LukeSkywatcher

I did a Google search asking if I needed to use a UVIR filter and was led to Teleskop Express in Germany. They talk about all the parts of the Quark and have a diagram showing UVIR filter in place. I got nervous about using one or not and aired on the side of caution. I bought the one in FLOs offers section.

My refrac is 70mm (f5). So, with 70 mm, i should be good to go with optical train as above. No need for an ERF,UV/IR filter.

Here's the optical train which i believe is what i need to observe the Sun in Ha (in a safe way): Starting from my eye: Eye>EP>Quark>Diagonal>Scope. Is this correct? I dont need anything else? I dont want to blind myself.

I should expand on my above comment. I wont simply be doing solar observing. I'll always observe at night also. I just dont find the time or desire much lately to go out at night. The rubbish weather doesnt help. So, seen as Spring and Summer are around the corner, there hopefully will be plenty of clear days (ok, stop laughing at my glass half full mentality). Ive wanted to try Ha observing for about a year now, but its expensive and i didnt want to commit such a large chunk of money on observing 1 object. Now, im of the frame of mind that it will have a much higher yield of observing sessions than i get out of my nocturnal gear. It also fits in better with my new timetable. Im visiting hospital 3 days a week and its a full day each time. When i get home its like 7-8pm and i just cant be bothered. Usually fall asleep in front of the tv by 10pm anyway. Solar observing on the days i am at home fits my timetable much better.

I have decided to concentrate on solar, so wanted more than just a white light set up.

My Quark should be here in a couple of days. I see now on the invoice that they say its designed for F/4-F/9 refractors. My Travelscope of f5.7........so no worries there. The invoice says that an energy rejection filter is recommended. In my mind (already owning a Hershel Wedge), heat rejection=heat dump. What is a heat rejection filter, how much are they, and do i need one? Im thinking NO.

Silly as it sounds, the Sun is not the easiest thing to find with a telescope. Up til now i have relied on the shadow method but i want to be more accurate and less time consuming. Would this work on my Travelscope? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/lunt-solar-accessories/tele-vue-sol-searcher-for-lunt-solar-telescopes.html Can it be put in place instead of the typical RDF?.

Thanks all for your quick,honest,experienced advice about observing/imaging in Ha. I was going to hold off til Spring, but why wait?. There is plenty of winter sunshine to take advantage of. I said last year that Ha was something i wanted to explore and ive took the first step. The Quark promises a full disc on refracs up to FL of 450mm. I think mine is 650mm, so probably not a full disc view. I guess that depends on the magnification i use?. For observing purposes its not an issue, i can increase mag on any area. For imaging proms, i guess its not an issue either because i can zero in on a prom to image it?. I might have to read up on creating mosaic images.

Indeed. Both are the same thing just observed from a different perspective. Quite different and exciting in their own right though. I do want to do Solar imaging soon. I just hope my scope/tripod can handle the weight of a 450D hanging on the back of it. The 70mm Travelscope is a solidly built scope and the Horizon 8115 tripod is pretty rock steady. The 450D is quite light without a lens on it. I have all the bits to attach it to a scope. Ive just never done it before.

Thats great to know. I did pose the question above to something Floater said. I wasnt sure if Proms,filaments etc were directly connected to spots and spot activity. I should know better because looking at images in WL when there is nothing going on, the Ha observers/imagers are as busy as beavers. I didnt buy a Quark to see sunspots. They happen on a different level of the Sun to Ha activity. IIRC from a diagram Shane posted of the Sun, Ha looks through the layer of the Sun where spots appear and show a deeper down layer of the surface., as well as showing Proms (CME). Here's the diagram. Sorry, i know this is verging on solar observing rather than "show us your solar observing gear". I also stand corrected. Sunspots start in the photosphere and work their way to the chromosphere. The surface detail of the chromosphere is much more active than that of the photosphere (going by the diagram)

Do i look/sound deflated?. I feel deflated. 2018 was going to be my year for Solar observing. Now it seems that isnt going to be very productive. My new Quark might make a nice paper weight.

So this is what a "Double" stack looks like?. Seems a bit like a money maker (for retailers/makers) to me. Cant they make a single filter and double the "strength" of it?. Seems silly to have to pay for 2 filters. They could charge 3/4 of the price of 2 filters.

Glad you brought that up. Sorry if i go off topic here a little. When the Sun is quiet in WL (no spots), is there still stuff to see in Ha, such as proms,filaments etc?.

I'll very soon be replacing the Hershel Wedge in the image of my solar setup (1st image) with a Quark Chromosphere: Im very excited about the imminent arrival of my Quark. Ha observing is something ive wanted to do for a long time now (probably from about the same time i started WL observing). I'll be keeping the wedge because i love the view it gives of sunspots and surface granulation.

My Quark has been shipped. No delivery date though. I have a tracking number but can't find anywhere on the website to track it. Once it arrives by Spring I will be happy.

Ive loved W/L observing for a couple of years now but its quite static. Im sure Ha will be a bit more dynamic. Will my variable solar polarizing filter or contnuum filter come in to play at any stage, or are they just W/L filters.

Thats what i was wondering. On the Suns surface its second by second........its an 8 min delay to us here on Earth, but second by second in our real time. Im very excited about solar observing in Ha. Not to mention getting started in Solar imaging.

I'll still use my W/L Hershel wedge. I do love the view it gives. I just wanted something more, so Ha was the obvious choice. Can you see proms etc developing,moving in real time (given that sunlight takes 8 mins to reach us)? I guess my question is, is it better to image the Sun in Ha or observe?.

I'd like to just hook it into the house mains (plug socket in the wall). So, i can plug it into the wall and then into micro port on the other end?. Ive always been impressed with images through a Quark. I know imaging is a skill set in its own. If the views are anything like images i will be happy and obviously, it will lead me to imaging.

The Chromo i bought is an original, so fine for my refrac?.

Been called worse. Time waits for nobody. I have just in the last couple of mins placed an order for a new Chromo Quark. I stupidly didnt order a 1.25". Looking at the official daystar site, i cant see anywhere if there is a 1.25" or 2" model. My scope (70mm) is a 1.25" EP scope. Will the Quark fit?. My SCT can take both. P.S.~Quark is the 2nd most expensive thing ive bought in 10 yrs of buying astro gear. If it is ANYTHING like my Hershel wedge (im sure its better).............worth it.

Im not really looking to buy a new scope for solar or other observing. Would my 8SE be good to use with the Quark?. Its less portable, but not by much really. I think i will go for the Chromo model. Same price, so that isnt a factor. I know from images i have seen that there is lots of surface detail to be seen (snakes etc). Im still none the wiser how to power it. If someone could point me in the direction of a power source, that would be great. Off the shelf please. I have zero DIY skills, so soldering stuff and wiring is out of the question.

Thanks for the info. I'm thinking the prom filter is the way to go but that limits you to observing proms. Would the Chromo model be a better option as it offers up proms and surface details. With the 2nd model, is the quality of the view of proms degraded by much?. It most likely would be used with my 70mm refrac scope because i want the setup to be as portable as possible.

Ah ok, thanks. I get it now. The Quark is literally a Ha filter. You add an EP to view. I thought it was a filter and EP all in one.