Solar observation

[CedrikG]

Hi everyone. I have an Orion XT10 Classic Dobsonian telescope which is of course not made for solar observation but I was wondering if it was possible for me to buy those solar filter sheet and build my own sun filter.

[Cornelius Varley]

Yes you can. Remember to use the ND5.0 density film, the ND3.8 density film only suitable for imaging.

[xtreemchaos]

hi mate yer solar film would be fine just make sure theres no gaps and remove your finder or make a filter for it too.clear skys ..charl..

[Appleblossom]

Hey, I have a question about solar observation... I have a Celestron Travelscope D70, if I buy a sun filter (already have one for the moon) will this allow me to view the sun safely?

[Peter Drew]

If you mean a small eyepiece fitting like a Moon filter but darker then most certainly NOT SAFE! The heat generated at the eyepiece end could crack the filter and cause severe eye damage. To safely view the Sun the correct filter must be fitted to cover the complete aperture of the front lens. The other alternative is to use a Herschel Wedge but this is more expensive.