Solar film, eyepieces etc

[Fypunky]

Good morning to those who have not been up all night star gazing.

A couple of questions that after searching I can't seem to find the answer for.

1. After watching an old episode of the sky at night they did the show on the sun and showed the baader solar film which got me thinking this would be great for little legs and her new scope, she will be getting the celestron astro m 130 And we have a few extra eye pieces to go with it. Based on this scope could we use all the eye pieces to get better views maybe close ups of the spots and surface (20, 15, 10, 8, 6)?

2. Is there any risk of damage to the scope or eye piece's?

Any other advice would be great.

I was thinking as the weather forecast is not too good making the filter on a rainy day will keep us busy and something else to look forward too And add another facet to her learning.

Cheers

[Fypunky]

Question 3. Forgot to ask you this too.... Would we be better making a filter that covers the whole aperture or a off axis filter for this size of scope?

Many thanks

[Peter Drew]

Provided that the solar filter is properly made and correctly fitted it will be safe for your telescope, eyepieces and your eyes. You could use most of your eyepieces but the Sun does not often take or need high magnification. A full aperture filter would give the best results and is just as safe. There are plenty of instructions explaining how to make the filter on this forum, ready made versions are also available.

[Bizibilder]

As Peter says - but just to add - remove the finder scope (if you have one).  To align with the Sun simply look at the shadow of the scope and adjust accordingly.  It is surprisingly tricky to accurately aim a scope at the Sun!!

While you are making the filter find a little box (I use a plastic "Celebrations" container) to keep it in, the filter should be carefully treated and checked for pinholes or tears before every use - the material is quite tough but it is better to be safe than sorry!

PS The Baader film is packed in an envelope with a piece of clear plastic protective sheet - this is often difficult to see and may be slightly "stuck" to the film - it should be removed.

[JB80]

Normally I have a little bit of film left over to make a filter for the finder scope too, I just make sure I tape it on tight so it wont blow off in the wind or anything.

[Qualia]

You can't go wrong buying Baader's solar film and making yourself your own solar filter. Other than that, you can get them pre-made which isn't always a bad thing: solar filter. Keep it out of reach of potential damage, treat the it well, blow off any dust after use, keep it in a dust tight container and it should last you a very long time. If ever you have doubts about your filter, chuck it and get a new one. Better a little peace of mind, even if costs you a bit of cash, than risking damage to your own your other folks' eyes.

I have found a little morning session each sun shining day is one of the great pleasures of life. It really is a wonder to observe the Sun, sketch and learn about it and to watch it change day to day, season to season. There are some really informative sites about but here are a few you may enjoy:

Space weather.

White Light Solar Phenomena

Sky & Telescope White Light

If you find yourself really getting into white light solar observing, I really feel you can't go wrong with a 4" frac and Herschel Wedge . You might also find these reads worth your time:

Guide to the Sun

Sun Issue 1

New Eyes on the Sun

Other than that I've found around 50x magnification a nice sweet spot for white light observing. A green filter (and I imagine even better) a Baader Continuum filter will bring out subtler detail and will make sunspots, faculae, and granulation more distinct with better contrast.

[Fypunky]

Cheers guys, looks like a new year project for her. I do like the idea of the chocky container to keep it in. Being an optician I would be a bit ocd about making sure it's ok.

[rwilkey]

Hi there, the Baader Solar film is completely safe, make a full aperture filter or buy one already made (as I did).  On the eyepieces front, that sounds like the Celestron Plossl set you have there, yes, you can increase magnification but I find low power is best, so the 20mm will be good, however, wider fiend eyepieces are better I find.  If you have colour filters in the set, the green and the light red/or yellow are good for viewing the sun and for bringing out details.

[Brian123]

Hi, New member and new to scopes, I have just had a new Celestron Astromaster 139EQ purcashed for this Christmas, so I have already started looking at other peoples notes and advice as I am a complete novice, my question is the Celestron 130EQ comes with the standard 10mm & 20mm eyepieces what other eyepieces should I be looking at as I thought I might get these in advance, thanks

[rwilkey]

Hi, New member and new to scopes, I have just had a new Celestron Astromaster 139EQ purcashed for this Christmas, so I have already started looking at other peoples notes and advice as I am a complete novice, my question is the Celestron 130EQ comes with the standard 10mm & 20mm eyepieces what other eyepieces should I be looking at as I thought I might get these in advance, thanks

Hi Brian, the best thing to do would be to use the eyepieces that come with the scope, get used to them and using your new scope, see what your viewing preferences are and then make a more informed choice from there.  Remember, most viewing (esp. deep sky objects) is done at low power.