APM 1.25" Herschel Wedge

[russ.will]

Indeed - It is only applicable in terms of Qualia's TAL 100RS.

Russell

[Helen]

My herschel wedge from APM arrived today :-) In the case is only the polarising filter, should I have a separate ND3 filter? or is it built in? If I am missing the filter is there an alternative I can use while I contact APM and get a replacement? I've got a moon filter, Ha, neodymium, rgb would any of these do even just for photographic use?

Thanks

Helen

[russ.will]

It's pre-screwed onto the bottom of the eyepiece holder.

Russell

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[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

There are two types I have seen, those with the ND3 filter built in, and those with a separate one (mine is the latter type). The could have screwed the ND3 filter in place already. You had better check, because you cannot use the wedge without it. The EP holder of the wedge can be unscrewed, and it should reveal the ND3 filter at the bottom

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

It's pre-screwed onto the bottom of the eyepiece holder.

Russell

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Mine was not, I had to screw it in. Please do check

[Ben Ritchie]

Mine arrived on Monday, and the ND3 filter was already in place - the polarizing filter was in a separate little bag. The eyepiece holder unscrews, so very easy to check.

[Qualia]

If possible, I'd still be interested in hearing if this is a 'worthy' upgrade from the Baader Solar Filter for purely visual work?

I appreciate that the term 'worthy' is ambiguous but as written above, if someone asked me would it be worth upgrading from the scope's supplied 10mm Plossl, to say, something like a Tele Vue plossl, I'd say, yes, without hesitation. Is it that kind of difference being seen?

[Ben Ritchie]

Depends on how much white-light viewing you do, I think. My APM/Lunt one gives the best white-light views of the Sun i've seen, very nice and crisp in the TV76, but it's a fair bit more expensive than solar film. So if money is tight and you only go out for an occasional look then it's probably not really worth it, but f you enjoy white-light viewing then I think a Herschel wedge is well worth the money; the APM/Lunt one in particular is good value, even if it is a bit more expensive now than it once was.

[Helen]

Thanks guys, yes it was screwed in. Shame the sun has gone now... ho hum

Helen

[russ.will]

Mine was not, I had to screw it in. Please do check

Quite right and it's easy to check too.If you look down the EP tube and it looks like a black piece of glass down there, then it's been preinstalled. If it looks like a clear piece of glass in there and you can see the inside of the body of the wedge, then it's not.

Russell

[Mark at Beaufort]

I bought the 1.25" Lunt Herschel wedge at the International Astro Show last month and the ND3 filter was built in. I also bought the Baader Continuum filter. I found the initial viewing using just the Continuum filter slightly too bright so I now also use a polarising filter which I already had.

I use the Wedge on my 4" Astro Tech APO with binoviewers. The view is the best visual experience of the Sun that I have ever had. The sunspots are crisp and I have seen granulation across the whole surface. I have used Orion and Thousand Oaks glass filters and Baader film and there is no comparison.

Yes it costs but if you enjoy solar viewing then its worth it.

Mark

[Qualia]

Thanks Ben and Mark. That was just the kind of info I was looking for and thank you for taking the time in replying. Since puchasing a filter back in September, I've tried to view the sun on every non-cloudy or non-compromised day but since March we've just been having way to many It's already June and I've never seen anything like it; another weekend of storms and thick cloud forecasted. I think the best thing to do is to start saving and when I arrive at the given price decide to go for the wedge, or continue saving another whole load of months and go for a small PST. Once again, thank you for your replies