Moon filter

[Datapoint2]

Ok, i,ve recently got a scope and have managed to get the scope out twice(curse the welsh weather!) Was well chuffed getting my first view of jupiter and the 4 moons, and also a misty blob which im hoping was Andromeda galaxy. I was pleasantly surpised by the images i got of the moon but the glare was pretty harsh and im wondering how much a moon filter will help, and is it worth forking out a few quid extra or are the basic cheap ones available satisfactory?

[jana]

Next time were out or if your planning on going out to view moon let me know and you can try mine out if you want. Forgot to say I got one!!! Oops.

[BertUK]

i would try a variable polarizing moon filter,RVO sell them for around £30 and they are adjustable from light to dark depending on the fullness of the moon.

[Datapoint2]

Tidy, didnt realise you had one! Still would like to know the merits/faults of various moon filters as i'm sure i'll be buying one somewhere down the line.

Thanks Bert.

[rwilkey]

I recommend here that you should buy a ND96 (0.9 or 0.6) Moon filter (The 0.9 and 0.6 by the way refers to the density, the higher the number, the more density. A low density for use with smaller aperture telescopes and a higher density for large apertures, suggest 0.09 for large apertures above 6" and 0.06 for small apertures below 6" - light transmission 13% and 25% respectively), the ND means Neutral Density and therefore optics do not add any false colourization, whereas some Moon filters have a colour bias (usually green).

Hot Tip: When buying a Moon filter, always try and buy a metal-framed one, the plastic frames tend to be difficult to screw on in the dark! (ND filters are usually made from metal frames.) The variable polarization filters are also great, as mentioned above, but more expensive.

From my website at: Robins Eyepiece Guide