SOLAR FILTER

[tomlines]

good morning forum, after some advice please

With this stuff am i right in thinking i can leave my cap on my scope, remove teh small cap and cover with solar film and be ready to go for solar viewing?

any other eyepieces needed or is it as simple as taping over the open hole on my scope cap or do i need to cover the whole apperture?

Baader Planetarium AstroSolar Safety Film

it will be used with a 200 flex tube auto dob

thanks for any help and apologies for any terminology of caps etc, i hope you all know what i mean

[zedds]

Hello, there is a good tutorial HERE about making a filter.

Don`t forget to cover, or remove, the finderscope.

HTH

[Gina]

Yes, you are perfectly clear I've made a filter that way (almost) and also a full aperture version. So far I haven't seen much difference. One important point though - try not to put any stress on the solar film, best kept flat. The Baader recommended way is to glue it between two rings of cardboard (carefully). Once you've done that you can attach the assembly to the inside of the cap. That's pretty much what I did. You can then protect the film by putting the small cap back on.

There are several threads here on making a solar filter using the Baader solar film.

May sound obvious but don't look directly at the sun! It's quite difficult not to while you're setting up

[tomlines]

THANKS GUYS :-)

im getting my scope next week so ill order that with it

shall i assume imaging with a webcam is more difficult with the target being so bright or it still possible?

(might be more suited to the imaging threads)

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

You might want to make sure you have a light shroud with a pretty good seal. I know technically it shouldn't affect you having the open tube, but it'd make me damn nervous considering the destructive power of all that focused sunlight, especially when initially slewing/finding the sun, or when packing up etc.

[todd8137]

i just got some solar film for my 300p reflector what am going to do ,is make a big round filter and cut a square out of it and do it that way i have seen it done this way also rember to cover any spotting scope you have ave on the telescope you have with irs caps or take it of

just use your normal eps

[Gina]

You might want to make sure you have a light shroud with a pretty good seal. I know technically it shouldn't affect you having the open tube, but it'd make me damn nervous considering the destructive power of all that focused sunlight, especially when initially slewing/finding the sun, or when packing up etc.

Don't do that - put the solar filter on first. Unfiltered sunlight will destroy any camera attached in a jiffy and can also destroy other things if left for a second.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Don't do that - put the solar filter on first. Unfiltered sunlight will destroy any camera attached in a jiffy and can also destroy other things if left for a second.

Don't do what?

I was talking about the fact he has a flextube, and you don't want sunlight creeping in from the side if you're turning the scope whilst setting up/packing away etc. Having the filter on the end of the top tube won't protect you there, so be sure to shroud the center truss area well.

[Gina]

Ah I see - hadn't picked up on that

[Astrokev]

Don't do what?

I was talking about the fact he has a flextube, and you don't want sunlight creeping in from the side if you're turning the scope whilst setting up/packing away etc. Having the filter on the end of the top tube won't protect you there, so be sure to shroud the center truss area well.

Good advice, me thinks.

[tomlines]

does my cap go on the top or the bottom section of the tube :-S

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

The top.

[Seme]

On my c80ed i used a wickes 4" downpipe socket and took the rubber out and replaced it with the solar film works well and it fits tight i found the link on here somewhere.