solar scope

[mason]

Hi there,

Can anyone tell me which would be best scope to use as a solar scope out of a short tube skywatcher startravel 4" f4.9, or a skywatcher evostar 4" at f9.8.

I will be using a baader solar white light filter but wondered which scope would show the most detail.

thanks, chris.

[vulcan]

In theory, a wider aperture gives more detail but if you think you are going to get any detail using Baader Solar Film, I think that you might be disappointed. A setup like that will show you a white disk with/without sunspots. That's about all.

[NGC 1502]

Hi Chris, seems like your choice is between two 4" refractors with different focal

ratios. A longer focal ratio is often thought to give better resolution, but at the

relatively low magnifications used for white light solar observations, you may not

see a difference.

If it were me, I'd make the filter, and try it on both scopes. Could you make it to

fit either ?

My ST90 (500mm/90mm) achromat is surprisingly sharp at up to 50x mag.

Regards, Ed.

[Peter Drew]

I would go for the longer focal length 4", it would be a better all round scope and if you eventually get the solar bug, it would be an ideal donor for a Ha modification. A 4" should show you faculae and surface granulation under the clearest conditions as well as the usual sunspot details.