Daystar Quark Hydrogen Alpha Eyepiece

[Joves]

By the way, Luke. Not sure if you've kept up with the posts on CN, but Sean from Daystar posted in response to a bunch of complaining about there being no definitive bandpass guaranteed for either model. He says they tested a chromosphere model to see what it's true bandpass was and it came out at 0.27A. Obviously this will vary at least slightly on the scope it is used in, but sounded pretty darn impressive to me!

[Luke]

I have been glued to the threads, Aaron! I'm very excited about the Quark, can't wait for it to turn up, though I expect I will have to be patient.

Your 110 sounds very handy. I'm so glad I kept my refractors after giving up on deep sky imaging to a large extent. They certainly are coming in handy for solar

[Pig]

Does anyone have any idea on the cost of the battery pack ?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I am now torn between going for an outrageous mod, or getting the quark chromospheric one and sticking into the ST80 or APM80 F/6. I would like an ERF in the optical path so I was tempted by one on ABS, but that is collection from London only. Not really an option. I could try mounting the ERF from the LS35 in the optical pathway, of course.

[Merlin66]

Michael,

For that sized system you'd get away with a 2" Baader 35nm Ha CCD filter in front of the Quark. Slight tilt required....

(I've been testing them as replacement ITF filters in "dead" blocking filters with good success)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Michael,

For that sized system you'd get away with a 2" Baader 35nm Ha CCD filter in front of the Quark. Slight tilt required....

(I've been testing them as replacement ITF filters in "dead" blocking filters with good success)

I had been thinking along those lines as well, thanks for the info. I might get a bigger ERF anyway, as I am planning to go for a bigger solar scope at some point

[Luke]

It's looking like June for my Quark. Can't wait! I'm so excited that I've already got the 2 inch UV/IR filter

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

It's looking like June for my Quark. Can't wait! I'm so excited that I've already got the 2 inch UV/IR filter

I think Merlin66's suggestion of a 2" H-alpha filter as "mini-ERF" is also interesting. I am very curious how you get on with the quark when it arrives

[IanWatkins]

I have a 152mm f/8 refractor, then add this Quark = A Lunt152

[NickK]

Seriously I'd still be worried as not all UV/IR filters are the same and considering people will be using this visually.. may be it's just me but.. still makes me quite twitchy..

[Luke]

This might be a daft idea. But would it be worth as a precaution to use TWO UV/IR cuts? One on the diagonal AND one on the eyepiece? I have a 1.25 filter I could use for the EP.

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Seriously I'd still be worried as not all UV/IR filters are the same and considering people will be using this visually.. may be it's just me but.. still makes me quite twitchy..

You're not the only one.  You only have one set of eyes. I rather dump the extra cash for an ERF. Better safe than to be sorry for the rest of your life.

[IanWatkins]

Also twitchy.

With the Baader Herschel Wedge, Baader are very, very clear in their documentation: do not use any filters before the wedge as they will be getting a lot of energy that could cause them to crack.

I personally would use it with a camera in the first instance and would more likely go with an objective mounted ERF before attempting visual usage. Call me old fashioned.

Cheers

Ian

[Luke]

Some info from Daystar re: using UV/IR cut:

http://www.daystarfilters.com/inout_article_base/index.php?page=view/article/4/UVIR-Cut-Filter-application-for-Refractors

"The UV/IR cut filter is a dielectric coated filter that reflects UV light and IR light like a mirror. It does not absorb light and therefore is not succeptable to heat gain or expansion like colored glass ERF's are."

[jetstream]

Some info from Daystar re: using UV/IR cut:

http://www.daystarfilters.com/inout_article_base/index.php?page=view/article/4/UVIR-Cut-Filter-application-for-Refractors

"The UV/IR cut filter is a dielectric coated filter that reflects UV light and IR light like a mirror. It does not absorb light and therefore is not succeptable to heat gain or expansion like colored glass ERF's are."

Are all UV/IR filters reflective?I don't know but mine is made out of glass that absorbs IR,I'm not sure what the coatings do.Mine is made with KG3 glass,and I was told to place it after my Wedge,by Baader,BeloptiK and the Solarchat people(thanks BTW).http://beloptik.de/en/left/if-uv-ir-cut-on-kg3-infrared-blocking-filter/.Erring on the side of caution might be a good thing.Can't wait to hear your report on the Quark.

[Zakalwe]

You're not the only one.  You only have one set of eyes. I rather dump the extra cash for an ERF. Better safe than to be sorry for the rest of your life.

The same here. I wouldn't fancy the heat load from a 150mm objective being handled by a 2" filter.

[allcart]

This still sounds like a nice option for those wanting to try Ha solar viewing/imaging but don't have a dedicated solar scope. If wonder what advantage the Quark may have over a PST or a Lunt 35 or the new PT50mm except that it can be plugged into a multitude of scopes for different views. But as I already have a 60mm DS module and B1200 that can be used with the same scopes, I don't see that I would gain much by buying a Quark.

This is deffinately a cheaper alternative though.

The best thing I have noticed from the pics on Solarchat is the flat field and lack of sweetspot, but it still remains to be seen whether the quark images can beat a well configured PST mod.

[GuillermoBarrancos]

This still sounds like a nice option for those wanting to try Ha solar viewing/imaging but don't have a dedicated solar scope. If wonder what advantage the Quark may have over a PST or a Lunt 35 or the new PT50mm except that it can be plugged into a multitude of scopes for different views. But as I already have a 60mm DS module and B1200 that can be used with the same scopes, I don't see that I would gain much by buying a Quark.

This is deffinately a cheaper alternative though.

The best thing I have noticed from the pics on Solarchat is the flat field and lack of sweetspot, but it still remains to be seen whether the quark images can beat a well configured PST mod.

But a well configured PST mod will still be far more expensive than the Quark.

I have read time and again of many who have gone through the PST modding, that in the end, when they look back at the amount of Money they had spend on it. They could have just as well bought a Lunt 60Pt BF1200 straight out from the start.

[allcart]

Yes I agree, and I am one who has said it, but I have a few PST modded scopes and a Lunt 60PT DS.  For those people who are just entering the realm of solar observing/imaging, I would suggest the Quark or Lunt 50 as a good starting point, but I still wonder if I would have anything to gain by purchasing a Quark. Its tempting, but I will still wait for more images before considering it further.

[Luke]

re: the UV/IR cut, I don't know if this adds anything new or not:

http://www.company7.com/daystar/products.html

"Looking inside the QUARK (don't ask how Company Seven found out) reveals there are optical blocking components, that are separated from the rest of the assembly, which take the heat. Hence there is no problem using QUARK without an Energy Rejection Filter (ERF) with telescopes of 80mm aperture and smaller. We do recommend an optional UV-IR Cutoff Filter (available from Company Seven) for use with telescopes of greater than 80mm aperture, especially if you will be observing over several hours a day. This filter should be installed in line and ahead of any mirror or prism Diagonal."

I will be easing in, hopefully starting off with a 66mm frac and imaging. I've bought the same UV/IR cut as Daystar use with the Quark, I would want to check they recommend my filter if I had another type. And of course I would always thoroughly read the instructions before using any type of product like this!

The early images are whetting my appetite, they look to me like they go beyond the resolution of a 60mm aperture H-alpha scope, but hopefully things will become clearer as more images come though!

The Quark looks handy for grab-and-go among other things, being able to use one scope to cover three bases: solar h-alpha, solar white light (with a tiny 1.25 inch Herschel wedge), and the night-time stuff.
 

[IanWatkins]

The Quark looks handy for grab-and-go among other things, being able to use one scope to cover three bases: solar h-alpha, solar white light (with a tiny 1.25 inch Herschel wedge), and the night-time stuff.

It's your last paragraph that I am also excited about. I currently use a 152mm f/8 scope for white light with a Baader hershel wedge. Love the idea of removing the wedge only, adding a Quark and viewing in H-alpha. Then putting in a standard diagonal and eyepiece at sunset and continuing to view the night sky.

Cheers

Ian

[GuillermoBarrancos]

It's your last paragraph that I am also excited about. I currently use a 152mm f/8 scope for white light with a Baader hershel wedge. Love the idea of removing the wedge only, adding a Quark and viewing in H-alpha. Then putting in a standard diagonal and eyepiece at sunset and continuing to view the night sky.

Cheers

Ian

But at that aperture you definitely need to mount an ERF on the front!

[Sarah]

But at that aperture you definitely need to mount an ERF on the front!

Yes I agree. Sean at DayStar has stated (I think it was in a thread on CN) that the UV/IR filter is ok up to 150mm. Anything above this needs an ERF in the front. Although I thought I had read somewhere else that this limit for needing to place an ERF at the front was for scopes above 120mm.

[Joves]

I think you're right, Sarah. I'm pretty sure I've seen conflicting apertures along these lines as to when an ERF is needed. I think Luke is wise in planning to try it out on a smaller scope first then work his way up.

[Merlin66]

Having been somewhat responsible for many of the PST mods....I agree it's not the cheapest of options, but until now (maybe?!) it was one of the few things we could do to dramatically increase the aperture and resolution of our Ha system.

I have and use a SM60 double stack on the ED80 as well as the TS102 PST Mod - the PST mod is every bit as good and sometimes better than the SM60 single stack....