Vixen lens cover

[libraryman]

Hi; my Vixen 102s fl has a lens cover with a centre hole in it measuring 1" 1/4 (about 45mm) it has it's own small lens cap.

i'm guessing that its to reduce the aperture for solar use, can any one confirm this and suggest solar cover for it?

Ray

[nightfisher]

Hi Ray, the smaller cap is not for solar work, but intended for lunar, if you are viewing a large moon it will be very bright, by keeping the main cap on and just viewing with the reduced aperture you reduce the glare, if you plan on solar viewing best to get the baader solar film and make a full aperture filter, quite a few posts in DIY section, but remember to do the finder scope with baader film, or remove it when solar observing

[libraryman]

Cheers Jules, never thought it could be for a bright moon, i have my OMC 140 with a solar filter and that gives me 5 1/2" aperture.

i just wondered if i needed that much, the 45mm vixen cap i thought would be enough? and i could just use the one scope!

Ray

[nightfisher]

full aperture for solar is pretty good, with about 50 times mag seems to work well, if you made a filter for the vixen you could get some decent solar pictures

[John]

Bear in mind that stopping your scope to 45mm, as well as reducing the brightness, reduces the resolution and contrast to that of a 45mm aperture scope as well.

I have a Vixen ED102SS with the same aperture in it's objective cap.

[libraryman]

Hmmm just had a idea, wonder if i can adapt my OMC screw on solar filter to fit the 102mm Vixen?

The vixen dew shield has a 140mm od, perhaps an adapter threaded into the filter and pushed onto the dew shield!

Ray

[John]

I use a Kendrick full aperture white light solar filter with my Vixen. It has the Baader solar film in a mount which clamps firmly onto the outside of the dew shield:

[libraryman]

Cheers John at £44:00 i'll plumb for the Kendrick filter

Ray