the sun

[bruno]

I was thinking of buying a solar filter for the scope, what i was wondering was what will i see, will i see a orange ball or will i be able to see solar flares and things

[Knight of Clear Skies]

You'd be able to see and image sunspots, but a dedicated solar scope is required to see the Sun's atmosphere and prominences. A browse of the solar imaging gallery should give you some idea of what is visible when viewing in white light and Hydrogen Alpha. 

[Umbraldot]

A glass type II white light solar filter will cost you about £80 ish depending upon the size you need for your scope.  Or you can buy a special film made of Mylar called Baader film and make your own which is much cheaper.  Both will give you great views of the solar Photosphere revealing sunspots, faculae and limb darkening.  The glass solar filter produces an orange solar disk whilst Baader film a silvery white disk.  Both give the same detail and its only a matter of which you prefer or can afford!

H-alpha observing is viewing the solar Chromosphere, the solar atmosphere, and needs a more (much more) expensive piece of kit.  Names such as Coronado and Lunt will produce examples on Google if you do a search.  These filters will reveal solar prominences, filaments, plage and flares which are stunning and yes the solar disk is seen as a reddish colour as the H-alpha line is towards the red end of the spectrum.

As suggested already, the solar images section on this forum will show you the differences between white light observing and H-alpha.  White light is extremely rewarding so kick off with that at a low outlay and see how you go.  If you get hooked (and you probably will) H-alpha can follow once the bank balance allows.

Enjoy.

[Byz1453]

Hi Bruno,

As KoCS says check out the Solar sections. In the observing one you will often read about what we experience as it's happening.

There are a number of ways of observing depending on you current kit or going with a dedicated scope, ranging from a few pounds to quite a few thousand...

White light observing is the cheapest and basically shows you the sunspots but in itself is a wonderful way to look at our star and can show up some amazing detail. That can be done reasonably cheaply with good solar film or a Herschel Wedge

Ha viewing needs a dedicated filter or scope and starts off with the likes of a PST or Lunt 35. This shows you the prominences, filaments and flares. It is the way to view the sun change throughout the day.

Check out the reviews in the forum, there has been a spate of purchases recently (including by myself) as the lighter nights come in. They should give you a good idea of what is available.

There is plenty of good advice and experienced observers and imagers on here. Do it safely and it is a lovely way to spend the day.

Enjoy!

Kieran

[bruno]

thanks guys for your replies, will have a look at the gallery & read some of the reviews