Coronado PST?

[Manok101]

I was seriously considering getting this scope, especially co soldering that the bigger version doesn't seem to be all that bulky, and was wondering of any of you have either the smaller or larger version and if its worth getting?

[Merlin66]

Hmmmm

The Coronado PST only comes in one size.

The standard PST is a 40mm aperture.

Which versions are you looking at???

[lukebl]

The basic PST is a fine little scope. Expensive admittedly, but it opens up a whole new world of observing. Its small size makes it perfect for grab-and-go, and currently gets more use than any of my other kit. It can also capture reasonable images:

[mallorcasaint]

Love the PST. Spend many hours observing and imaging the Sun!

[Manok101]

There was a 90 mm one I thought? Maybe I'm dreaming lol.

[Merlin66]

You may have been thinking about the Coronado SolarMax range of Ha telescopes, they came in 40/60/ and 90mm apertures.

[Peter Drew]

And a lot more £££'s.

[Luke]

I've got the Solar Max II 60mm, and it's been a revelation and really got me into solar. It is far more capable for imaging than I realised when I got it, which was really meant to be for visual.

It's only recently I've had a go at imaging with it, after having to cut back on deep sky imaging. I was then absolutely blown away and amazed when I looked at sites like Paul Haese's - if you check some of his 2011/12 shots in this link and check the descriptions, they should be with a Solar Max 60 (I think Paul has since upgraded to a Lunt 80):

http://paulhaese.net...ar Mosaics.html

The plus point for me of the Solar Max is that it seems fairly well priced compared to other options.

Things commonly seen as weak points include the helical focuser, which some people find tricky to focus with (I get on okay with mine but would prefer a dual-speed Crayford focuser); the lack of pressure tuning (but that costs bucks in other makes); and a blob of glue inside the blocking filter diagonal (which doesn't seem to affect the optics - it's more a cosmetic thing).

All in all, I absolutely love mine, and though it seems expensive, I have had so much usage out of it this year and am having a lot of fun imaging with it. I would very much recommend it but best to compare it against other makes as well. I'd probably have gone for a Lunt with pressure tuning if budget allowed, or a Solar Scope SF-70, but I'm very happy with my scope considering the price I paid.

I've used it both single and double stacked. Single stack really shows up the proms nicely, making them brighter than when double stacked. But double stacking gives much more contrast on the disc, making the active regions more interesting to look at. I used a single stack on holiday and towards the end I did miss the double stack, but a single stack is still mind-blowing and you can always double stack later if you want.

The Solar Max 60 is quite a compact, portable scope. I have not seen a 90 in the flesh but have seen many people comment on that they are quite big and heavy. The PST is of course ultra-portable and as seen by LukeBL's image, they are better than you might think for imaging!

Hope that helps. Any questions, please let me know.

Here's one of my images taken with it, in an inverted style:

[LukeSkywatcher]

Fantastic image,Luke.

[JamesF]

Fantastic image,Luke.

It is indeed. And the size of some of those proms compared with the Earth is just astonishing.

Solar scopes should all have an "Earth to the same scale" feature so you can get some sense of what you're looking at whilst viewing

James

[MooMoo]

Looks a good grab and go scope, that is., it grabs your wallet and goes.

[Brian Nordstrom]

I have a SolarMax 40 and it shows lots of detail on the suns surface and promenances , you don't really need a large aperture to view the sun , its plenty bright enough .

And yes Ha solar observing is so addictive , I love it and so will you .

Brian.

[Manok101]

I've bee looking at the various types of scopes and was wondering about the blocking thing they all mention, what does that do for the viewing?

[Merlin66]

Manok,

To achieve the very tight narrowband filter of 0.7A - the scope needs a full set of three filter elements:

The ERF (Energy Rejection Filter) to reduce the amount of solar energy going through the scope

A Fabry-Perot etalon which provides the 0.7A bandpass filter, but across the whole spectrum

and the "blocking filter" - this effectively blocks all the other wavelengths going through the etalon and just leaves the Ha wavelength visible.

Very complex, very sophisticated and very expensive.....

Hope this helps.

[JamesF]

I have a SolarMax 40 and it shows lots of detail on the suns surface and promenances , you don't really need a large aperture to view the sun , its plenty bright enough .

It's not just about brightness though. It's also resolution.

James