Tigger27

Hi Brown Dwarf, Ouch! I was hoping to get away with the standard focuser. What focusers are you using. There seems to be 2 available moonlite & Feathertouch. Both very expensive though. Many thanks John

Hello, I have been observing the night sky for over 10 yrs with a 14" Meade SCT and a couple of smaller grab and go Maks (6" & 4"). Last year I bought a Lunt LS50 to try 'The Bright Side'. I have been Solar observing for about 6 months. I have just ordered a Double Stack unit and will report on this in a few weeks time . For now the report is on the single stack LS50 with standard focuser and BS600 and VISUAL ONLY, no AP The Good Stuff Wow, the views are stunning. The image is really crisp and clean. The Sun changes every day and the Proms can change over a few hours, so there is always some new to see everyday. How to use it I have mine set up on a lightweight grab n go Alt Az tripod. Finding the sun is a doddle with the sol finder from televue. I start with an 8mm eyepiece and get the edge of the sun in focus. I then tune the pressure tuner until I can see the proms shinning nice and bright. I will then move the sun through the sweet spot. This usually brings out the fainter proms that are not visible when off the sweet spot. Next I have a quick look at the sun's surface, but the LS50 does not show much surface features ( Im sure the DS will help with this). If there are any interesting proms, I swop to a 5mm EP and adjust the focus. Focusing issues The stock focuser is OK to use but lacks backfocus for my televue Radians. I have read various reports and most pull the diagonal 10-15mm out of the focuser. I tried this but felt nervous about the diagonal falling out of the scope. So instead, I have the diagonal fully in the focuser and adjust focus by moving the eyepiece out 15mm. Fine focus is achieved by using the focuser. this method works for me because the TVs pop into focus. I could change the focuser, but its £250-£450. I cannot justify that expense so I live with the stock focuser. Pressure Tuner This took some getting used to, but boy does it make a difference! I find that I have to unscrew it to equalize pressure about once a fortnight. So how does it work? I find that I get the edge of the sun in focus and then increase the pressure in the PT by screwing it down until the proms come into view and you can see the 'orange peel' surface of the sun. Fine tuning of the PT brings a reward of seeing the fainter proms that are not usually picked up on amateur photos. Properly tuned the PT is a superb gizmo. Would I recommend it? I read heaps of tests and reports on loads of solar scopes before buying this one. Solar astronomy is very expensive compared to nighttime astronomy, so its important to get it right first time. I did not know if I would enjoy astronomy in the warm sun; sipping a cold beer; getting a sun tan and loads of vitamin D, so I did not want to spend thousands of pounds on gear that might be used a few times and then sit on the shelf. Th eLS50 seemed the best compromise of price vs aperture. I love it! Yes I would recommend it if you want to try Solar Next steps I want better views, so I considered a bigger scope. Lunt 60 costs £2,700 Lunt 80 costs £4,000. Lunt 60 out of reach unless I could sell the LS50, but although a better scope with a bigger light grab, its a lot of money. Lunt 80 looks a better, bigger jump but wow its a lot of money. I have decided on a different course and will upgrade my 50 with a Double stack filter. the adage seems to be 'once you double stack, you don't go back' so i'm looking forward to trying it out in a few weeks time and will report on its performance

Hello all, An update after 6 months of use. 1. Totally hooked on the bright side! Every day it’s different, sometimes proms change by the hour. 2. Double Stack unit is ordered and will be shipped from Lunt within 2 weeks. I will update the chat on the difference between single and double stack and whether it’s worth the massive cash outlay. 3. I really have good feel for this scope now and have changed how I use it 4. Focusing - the standard one is ok, certainly not worth paying extra £250 - £450 for a feather lite. Why because the after market one give the same depth of focus and my main problem is lack of back focus using Televue Radians. My solution was to back out the diagonal, but this made me nervous so now I slide the EP in slowly and lock when the edge of the sun is in focus. Any fine focus use the focuser. No problem 5. magnification vs seeing. I find that because the scope is only the 50mm, that it cuts thru the turbulence very well. I have only had a couple of days when the atmos has caused the view to be ‘swimmy’. I use 8mm to focus and see what’s going on. Then I change to 5mm for close ups. 3mm is really pushing it but occasionally the atmos is steady enough. 6 what can you see? Get the PT hooked up properly and the proms are glorious. You can even see the faint wispy ones. In fact, I have been checking photos of the sun taken by amateurs on the same days as I observe and I can say that I see fainter proms that are invisible to the AP guys. So proms 10/10 surface features - yes they are there but you cannot see much detail because of a lack of contrast. Hopefully the DS will improve the view. So surface features 1/10. 7. Would I recommend the LS50 - Yes it’s a lovely little scope that weighs a feather, is easy to set up and use. 8. How long do I send observing - it’s usually 15-30 mins at a time. After all theres only one star to look at. If Sol is dynamic, I leave the scope set up and come back from time to time during the day to see how the proms are evolving. I have found a piece of blackout curtain for £3 off eBay really enhances the contrast. I have pinned it to a hat and use it all the time now. Score 10/10 9. What would I change - Aperture, you always want more!! Focuser because of the back focus. BUT ££££££ If I started from scratch, I would probably still buy the 50 because of cost. Solar is eye wateringly expensive! I will have a new double stacked 50 for £1,500 (imported from USA) UK dealers put a crazy mark up on. A double stacked 60 is going to be about £4,000. I asked myself if the extra light grab of the 60 was worth £2,500 and my answer was no. 10 what next - I get the DS in 2-3 weeks and cannot wait to try it out. IF it is as good as everyone says, then happy days! I will have a great scope and EPs; A nice tan and loads of vitamin D. What could be better than Astronomy in the warm sun supping a cold beer? After that, sell one of the kids and buy a 80mm scope😀 clear skies and good seeing to you all

Hi Oldarn, I recently purchased the Lunt 50 b600 and my rather poor review is above. I would think the b600 would be good enough for you (it certainly is for me). the 5 big points that I had not appreciated before I started were 1. Darkness affecting contrast - I thought you behaved just like night time astronomy ie pop the eyepiece in and away you go. Nope Solar is a bit different. Firstly you need to shield the eyepiece from the sun. It really makes a big difference. I know its a bit bonkers but I either drape a coat over my head or use a wide brimmed hat ( I have a Barmah squashy). 2. Twiddling the pressure tuner - You get the sun in focus with the eyepiece and then fine tune with the pressure tuner to bring out the granulation on the surface (nowhere near as good as the photo above) and the proms and loops on the edge of the disc. This is when you get the 'wow' moment. 3. Magnification - the higher the better I have found. I use a 5mm most of the time. Push it with a 3mm if the seeing is good. An 8 or 10mm will give a view of the whole disc 4. Binoviewer - I have a pair for my 14" Meade for nighttime stuff, but I dont think you need them for the sun. I find 10-30 mins is plenty of time for a solar session, whereas at night it can be many hours because there are so many objects to gaze at and binos really help my poor tired eyes for long sessions. 5. Sweet spot - I have found that the scope has a definite sweet spot in the centre and in order to make sure I see all the proms and loops very clearly, I use the 5mm and move the edge of the disc thru the sweet spot. It amazes me how much sharper you can see thru the sweet spot If you get hooked, you can always chop the 50 in for something bigger, so long as you have deep pockets! for me the 50 is fine and I cannot see myself splashing out on anything bigger. I have 10,8,5 & 3mm televue radians for the scope. 5mm is most used, 8mm not at all (will prob put is up for sale soon), 10mm is excellent for contrast but image is a bit small so a bit tricky to see the proms. I dithered for a couple of years before getting the 50, but I am very pleased I have finally taken the plunge.

Hi Guys, Many thanks for your comments. I am looking forward to seeing some decent activity and really must get some knowledge on what I'm looking at. I'm still at the wow! sunspots and proms stage. Luke - Thanks for the tip about popping out several times a day. I'll give that a try when dear old Blighty has some sunny days😎

Hi All, This is my first post, but I felt compelled to pen my thoughts on the Lunt LS50 b600 that I bought a few weeks ago (to Help me get thru another Covid lockdown). A couple of important points first. I have been a night time astronomer for well over 10 years, but never tried Solar before. The other point is that I am strictly visual only. Tried astrophotography and hated it. I read quite a few useful threads before choosing the LS50. I wanted something half decent, but did not want to spend too much money because unlike night astronomy there is only one thing to look at. I find the LS50 gives very good views of the Sun. I have it mounted on a light weight manual grab and go tripod, which works very well. The scope is very light and really easy to set up. The focuser works well and contrary to other posts I find it very easy to use and will not be changing it. I had to move the diagonal out about 15mm to get the eyepieces to focus, but no hassle. My focusing tip would be to set the focuser to notch 7 and then move the diagonal out until you get a reasonable focus then do the minor adjustments with the focuser. I am amazed that the Sun does not drift out of view as quickly as the Planets. Initially I used a Pentax 6-19mm zoom which was very easy to use and focus on the Sun. I thought this was the perfect eyepiece until I transferred it to look at Saturn and Jupiter on my little 4" SCT grab and go. This eyepiece was absolutely awful at night, so it was returned to the supplier. I am a huge fan of Teleview eyepieces so decided to buy some secondhand Radians. I have always found these very comfortable to use and they are very sharp. I was lucky enough to pick up a set of 3, 5, 8 & 10mm. Of the four, I use the 5 & 3mm. The 5mm gives a lovely contrasty view of the whole disk (mag x70), so I use this to find proms and spots. I then change to the 3mm (mag x116) , which gives a view of about a 1/4 of the disc but obviously at higher mag. The image is darker but not overly so. I have been observing the Sun during Sept - Nov so the Sun has been quite low in the sky. I expected a lot of atmospheric disturbance and thought the 3mm would be unusable but it has been fine. Much easier to observe the Sun rather than Mars!!! Am I hooked on Solar? well not yet, probably because the solar activity is quite subdued at the moment but I must say it is good to observe something so dynamic. Every day is different and its lovely to do astronomy with the warm sun on your shoulders rather than freezing cold in the dark night. Its kind of like looking at Jupiter and its moons for the dynamism but in the warmth of the Sun To anyone who does night time astronomy and and like me has toyed with the idea of trying Solar, I would recommend it. Using the scope is different because of the pressure tuner. I have found this to be a bit of a fag and not sure that I have completely cracked it yet. What I do is get a good focus on the edge of the disc and then twiddle the PT until I can see some texture on the surface of the sun. It also helps to enhance the proms, but takes some getting used to. Fianl word - Yes give it a go. the Lunt is very well built and inspires confidence.