Solar observations for beginners

[Dyptorden]

Hi guys,

I own 8inch Dob and I got curious about how does sun look like through a baader solar filter. Based on magnification, will I see lots of details, like prominences, filaments and flares? or will it just look like a white disc with sunspots?

Thank you.

[Mark at Beaufort]

With Baader film you are looking at the Photosphere and therefore you will see sunspots and maybe granulation. Hydrogen Alpha scopes look at the Chromosphere and there you will see Prominences, filaments etc etc.

Many solar observers on this forum enjoy white light observing either with Baader film, or solar glass or a Herschel Wedge. It can be very enjoyable looking at details within a sunspot.

Hydrogen Alpha is also very enjoyable but very expensive.

[Floater]

As Mark writes, with solar film you will see sunspots and granulation - although the granulation can be rather 'subtle'.

However, again as Mark points out, you can pick up on some lovely detail within the sunspots and Active Regions if you ramp up magnification. It's well worth it for what is relatively a small outlay when compared to H-alpha.

Go for it!

[Dyptorden]

Well, my 8inch dob can go to a theoretical magnification of 400x ... so i will use more than 300x at least. There's where I hope I can see something beautiful. Can I get better images if I use at the same time h-alpha filter and baader film?

Thank you,

[Floater]

Well, my 8inch dob can go to a theoretical magnification of 400x ... so i will use more than 300x at least. There's where I hope I can see something beautiful. Can I get better images if I use at the same time h-alpha filter and baader film?

Thank you,

No. These don't work together.

And your maximum magnification will depend on the usual constraints - seeing and other considerations.

Nevertheless, I repeat, go for it. Have a look at 'the star in your back garden'. It's wonderful. But beware, it is addictive and you'll want more ....

[Dyptorden]

and is there anything that can upgrade my views of the Sun through the dobson (except the mandatory Baader film)? I've seen this Baader "Solar Continuum" filter. Does it make a real difference? Are there other additional filters?

Again, thank you very muchm

[spaceboy]

I have white light via a wedge and Ha via a dedicated scope and to be honest both give me as much enjoyment as the other. WL allows me to pick out an amazing amount of detail in sunspots and when the seeing is good the granulation really brings some dimension to the sun's surface. Hydrogen alpha is an expensive game to get in to and for most of us the aperture will be restricted to 35-60mm. For that reason it is hard to achieve masses of resolution on the sun's surface unless you are happy carrying out a stage 1 mod. There is still plenty to see though even in a 35mm Ha scope but nothing like the detail you see in some of the images on this forum.

The trouble is an A4 sheet of Baader film will not cover the entire 8" of aperture on a 200P so you may find you are restricted to the 50mm stop down cap on your dob's dust cover when using Baader solar film. This has a huge impact on the detail you will be able to see in the surface granulation and sunspots will be visible but not to a large degree.

[spaceboy]

and is there anything that can upgrade my views of the Sun through the dobson (except the mandatory Baader film)? I've seen this Baader "Solar Continuum" filter. Does it make a real difference? Are there other additional filters?

Again, thank you very muchm

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/222300-baader-continuum-filter/This might help regards the SC filter

Personally I found a SC didn't work well with solar film but others have found different ??? I guess it depends on your setup ??

[Dyptorden]

The trouble is an A4 sheet of Baader film will not cover the entire 8" of aperture on a 200P

I can find in the shops in my country, 200mm filters, but thank you.

Also, can anyone tell me if I can see flares with the 8inch?

[LukeSkywatcher]

I can find in the shops in my country, 200mm filters, but thank you.

Also, can anyone tell me if I can see flares with the 8inch?

You wont see flares/proms with the white light solar film......no matter what size scope you have. To see those you need a H-Alpha solar observing setup such as a PST or Quark

[Dave In Vermont]

TheBaader Solar-Continuum Filter, which I find can make the granulation of the Sun's surface easier to see, is a bit of fun. I could take it, or leave though. It also turns the Sun a very bright green color. One person I know uses a simple green filter. He says it works about the same as the more expensive Baader S-C filter. I haven't tried this yet, but he has a great deal more experience in viewing the Sun through front-end white-light filters than I, so I tend to take his word on this. So I'd give the less expensive green filter a try before shelling out more money on the Baader offering.

Sunny skies -

Dave

[Peter Drew]

Hello Dyptorden.

Your questions confirm your claim that you are a beginner when it comes to solar viewing. I would stress that you take good notice of the advice being offered, there is a fine line between danger and safety, if you have any doubts get back to the forum for clarification. 

[solarboy]

Hi

If you want to see prominence buy yourself a good PST

SOLARBOY

[Dyptorden]

A PST costs a lot. I was just wondering what equipment do I need in order to get the maximum solar observation quality out of my 8inch newt.

A Baader Film would be ~35e and a Baader SC ~80e while a PST... so much more...

[Moonshane]

I find around 50-100x to be optimum magnification for white light solar. Seeing is more unpredictable in the daytime. Sometimes you get a bit more but you don't gain any detail.

[Moonshane]

I'd also recommend a lunt wedge and a refractor eventually. If possible an ed