LukeSkywatcher

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.

19 minutes ago, Pig said:

I believe a filament is a prom... just viewed from a different perspective. A prom is protruding outward from on the limb, as we see it.... where as filament is a birds eye view as if flying over it ?

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.

19 minutes ago, Pig said:

I doubt it Paul... there are still some great proms to be seen and the surface detail is very different to white light ?

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)

4 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Looks like it may well be an early end to the current cycle after all.

http://www.sidc.be/silso/home

Seems to be projecting an end in late 2018, about a year early.

See the pages on 'spotless days' with divides transitions into those before 1915 (long, lots of spot-free days) and those since (short, fewer spot free days), except the last minimum in 2008 fitted in the 'Victorian' sequence. Seems we may be heading for a long dry spell for spot-hunters.

 

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.

21 minutes ago, Floater said:

I’m sure you will love Ha, Paul ... even though the Big Fella is rather quiet just now. ?

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.

6 minutes ago, Stu said:

Simple answer is yes Paul. The delay makes no difference, it is still real time, just delayed.... a bit like a delayed TV broadcast.

Certain features such as flares and lift off proms can move surprisingly quickly, within minutes. More often the features are slower moving but certainly fast enough to detect detail.

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?.

28 minutes ago, Pig said:

There is a version of the Quark that can be used with SCT’s but you will have to check it out.  The originals were for refractors only and care must be taken not to mix them up.

The link below is all you will need to power a Quark, or you can use the mains adapter it comes with. It simply plugs  into the USB micro port on the side of the unit.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-PowerCore-20100-Capacity-Technology-Black/dp/B00VJSGT2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515882945&sr=8-1&keywords=anka+power+bank

 

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.

8 minutes ago, Pig said:

The originals were for refractors only and care must be taken not to mix them up.

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

1 hour ago, Pig said:

Why am I calling you Luke ??? I mean’t Paul ?

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.

1 hour ago, Stu said:

Paul, everything I have read and experienced says go for the Chromosphere version. The surface detail is better and the proms are still excellent.

Regarding scopes, I know that there is a certain school of though that the scope 'doesn't matter as much' as with astro, and regarding CA this is true, but it is my belief that cheaper achro scopes tend to have other criteria which can rob you of detail and contrast, such as spherical abberation. I think it is worth using a better quality scope, an ED doublet for instance in order to get the best out of the Quark. You could stay small with say a little 61mm William Optics, or go a little larger to an 80ED but I do think it would be 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.

11 hours ago, Davenn said:

 

Yes

so you add a telescope or lens in front and an eyepiece or camera behind

The Daystar Ha Quarks come in 2 varieties ....

1)  a Prominence filter ... approx. 0.7 Angstrom bandwidth at the Ha line and tuneable a little either side of that

As the name suggests it is primarily for Prominence viewing, tho it does give reasonable views of "surface" disk features

 

2) a Chromosphere filter ... approx. 0.5 Angstrom bandwidth at the Ha line and tuneable a little either side of that

and it gives much better views of the disk features but still retains reasonable views of the prominences

here's a link to the main Daystar site, just in case you didn't have it

http://www.daystarfilters.com/

 

Dave

 

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. 

4 hours ago, Davenn said:

 

1) A computer USB port doesn't supply enough current for the Quark. It requires around 1.5  Amps .... A USB port is around 500 - 700mA at most

If running portable ( usual situation)  then you need a DC-DC buck converter to go from the 12V of your car or other portable battery .... say a 12V 7.5AH gel battery

down to the 5V for the Quark ...... I use a buck converter I got from eBay ... eg ......

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DC-DC-Buck-Step-Down-Voltage-Regulator-Module-3-3v-5v-12v-19V-24V-5A-Adjustable/263319582315?_trkparms=aid%3D777003%26algo%3DDISCL.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140117125611%26meid%3D5d8af949ae7c461d979ca8699dc0fb50%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D352004193098&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

 

The 12V battery supplied power directly to my HEQ5 GOTO mount and the buck converter drops the 12V to 5V for the Quark

 

2)  not sure if I understand your Q correctly ?

  One end of the Quark goes into your scope ( my one is the Camera Quark so that end goes into the camera telephoto lens) and a camera or eyepiece on the other end for viewing or imaging

You cannot use the Quark without the scope/lens or eyepiece/camera

 

id that answer your Q ?

 

 

Dave

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. 

A thought crossed my mind today. If i spend X amount on a Quark, why would i use it on a 100 euro scope (70mm Travel scope). Wouldnt i be better off using it on my 8" SCT?. That means i'd also need to buy a solar filter (ready made...please). Then another thought came to mind. The SCT, AFAIK wont find or track the Sun (for safety reasons). I suppose i could track it manually if i just want to observe it. This could be tricky.......looking at the computer screen and tracking with the scopes hand control. So, i find myself with a couple of Q's:

1/ Does the Quark need a computer (USB port) to be powered or can it run off of house mains?

2/ Can you look directly through the Quark EP to observe the Sun (obviously with safety filter in place). I havent read too much about them. Guess i have some homework to do.

Its gonna be a Quark for me. I'll hold off for a coupe of months before buying. Spring 2018 is my time to buy. 

19 minutes ago, Pig said:

Paul the Quark will work fine with your 70mm travel scope and you may even get a full solar disc ?I use mine with a 110mm & a 60mm. My Esprit 80mm gave 99% of the disc.

Good to hear this. TBH, my head and heart were/are leaning towards the Quark. 

1 minute ago, niallk said:

Well the good news is that a Ha setup can certainly take advantage of an open ended budget - no problem there!! 

I've read that PST can have issues with lens. Lunt, do you get a mount and tripod?. Quark I have heard only great things, but would my 70mm travels cope be suitable?. My Hershel wedge works great with the 70mm travelscope. 

I'm looking into Ha set up also. Can't decide on a PST, Lunt or Quark. Budget is open ended. YAY!!!! 

Never seen bins with an RDF before. How accurate is it with the optics being below,but to either side?. Would that not put your target between the objective lens'?.