Show us your Solar Observing Equipment

[Floater]

11 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Hi Floater, it's actually the newt (NT) focuser you want - not the frac one. Baader # 2957030 -  2" NT Steeltrack Crayford, bf 30mm. £149 at 365astronomy. All you do is remove the newt adapter plate it comes with (with a hex screw) and the focuser fits the LS60 perfectly. If you look back at alanjgreen's posts on page 3 of this thread there's a bit more information. It's a terrific upgrade for binoviewing - so much more robust than the stock focuser - and the light path reduction is a bonus.

Excellent. Thanks, Mark.

I had forgotten some of the earlier stuff in the thread because I wasn't using/attempting to use a BV back then.

Now off to plan my justification case for funding ... ??

EDIT: That was easy! She's an angel. Focuser ordered. (After ordering remembered my Lunt is tilt tuned ... hope it fits! ??)

Edited September 28, 2017 by Floater

[Highburymark]

10 hours ago, Floater said:

Excellent. Thanks, Mark.

I had forgotten some of the earlier stuff in the thread because I wasn't using/attempting to use a BV back then.

Now off to plan my justification case for funding ... ??

EDIT: That was easy! She's an angel. Focuser ordered. (After ordering remembered my Lunt is tilt tuned ... hope it fits! ??)

Great - glad you've been able to take advantage of the 365 deal. Presume the tilt tuned LS60 uses the same focuser as the pressure tuned - am sure the Steeltrack will fit. If not it's an easy return. Keep us posted.

[Floater]

 

2 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Great - glad you've been able to take advantage of the 365 deal. Presume the tilt tuned LS60 uses the same focuser as the pressure tuned - am sure the Steeltrack will fit. If not it's an easy return. Keep us posted.

Ah, but there's a fly in the ointment - my Lunt has a Moonlite focuser fitted, in place when I bought it. Nothing like muddying the waters to keep things interesting!

Blue sky thinking would see me slot in the Steeltrack and find a way to fit the Moonlite onto my TV76. Then again, how often is there blue sky? ?

[Highburymark]

Hmmm. There my knowledge runs out Floater. Though if I had a TV76 I'd be too happy to worry about a replacement focuser ?

[Floater]

On 07/01/2016 at 18:37, paulastro said:

I'm hoping this topic hasn't already been posted elsewhere or I'll feel pretty foolish!!  I enjoy looking at (and through of course!)  what other setups people are using for their solar observing so perhaps people would like to share images of their solar equipment here?  It would be particularly of interest to see PST Mods and other bespoke setups.  Mine is pictured below - a Lunt 60mm scope with a 1200 BF and standard tuning - not pressure tuned.  It is double-stacked with a Lunt 60mm etalon.

The camera attached is an Olympus E-M5 (macro 4/3 CSC) which I use for taking full disk pictures.

The mount in use is a Vixen Porta of course, and I sometimes use a SW AZ4. 

Wonderful to see how this thread has unfurled - and I'm aware that I am guilty of sometimes turning it into a personal conversation. Please forgive. ?

Glad you started it, Paul. Could you have envisaged that 18+ months later, albeit with a hiatus, it would still be running? What's your setup now?

[paulastro]

Many thanks for your kind words Gordon, it's given me great pleasure to follow the many interesting posts that have been added to it.  It's funny you write this now, I looked at the thread only yesterday and thought how it had progressed far past any expectations I had.  In fact when I started it I wandered if it would be  a damp squib.

Alas, I don't have an HA setup myself now, I had to sell the 60mm DS for financial reasons some time ago.  I have an Equinox 80 that I use for taking snaps and observing in white light which I enjoy.  I'm also very fortunate in that I live within easy striking distance of The Astronomy Centre nr Todmorden where Pete Drew kindly lets me use his fine solar equipment, especially a fine 6 inch f10 PST Mod which we took to Kelling last week where many others had the opportunity to use it.

Here's a pic taken of the 6inch Mod at Kelling on our pitch, with the excellent 8 inch reflecting binoscope also made by Peter.

[Merlin66]

Not much changed since the 2012 set-up....

The Baader wedge has been "adapted" to just a ND1.6 configuration (temporarily) to allow the Omega CaK filter stack to be tested.

The 100mm Spectroheliograph is semi-operational - the weather has significantly reduced the opportunities to do final testing....

 

 

[garryblueboy]

My New Solar set up thanks to Gavstar for the mount now complete tried my first session with bio viewer today wow 

[Wobbly Bob]

Finally got the rig together, Solarmax 60mm double stack with BF15, dodgy mount needing something a bit more accurate than push and shove, Altair Astro gp-cam, a Think Tank cover and my sons laptop.  

[Floater]

Looking good, Bob. Enjoy.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Floater

[niallk]

On 30/09/2017 at 00:11, paulastro said:

Here's a pic taken of the 6inch Mod at Kelling on our pitch, with the excellent 8 inch reflecting binoscope also made by Peter.

Wow - I'd love to look through both of those scopes ... Or should I say all three ? !  

Edited October 14, 2017 by niallk

[paulastro]

Niallk, the 6inch mod will be at Kelling next year from Sept 6th to 10th, along with Peter and myself, and you'd be welcome to look through it then  if you can make it .  Of course if you can ever make it up to TAC you could try it out  there - Peter uses it on virtually every sunny day.

[niallk]

@paulastro thanks for the generous offer! I'm based over in Ireland, but some year I might get to take a trip over!  It would be great to meet folk and see their gear... especially those hand crafted unique scopes 

[paulastro]

You'd be most welcome, it would be good to see you. 

[Highburymark]

On 12/09/2017 at 21:07, Floater said:

Looking good, Mark. I'd be very interested to hear about your binoviewing experience with the new set-up. I'm currently battling with my Lunt 60 and WO Optics BVs. I'm strongly attracted to the idea of binoviewing and spurred on by those who rave about it. But focus is an issue (2x Barlow or PowerMate only), balance can be challenging and trying to find EPs which don't produce unmanageable magnifications is ongoing. ? (Bought a couple of cheap 30mm Plossls but a complete waste of time!)

I'm also aware that some folks say they just don't get on with binoviewers. I'm trying to stay out of that group ... ??

Just wondering how you're getting on with solar binoviewing Floater? I've found the LS60/Steeltrack focuser/WO binoviewer with 1.6x Barlow combination to work very well at usable magnifications.

There's a new Baader binoviewer coming in the spring - sounds like it will be a premium product but half the price of the MkV. My plan was save some pennies for that but so enjoying the WO that may just hold on to this one.

[Floater]

Solar binoviewing going well enough, Mark, thanks. And I’m glad you’re enjoying it, too.

I decided against replacing my Moonlite focuser and took the route of using longer EPs to help manage the magnification. I also picked up one of the WO 2x nosepieces which were on offer from Astroboot. That was a good purchase, I think.

I’m using TV 25mm plossls, mostly. I found the cheap 30mm plossls are usable - once I discovered where to put my head! The eye relief is enormous and I have to float above them.

Altogether happy enough but I would still put myself in the ‘learning’ category ... ?? 

[Peter Drew]

There certainly is a learning curve with Ha viewing, I've been doing so for over 15 years and still finding techniques for improvement! 

[Moonshane]

Agreed about constant learning. Sounds almost like science ?. I use TV plossls too and made some eyeguards for them which helps with HA. 

 

[Highburymark]

5 hours ago, Floater said:

Solar binoviewing going well enough, Mark, thanks. And I’m glad you’re enjoying it, too.

I decided against replacing my Moonlite focuser and took the route of using longer EPs to help manage the magnification. I also picked up one of the WO 2x nosepieces which were on offer from Astroboot. That was a good purchase, I think.

I’m using TV 25mm plossls, mostly. I found the cheap 30mm plossls are usable - once I discovered where to put my head! The eye relief is enormous and I have to float above them.

Altogether happy enough but I would still put myself in the ‘learning’ category ... ?? 

Glad to hear it, and agree about the learning curve. I had to return the first Steeltrack focuser, but the new one is working very well. Maybe not quite as well engineered as the Moonlite. I'm using 15mm and 20mm TV plossls and 25mm Fujiyama orthos - similar eye relief challenges but the views are stunning

[John]

Can't recall if I've posted these for a while. White Light and H-Alpha setups. SGL mug on seat !:

 

 

[DRT]

Very nice, John. Is that a FeatherTouch on the Lunt 50? 

[John]

6 hours ago, DRT said:

Very nice, John. Is that a FeatherTouch on the Lunt 50? 

Yes it is Derek. Single speed but very nice to operate. I have the original helical focuser as well but the Feathertouch seems a lot better.

 

[DRT]

1 hour ago, John said:

Yes it is Derek. Single speed but very nice to operate. I have the original helical focuser as well but the Feathertouch seems a lot better.

 

Yip - me too  

They are definitely a big improvement on the stock helical focuser.

[Sunshine]

I did the unthinkable and pointed my scope through a double pane window in my living room in a desperate attempt to have a look at the sun!

its November here in southern Ontario Canada and typically the sun does not show itself at all, if its not overcast its fog, if it isn't fog its snow, if not snow then endless steady rain!!!!!.

I WAS DESPERATE PEOPLE!!!

[DRT]

5 hours ago, Sunshine said:

I did the unthinkable and pointed my scope through a double pane window in my living room in a desperate attempt to have a look at the sun!

its November here in southern Ontario Canada and typically the sun does not show itself at all, if its not overcast its fog, if it isn't fog its snow, if not snow then endless steady rain!!!!!.

I WAS DESPERATE PEOPLE!!!

And how did it go? Did you get any good observing? ?