Tips for observing the Sun?

[Episkey]

Hey guys, I just got Baader Solar Film, made a box like piece to connect it to my scope, and tried to look at the sun. The sun is constantly moving around in the eyepiece, I can't focus it, it's been a disaster. When I look at it through the film without connected to the scope, it is a nice round ball. Do you have any tips for viewing the sun with this film?

[jonathan]

Moving around? I would be tempted to think that it is your mount that is moving when you are trying to focus. Is it motorised at all? Probably not necessary for visually observing the sun, if you have the option of manually tracking.

[markt]

Use your lowest power eyepeice to start off with...

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

few things :

first make sure your filter is snuggly fitted to scope.

a nice sturdy platform for your scope to stand upon.

start low, a 25mm eyepiece should give you a nice crisp clear view. the higher in mag you go (eyepieces) the harder it is to focus on the subject. with my baby 300mm focal dob i use no more than a 2x barlow and a 25mm eyepiece. this give me just enough focus control to see sunspots.

at a 2x barlow and a 10mm eyepiece the image is somewhat blurred and very hard to gain focus. infact it requires constant focus adjustment to keep a image in focus range.

i have noticed using a violet filter gains me slightly more focus control, the image is a deep violet color but lets me see the sunspots with more clarity, same goes with a green filter. a ND filter (moon filter) also helps with viewing and cuts down the brightness. all my filters are used with solar film and a homemade filter holder.

[Episkey]

Thanks guys, my eyepiece was just dusty so it made the Sun appear distorted for a little but.

[LukeSkywatcher]

To get a good focus on the surface, its best to first focus your scope while looking at the limb of the sun (the edge).