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solar observing


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i was just about to order a solar filter but delayed due to not really knowing what i will get from it,so if any one could give me the heads up with what i could expect to see would be grateful.

i know its only £20 but that's could go to limited(empty funds) towards eps ,collminator etc

thanks

sam

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There are some drawings on this website of the sort of things you can see with an 8" dob and a white light solar filter (Baader film in this case):

http://www.perezmedia.net/beltofvenus/archives/001420.html

You can either invest in a filter to cover the whole of the front aperture of your scope (quite expensive) or you can buy a sheet of the solar film (around £20) and cover the small hole in your plastic dust cover with the film. Do take lots of care with this though - you can never be too careful with the Sun !

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i myself am saving up enough to get a Coronado PST Sun Telescope. I viewed the eclipse side by side with that and a reflector scope with the solar film filter at the front. The views with the Coronado were out of this world fantastic. $700 is a lot for something you can only use on one object, but the views were quite spectacular!!! You could clearly see Solar Prominence's, something you cannot see with the black and white image telescope filters provide.

The black and white image with the Metallic Mylar Film made seeing sun spots easier. But sun spots were really all you could see.

The H-A filter in the Coronado PST allowed you to see the flares and also strange patterns in the areas where sun spots were.

Having both to compare really let you see the difference.

Here are some photos i took during the Annular Solar Eclipse earlier this year in California. While these photos do no do justice to either, because all i did was hold the camera up to the eyepice (which greatly blurs the details you could otherwise see with your eyes) this is more or less what you can see with either. Do keep in mind that with the eye or a proper camera setup you'll see more detail, these images have a reflection on the cameras lens (boo!) but i think they turned out ok for what they are.

Standard Mylar Film Filter

eclipsemylar.jpg

H-A Filter in the Coronado PST

eclipseh-a.jpg

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Here are some others for further comparison

Mylar Film Filter, Sun Spots

eclipsemylarsunspots.jpg

H-A filter PST, Solar Flares. (Image was not blurry with the eyes. nor was the center redish, it was high contrast when looking through the scope)

eclipseh-aring.jpg

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Hello,

I have a 10" Dob and I use the Baader solar filter to observe sun. It is called "astrosolar" and it's not expensive. They sell it in A4 format or by the metre (more expensive).

Be sure to take the D5 if purpose is observing! There's also the D3.8 but it's for photography. It's a sheet you can cut as you need. I post you some pics I took during the last venus transit. As you can see I used the small aperture, building a small cartoon cell for the filter, fixing it with very few glue (like "attack glue") and using a cartoon scotch:

246570_424006990963176_550560633_n.jpgx282380_424007124296496_1882733106_n.jpg

and I fixed the cap too, to avoid any accident!

545661_424006254296583_42783191_n.jpg

Not a Coronado :D but for that cost, you can see our star :) It worths the price!

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thanks bunny! HERE my public album if you want to see more pics :)

Well, Baader recommends D.5 for visual, and D 3.8 for photography. This is the optical density. From the official website:

"SAFETY NOTE: PhotoFilm 3.8 OD is not intended for visual solar observation. Purpose is only for use with Telescopes for high magnification photographic work."

So it's a safety matter

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I bought the Baader ready-made solar full aperture filter for my C100ED for the transit, but, of course, we were clouded out, I was on the Isle of Wight at the time. However, I have used the filter several times to view the sun and it adds an extra dimension to your astronomy. I use the website: http://www.spaceweather.com/

And then I view the sun to see how it compares, the good thing about the website is that it tells you what you are looking at. The view is in 'white light' so you will only ever see sun spots, not prominences, but it is great. I also use a Lumicon basic filter set to add colour, particularly the yellow-orange filter which make it more interesting. Go for it, it adds an extra dimension to your hobby.

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