Wratten Filters 101

[John]

I experimented with many of the cheaper filters available then bought decent polished Lumicon and Baader filters in the colours I preferred. I don't know how much difference there is in polished vs cheaper filters but I like to keep anything thats in the optical train as good as I can and even the decent filters aren't bank breakers TBH.

Thats my approach as well Mike although I was happy to try low cost colour filters to test the water. I also tried an expensive Tele Vue Planetary filter and didn't find that compelling either though not because of optical quality. Perhaps I'm not really a "filter person" apart from NBP / O-III !

[philj]

Thats interesting Phil. Do you favour a particular brand / quality level or are they all "much of a muchness" ?

Cant say for sure John as I have only played with Antares and Lumicon. 

The Antares set, the one I started with initially, I now have a 1.25 and 2 inch set. These I used for years with good results.

Then as my eyepiece collection started to include more exotic glass I thought I would put better filters on the front of them instead of the budget Antares and got a few Lumicons.

I cant tell the difference between them    Not for want of trying either

My thoughts are, if you've spent a lot on eyepieces then by all means go for the more expensive ones if you cant bring yourself to put a 7 quid filter on the front of a 300 quid plus eyepiece but if you want to use the cheaper ones then they work fine.

[philj]

How do your observations tally with the effects filters have in planetary observing as stated in my original post? Would you agree with them overall or do you find certain colours work better for certain planetary characteristics and phenomena? I did find yellow and orange filters useful for daylight lunar observing as they tended to turn the blue sky black and provided more contrast.

Pretty much the same. Based on Antares info I did this chart to help illustrate what filters help with what planet and features. I usually spend ages on viewing planets anyway when they are favourable and go through all the filters just to see what pops out.

I haven't tried other filters outside of the standard planetary sets yet though.

I often use an old Baader contrast Booster which helps with Jupiter especially, sometimes Mars.

Im messing with variable polarising filters as well for lunar and double stars, well I was till I stepped on it in the obs one night  Got another now so hope to resume testing whenever the weather changes

One of my favourites though is #80 Blue, this is great on Mars and Jupiter as a general toning down filter which helps significantly with low contrast features.

I remember one SGL sitting with my 4" F15 with a 1.25 80 filter in on one side of my pitch and my 5" EDT with a 2" 80 filter in it on the other side of my pitch. I just flitted from one to the other on Mars for ages getting really faint stuff out. It was excellent on Saturn as well that night.

Antares Filter Set.pdf

[Mak the Night]

Pretty much the same. Based on Antares info I did this chart to help illustrate what filters help with what planet and features. I usually spend ages on viewing planets anyway when they are favourable and go through all the filters just to see what pops out.

I haven't tried other filters outside of the standard planetary sets yet though.

I often use an old Baader contrast Booster which helps with Jupiter especially, sometimes Mars.

Im messing with variable polarising filters as well for lunar and double stars, well I was till I stepped on it in the obs one night  Got another now so hope to resume testing whenever the weather changes

One of my favourites though is #80 Blue, this is great on Mars and Jupiter as a general toning down filter which helps significantly with low contrast features.

I remember one SGL sitting with my 4" F15 with a 1.25 80 filter in on one side of my pitch and my 5" EDT with a 2" 80 filter in it on the other side of my pitch. I just flitted from one to the other on Mars for ages getting really faint stuff out. It was excellent on Saturn as well that night.

OK thanks, that's really interesting. I shall study this more and maybe try and persevere with filters, but I will almost certainly need more aperture. I will try planetary observing with my binoviewer and a filter as well I think. The stereoscopic view may be more conducive to revealing detail.

[philj]

Aperture isnt everything though, I remember 2 Mars oppossitions ago using my 80mm f15 Towa with filters on Mars, I was astounded at the detsil that was coming through, however Mars was really favourably placed, close and high up.

[Mak the Night]

Aperture isnt everything though, I remember 2 Mars oppossitions ago using my 80mm f15 Towa with filters on Mars, I was astounded at the detsil that was coming through, however Mars was really favourably placed, close and high up.

Yes, a lot depends on conditions. I'm fortunate in that I live in the greenbelt and don't suffer terribly from LP. So the Mak I have is very convenient both in portability and ability. Bigger aperture doesn't hurt though lol!

[allen g]

I find them to give an artificial color to planets.  I do like the TV planetary filter - it works well and give a natural view. 

[Mak the Night]

I find them to give an artificial color to planets.  I do like the TV planetary filter - it works well and give a natural view. 

I may get one when I get the bigger SCT I want.