70mm double stack filters or Quark Chromosphere with 85mm and 100mm fracs. One of the great things about solar though is you can see all the main features with a small entry level scope, as long as the etalon’s decent.

Good stuff - welcome to the world of hydrogen alpha.

Proms spectacular right now - grabbing quick views between clouds but well worth getting the scope out.

Solar proms spectacular right now!!

There are lots of reviews on Cloudy Nights - binoviewer forum

Inspiring report of a great night - thanks Luke!

Wasn’t expecting any sunshine today, but the clouds parted an hour ago to reveal a really lovely solar disc - the best filament for a while and some superb proms. If you get the chance, well worth a look.

Looks like you’re picking up some nice detail in single stack Gavin. And as the Sun is pretty blank at the moment, you wouldn’t really appreciate the full benefits of a second filter right now. But when activity increases, double stacking transforms views of surface features like filaments. Instead of just being perceptible, they become dark and detailed, in sharp contrast to the brightness of the background chromosphere. This provides a real sense of 3D, particularly if they also arch over the solar limb, into a so-called ‘filaprom’. The mottling across the rest of the disc becomes more defined, and you get a clearer appreciation of the swirling detail around active regions and sunspots. As John says, views are slightly dimmer, but certainly not enough to diminish views in any way.

Keep these wonderful animations coming! CaK gives a great impression of a boiling solar ‘surface’

Doesn’t sound right. While double stacking slightly dims views, it should significantly improve detail. I haven’t owned a PST, so am not familiar with how you attach the DS filter, but it sounds as if you may have a problem - possibly even a decontacted DS etalon. Hopefully someone with more knowledge of PSTs might help.

Nooooooooooo!!

Very nice. That and a pair of swimming trunks should just be under the baggage limit Stu.

Agreed Stu. The maximum cabin baggage size even with premium airlines like British Airways is 56cm length, so even 550mm will be touch and go - I think it probably needs to be 540mm or less. Takahashi are marketing the DZ as airline portable, but I’m not sure it is. It is however, a beautiful telescope!

Yes - I was referring to limited surface detail in SS. Proms are sometimes best in SS and sometimes in DS I find. Another quirk - I generally prefer a single eyepiece for proms over a binoviewer. On Brian’s comment: I remember reading an academic paper elsewhere on the web a while ago on the practice of matched etalon tuning which made the same point. Will see if I can track it down.

A particularly interesting point you make Brian, and my experience also chimes with this.