Solar or Light pollution filter?

[Corkeyno2]

I have a celestron nexstar 4se, and live on the very edge of a large town, so light pollution is kind of a problem. However, i am very interested in observing the sun. I only have enough budget for one at the moment so which one would you recommend? If you would take the time to inform me about the best brands it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Corkey

[Knighty2112]

To be honest I have a LP filter too, however it doesn't really work very well, and doesn't aid hunting down an DSO's really, so you be better off getting the solar filter first off instead. 

[Owmuchonomy]

What are your expectations with what you will observe of the Sun?

[Stu]

I wouldn't necessarily bother with a light pollution filter, they are of limited value. A dark sky is much more beneficial for galaxies.

I would probably try a UHC for your scope to help with emission nebulae.

However, at the moment the sun is probably a better target, so the best option there is a full aperture front filter for your scope, using Baader Astro Solar film. For visual you need the ND5.0 version to make sure the image is not too bright.

You can either buy this as an A4 sheet and make up the filter 'Blue Peter' style using cardboard and tape, or as a more expensive option you can buy a ready made filter but would need to check the exact size needed to fit your scope securely. FLO can advise on this.

All the normal safety advise applies; make sure you fully educate yourself about the dangers before proceeding. Cover or remove your finder scope, never leave the scope unattended in the sun even with the filter fitted. Note that your scope is NOT suitable to be used with a Herschel Wedge, you MUST use a front filter which totally covers the aperture, either all film or a sub aperture mask but full aperture would be best for your 4" scope.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Light pollution filters are of limited use/ability. Better to get to a dark site if possible. Observing the Sun is fun (no pun intended........ok now i sound like Dr. Suess).

A solar filter using the astro film is cheap enough (and apparently easy to make).

If Nebulae are your thing then either a UHC or OIII filter will be great. The UHC is probably the better investment of the 2 because it works on a wider range of nebulae. The OIII works very well on a select type of nebulae.

Nebulae aside..........i'd go for a solar filter.

[bish]

A solar filter was one of the best buys I made. The LP filter hardly gets used.

[Corkeyno2]

3 hours ago, Knighty2112 said:

To be honest I have a LP filter too, however it doesn't really work very well, and doesn't aid hunting down an DSO's really, so you be better off getting the solar filter first off instead. 

Thanks

[Corkeyno2]

Thanks

[acey]

Streetlights used to be a rather dull orange, emitting light at specific wavelengths that could be filtered using neodymium. In most places these days, light pollution is effectively white, which is the colour of sunlight. So the only filter that can genuinely eliminate light pollution is one that would eliminate sunlight. Try the Baader solar film for daytime viewing. And try it at night to see why an effective light pollution filter is nowadays a virtual impossibility. The moon and planets are good targets from a light polluted site - you don't need a dark sky for those. You can also see stars, including interesting doubles and clusters. A nebula filter (UHC etc) can help on some nebulae. But for galaxies, and most DSOs in general, the only way to improve views is to find a darker sky. Nobody expects to go scuba diving in their bath-tub, fishing in the sink, or ski-ing in their garden. Thanks to human-made light pollution, astronomy is nowadays another hobby where a bit of travel is to be expected.

[Corkeyno2]

Thanks again everyone

[Corkeyno2]

16 hours ago, Owmuchonomy said:

What are your expectations with what you will observe of the Sun?

I would like to see some large sunspots and maybe the transit of Venus.

[Stu]

4 minutes ago, Corkeyno2 said:

I would like to see some large sunspots and maybe the transit of Venus.

Sunspots yes, transit of Venus unlikely as it doesn't happen again until 2117! A Mercury transit is probably possible though, they happen more frequently.

EDIT Next Mercury transit is Nov 11th 2019, much more realistic, so long as it is clear!

[Knighty2112]

1 minute ago, Corkeyno2 said:

I would like to see some large sunspots and maybe the transit of Venus.

I hate to tell you this but transits of Venus are very rare. The next one isn't until December 2117!  

[Knighty2112]

However, Mecury transits again in November 2019.  

[Knighty2112]

Stu beat me to it! Hehe!  

[Corkeyno2]

7 hours ago, Knighty2112 said:

I hate to tell you this but transits of Venus are very rare. The next one isn't until December 2117!  

Thanks. Never mind-I'll probably be dead by then lol.

[Corkeyno2]

Lol