Telescope Filters, help please?

[HollyAnn]

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get any sun filters for my telescope, and does it affect what brand of telescope/lenses I have as to which brand of filters I get? Because I've got a Skywatcher dobsonian telescope, and I really don't want to miss the transit of Venus this year! (as it only occurs once every 117 years!) and it'd be great not to miss it(:

Thanks!,

Holly

[Capricorn]

You will need a sheet of Bader Solar film and build yourself one.

It has to cover the whole of the front aperture.

Also cover the finder scope. Too damn easy to try to locate the sun through the finder and fry an eyeball. If not covered the take the finder off.

Do not think about, consider or go looking for a filter for the eyepiece.

The infra red off the sun will crack one in seconds or minutes and assuming you are viewing at that second then again major eye damage.

There are guides to making one running around SGL. Basically cardboard and sticky tape ala Blue Peter.

Also:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/solar-filters.html

[HollyAnn]

thank you! (:

[E621Keith]

Totally agree with what Capricorn said. The only option for a reflector telescope is a front mounted aperture filter. You have several options, Mylar film, Glass filter and Baader Solar film.

I've never used Baader film but it has many good review. Mylar is cheap but will make the sun blue in colour. Glass filter is more durable than Mylar and the sun will appear orange/yellow, but it is more expensive. Baader film is suppose to be the best white light filter, only surpassed by solar wedges in white light, but the latter doesn't work with reflector.

You can get ready made filter with mounted Baader solar film from FLO

First Light Optics - AstroZap Baader Solar Filter

[S.A.M]

If you make a filter out of Baader paper, be very careful and check the filter every time you want to use it. If the is any damage, especially a small hole, size of a pin, scrap the filter and destroy it so it can not be used again. You only have one set of eyes and viewing the sun with damaged filters will result in blindness. Do not want to scare you off from viewing the sun but you have to be very careful. I started off with Baader paper covering a pair of binoculars and worked my way up to a PST and finally a Solarscope. I still use Baader paper if I want to take any pictures with my DSLR camera. Hope this helps you?

Peter

[Moonshane]

I made one recently in about a couple of hours (total work time) http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-astronomer/169243-diy-solar-filter.html delighted with it.

[HollyAnn]

thanks for these suggestions and everyones help, (: