Sunspot in White Light on 6/30/2013

[atmenterprises]

Grabbed this yesterday afternoon while wanting to make use of my solar filter and my dob. One shot using my T2I at prime focus.

[Montana]

Great shot

Alexandra

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice. Is that a single frame or did you stack a couple?

[atmenterprises]

Just one shot. I was using the dob. Caught some video using my SPC900 but they didn't stack well so used my T2i instead for a single shot.

[Steve Ward]

Nice one for a single snap ...

I'd aim for a lot faster shutter speed if possible ( don't know what your settings were for this ) and a darker image to start with.

You can tweak the brightness up afterwards but if the original frame is overexposed/saturated there's not much can be done to bring the levels down neatly.

[atmenterprises]

Thanks for the tip Steve. Between trying to get focus and keep the dob on the sun spot I wasn't even thinking about the camera settings.

[Steve Ward]

It's certainly a challenge with a Dob ...

I use my ED80 for my Solar imaging ( or an ST120 if the ED's tied up on the 'dark stuff' ) makes life a lot easier when you're tracking , you can grab 50 or so for stacking ....

There's a great tutorial on Solar Imaging here ..... http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/153712-simple-white-light-solar-imaging/#entry1967606

[atmenterprises]

I didn't use my ED80 because I don't have a solar filter for it. Plus I didn't feel like trying to rough align it in the daytime. Sometimes the dob is just easier for me.

[Steve Ward]

Rough align is all I do , I move the mount to three different positions depending on the time of day and basically just level the mount using the legs not the Alt/Az bolts and point North.

The EQ-G appears much the same as my HEQ5Pro with the Synscan handset so I'm guessing the routine is the same.

I just turn the mount on , press ENTER to all the set-up prompts until it asks about Alignment. Press NO then ENTER for SET-UP mode , scroll to Tracking , select Solar then just unlock the clutches and swing round to the Sun.

Even a rough align will keep you on target well enough to grab plenty of frames for stacking , you may need to tweak it with the handset occasionally to keep centred .

[atmenterprises]

Those are good concise steps! Thanks! Next time I order some astro stuff I'll put a white light filter on my list for the 4".

[Steve Ward]

I'd go with the Baader film , cheaper if you buy a sheet and make your own holder than a ready made cell , I use "embroidery rings" to clamp the film and three bolts to secure , this one's been in use for a year now , pretty much daily .....

If you plan to do observing you need the ND 5.0 film , but if it's for imaging only the ND 3.8 allows more light through and therefore higher shutter speeds can be used , especially when using extra filters eg Continuum or OIII for enhancement.