Full aperture 8" solar filter. DIY?

[blusky]

Doable? If so appreciate if anyone can share the recipe. Else where could one be sourced for under £30?

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Well, the baader kit comes as an a4 sized sheet, which is just too small for full aperture. You can buy bigger, but i think the next step up is pretty damn huge (and therefore costly).

I don't know of any pre-made ones that large. To be honest, there isn't much to be gained from full aperture. Most people find better views from stopping down the scope and avoiding the central obstruction, thus increasing contrast. It's not like you need the extra light gathering...

[blusky]

Could you explain the alternative to the full aperture please? Thanks

[todd8137]

Hi there not sure if this will help,i have a 300p and i made one with a sheet of thousands oak solar film .the size was 10"x12" i trapped quarter of a inch,all the way round if a can find the point and shoot camera a will upload a pic, a lot of people i no brought a sheet between a couple of them,and they just covered the little hole on the scope cover .

cheers pat

[RikM]

I made a 75mm off axis filter for my 150P using Baader film. Since I have a 750mm FL scope, this gives me an unobstructed 75mm f/10 and the views are very nice indeed.

I used a Shreddies box for the holder so it's a bit more... flamboyant than most astro-accessories

[pritc]

I purchased a full aperture 8" SCT AstroZap Baader Solar Filter for my 8" 200P.

Perfect fit.Well built,with 3 locking thumb screws.

But £49 from FLO

Wayne

[Cath]

You can buy it in bigger than A4 size here ..

Baader Planetarium - Baader Astrosolar Film and Filters

[SeedyF]

Blusky - no pictures from me as I am at work. But I made my own for a 10" dob using the A4 filter paper - accepting that it wouldn't be full aperture. It's still fantastic.

Ingredients;

• One sheet Badder Astrosolar Film
  
• Large cardboard hatbox - Hobby craft @£7
  
• Duck tape - black to match the paintjob on my scope
  
• Inch thick foam (I had it left over from something else)
  

1. I cut a round hole in the lid and the base of the hatbox that was about 1cm smaller than the width of the solar film.
   
2. I used duck tape to stick the edges of the film to the outside of the base of the hatbox.
   
3. I placed the lid of the box over the BASE so that the film was sandwiched between the two parts of the box
   
4. I fixed the lid to the base with duch tape.
   
5. I lined the inside of the base of the box with the foam, glued in place.
   
6. I then put duck tape all over the foam to hold it in place.
   
7. The whole assembly now fits snuggly over the end of the scope and gives me an aperture of just under 8". It is such a snug fit it doesn't need to be held in place.
   

I made a finder scope filter out of the cut off solar film and a mini-hatbox (I think it's meant to be a jewellery box or something).

Pity the weather is so rubbish and it looks like I'll miss out on the monster 1429

[blusky]

All hobbies tend to involve a certain amount of adrenalin. The DIY solar filter must be the astro thing. Can only fall off twice - once per each eye

[Macavity]

I've made both off-axis and full aperture filters - Most using thin "MDF light" rings to sandwich the film. For my 8"/F4 GSO, spare end caps are available too. Sadly there isn't very much room between an F4 Newt mirror and the OTA for an off-axis filter though...

The conventional wisdom re. the choice referred to seeing (turbulence) etc.

Thousand Oaks white light solar filters (From the Astronomics site)

Make of it what you will (literally maybe?)!

[SeedyF]

Better late than never here is my scope set up this morning ready for solar viewing

[blusky]

Better late than never here is my scope set up this morning ready for solar viewing

Good news. £15 and an DIY off-axis filter later I've got this. The original image has amazing detail, look at the emerging spot at 9 o'clock.

Oh yes, along came Mr Venus (Mr?!?). But he (he?) is too selfishly bright to be photographed, anyway...

[pritc]

Oh yes, along came Mr Venus (Mr?!?). But he (he?) is too selfishly bright to be photographed, anyway...

Have you tried a Neutral Density Moon filter to dim the brightness of Venus??

Wayne

[blusky]

Have you tried a Neutral Density Moon filter to dim the brightness of Venus??

Wayne

Not this time, but earlier - yes. Until Venus becomes a crescent I think it's going to remain a bright blob - by and large...

[Montana]

Amazing pictures!

Alexandra

[kev]

Im impressed.. enough to try to make one myself!

The thought of full resolution with no CA (remember I usually use a Vixen Sp102M from 30 odd years ago with a green filter), make me almost droll.

Any chance of a high res image of the sun through a full ap filter?

Kev

[blusky]

Ps the Venus photo was taken using probably the longest SLR lens ever.

With the 2x Barlow the focal length was... 17,000mm!

[Montana]

17 metres !!!!!!!!

Alexandra

[blusky]

That's correct. 17m and change. The actual OTA is half that length, given the 2x Barlow.

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

i making a solar filter for my mini table dob (76mm)

and at the same time, making up the filter holder for a 114mm scope.

i will use the larger 114 with webcam for imaging. and the mini dob for my niece/godson and myself general viewing.

both scopes running full aperture.

i hope to have some film left over to place in a DLSR 58mm filter ring to give my canon 350D solar ability.