After many months of wishing ........................

[sologuitarist61]

I have finally got a PST and an Acuter Merlin tripod and mount - yippee!! Picked it up yesterday and, believe it or not, the sun has shone (well intermittently) today, so have had a quick set up and view and am well pleased. Weather not good enough to bother getting the camera out and try as well so I bit of advice would be good.

Having used a Herschel wedge for white light solar imagining up until now I am unsure what sort of exposures I will need (I will be using a Canon 50D on a Hyperion 13mm EP) any advice on ISO and shutter speeds for prominences and for surface detail would be greatly appreciated (save me having to waste precious sunlight in have to experiment too much). Thanks in advance.

[onesmallstep]

Congrats on the new purchase. Do solar scopes attract the same amount of cloud as their astro counterparts?

[ollypenrice]

Your PST passes only the red Ha emission line so a one shot colour camera is only working on one pixel in four. A cheap mono webcam would give much better results. (Also the daytime seeing is usually poor so the 'lucky imaging' fast frame approach is even more advantageous than it is on the planets.)

However, is it possible to get to focus with a standard PST? Isn't there an issue somewhere? I don't have a PST but I'd ask a specific question on this.

As far as exposure goes (and here I'm using a DMK 'webcam' type camera) I find I need one exposure for the disk (around 1/500sec and something nearer 1/20 for the fainter proms. I then combine them in Ps. I imagine the same will apply with a DSLR.)

Solar imaging is fun, though, because it's so varied.

Olly

[sologuitarist61]

Congrats on the new purchase. Do solar scopes attract the same amount of cloud as their astro counterparts?

This is actually why I am specialising a bit with solar imaging - we get more sunny days than clear nights !!

[sologuitarist61]

Your PST passes only the red Ha emission line so a one shot colour camera is only working on one pixel in four. A cheap mono webcam would give much better results. (Also the daytime seeing is usually poor so the 'lucky imaging' fast frame approach is even more advantageous than it is on the planets.)

However, is it possible to get to focus with a standard PST? Isn't there an issue somewhere? I don't have a PST but I'd ask a specific question on this.

As far as exposure goes (and here I'm using a DMK 'webcam' type camera) I find I need one exposure for the disk (around 1/500sec and something nearer 1/20 for the fainter proms. I then combine them in Ps. I imagine the same will apply with a DSLR.)

Solar imaging is fun, though, because it's so varied.

Olly

Thanks Olly for the information. Yes, you are right, in that it is almost impossible to get focus at (the equivalent) of prime focus, but so far I am finiding it OK ofocally through a Baader Hyperion. The main problem then is that there is a ton of weight habging off the rear!!. Your right, I need to get a mono camera, but would prefer one that gave a full disc image rather than have to stitch loads together (don't always have the time)

[ollypenrice]

Thanks Olly for the information. Yes, you are right, in that it is almost impossible to get focus at (the equivalent) of prime focus, but so far I am finiding it OK ofocally through a Baader Hyperion. The main problem then is that there is a ton of weight habging off the rear!!. Your right, I need to get a mono camera, but would prefer one that gave a full disc image rather than have to stitch loads together (don't always have the time)

Agreed on the small chips. I'd like a bigger chip fast frame camera.

Olly

[JamesF]

DMK41 is a favourite, isn't it? Unpleasantly expensive though.

James

[sologuitarist61]

DMK41 is a favourite, isn't it? Unpleasantly expensive though.

James

Come on James - just got rid of my wedge getting the PST!

[JamesF]

I refer the honourable gentleman to the comments I made recently regarding expense and the purchase of a PST

I assume you only got rid of a metaphorical wedge rather than the literal one as well and still have the Herschel wedge?

James

[sologuitarist61]

I refer the honourable gentleman to the comments I made recently regarding expense and the purchase of a PST

I assume you only got rid of a metaphorical wedge rather than the literal one as well and still have the Herschel wedge?

James

Yep, still have the wedge James - I have a feeling that coming to grips with white light imaging is going to be a piece of cake compared to Ha through the PST - didn't realise that there was so much more to learn, but then, that's half the fun of it isn't it? ISN'T IT???????????