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Solar - Quark vs PST mod?


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A PST mod was the old way, but the Quarks have, frankly, revolutionised solar viewing and imaging, making a single telescope useful for night and day observations, whereas a PST mod usually meant sacrificing an older tube for dedicated use.

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but without an etalon, would that mean i would need to choose either chromosphere or promience models? Thats if my understanding of what an etalon does is right (helps you focus on either chromo or prom?)

 

and viewing the sun with a quark + refractor wouldnt heat up your refractor to damage it?

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Quarks are excellent devices, if you get a good one. The negatives are having to power them and wait for them to warm up, plus changing the bandwidth takes time rather than instantly with a PST or other similar tuning mechanisms.

The other thing to consider is that they have a x4.2 Barlow built in, so it is sometimes a challenge to keep the magnification low enough for the seeing conditions. Long focal length Plossl work well for this.

I think one of the best combinations I've seen is with the 152mm f5.9 scopes, the aperture gives lovely resolution, the optics are pretty well corrected and the focal length is short enough to keep the mag reasonable. A great way to get to large aperture Ha viewing.

I have a very nice Stage 1 100mm PST mod which is excellent for high power binoviewing although it will also do lower mags without a Barlow using a single eyepiece. They are all nice options, I guess the other advantage of the Quark is that no DIY is needed.

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6 minutes ago, b16707 said:

but without an etalon, would that mean i would need to choose either chromosphere or promience models? Thats if my understanding of what an etalon does is right (helps you focus on either chromo or prom?)

 

and viewing the sun with a quark + refractor wouldnt heat up your refractor to damage it?

I think most people choose the Chromosphere version because it gives nicer surface detail whilst still showing the proms beautifully.

You are recommended to use a D-ERF above a certain aperture, can't recall what level but provided you follow the guidelines you won't have any trouble.

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good to know. ill do some more research on the quark. seems like a good thing to get so i dont need to mod a PST.

why does the daystar quark need a battery or theres mention of a battery option?

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6 minutes ago, b16707 said:

good to know. ill do some more research on the quark. seems like a good thing to get so i dont need to mod a PST.

why does the daystar quark need a battery or theres mention of a battery option?

 The etalon works via heating to a certain temperature which needs the power supply, can be a battery or mains adaptor of the correct type. It is mentioned in this link

https://www.daystarfilters.com/Quark.shtml

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12 minutes ago, b16707 said:

good to know. ill do some more research on the quark. seems like a good thing to get so i dont need to mod a PST.

why does the daystar quark need a battery or theres mention of a battery option?

Daystar solar telescopes work on a different system to produce a Hydrogen-alpha image to those of other manufactures that use glass etalons. The Daystars employ a mica chip whose transmission bandwidth depends mainly on its temperature, hence the need for a controlled heater unit powered by a battery.

The economics of solar viewing are governed by whatever you may already have. If you have a suitable refractor then you just need a Quark to fit to it. If you have only a PST you need a refractor of ideally F10 focal ratio and an energy rejection filter for a mod. Either arrangement is capable of excellent performance with the caveat that all Quarks and PST's have a degree of variability.

A PST mod can be configured to be usable for solar and night time viewing with little change in assembly and even the PST can be reused in its original format. ?

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Hi, apologies for repeating on some of the points above.

I just got into solar imaging starting off in white light with a Baader Solar Filter and a Nexstar 6SE and wanted to progress into the Ha space. I am not technically minded but have done some research based on my budget and opted for a Quark Chromosphere over a Lunt or PST.

What pushed me in that direction? Well for me it was about having a scope that can work in the day time during the summer months and then as the nights get longer provide a viable deep sky option too. As I say budget being key.

So what did I go for? Well, I chose a William Optics Z61 plus the Quark mentioned above. I understand up to 100mm aperture there is no need to have an ERG on the front of the tube but a IV/UR cut filter is recommeded  (also for night time astrophotography too - two birds one stone).

For a camera, I use a ZWO ASI120mm-s.

Downside for all of this?

Well, firing up the Quark for starters. It’s just a case of planning ahead as you setup and plug it in to heat up before you set up your scope and mount. For power I use a solar power bank (why not, your imaging in the sun!). Amazon have the following for sale and it’s works well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/24000mAh-PLOCHY-Portable-Lightning-Charging/dp/B077BBCNH6?pd_rd_wg=rh8dN&pd_rd_r=1f71060d-f1c6-47ce-87b0-f7f4ebcecb51&pd_rd_w=zHR6A&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=VKJG5YQVD45H2VF902CN&pf_rd_p=14f91171-0541-58ad-938b-3aec945f4cb7

Second is the x4.2 Barlow built into the Quark. For the scope I have this means that I cannot view the full disc of the sun, however, I can focus on activity on the surface and adjusting the quark and camera further, view prominences. There are some great how to guides on You Tube if you wish to learn more - search under “Solar Image Processing” and also check out the guides here on SGL under Solar Imaging.

I would also encourage you to look at the images taken by other solar observers.....it gives you a good idea of what is possible and don’t forget to also ask what gear they use to achieve those images.

For me, having the flexibility of day and night time observing was key. What would I like to have? Well a full disc image with my Z61 would be great but I understand, and correct me if I’m wrong, I would need to change camera. I am currently looking at  a ZWO ASI174MM as it looks to provide a wider field of view (not full disc but it looks possible to take 4 images and build a mosaic of a full disc) so I would be interested to hear people’s thoughts on this.

Have fun, observe safely and if you haven’t read this already the following is a cracking read:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/15-Million-Degrees-Journey-Centre/dp/0670922188

 

John

 

 

 

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29 minutes ago, Hughsie said:

Hi, apologies for repeating on some of the points above.

I just got into solar imaging starting off in white light with a Baader Solar Filter and a Nexstar 6SE and wanted to progress into the Ha space. I am not technically minded but have done some research based on my budget and opted for a Quark Chromosphere over a Lunt or PST.

What pushed me in that direction? Well for me it was about having a scope that can work in the day time during the summer months and then as the nights get longer provide a viable deep sky option too. As I say budget being key.

So what did I go for? Well, I chose a William Optics Z61 plus the Quark mentioned above. I understand up to 100mm aperture there is no need to have an ERG on the front of the tube but a IV/UR cut filter is recommeded  (also for night time astrophotography too - two birds one stone).

For a camera, I use a ZWO ASI120mm-s.

Downside for all of this?

Well, firing up the Quark for starters. It’s just a case of planning ahead as you setup and plug it in to heat up before you set up your scope and mount. For power I use a solar power bank (why not, your imaging in the sun!). Amazon have the following for sale and it’s works well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/24000mAh-PLOCHY-Portable-Lightning-Charging/dp/B077BBCNH6?pd_rd_wg=rh8dN&pd_rd_r=1f71060d-f1c6-47ce-87b0-f7f4ebcecb51&pd_rd_w=zHR6A&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=VKJG5YQVD45H2VF902CN&pf_rd_p=14f91171-0541-58ad-938b-3aec945f4cb7

Second is the x4.2 Barlow built into the Quark. For the scope I have this means that I cannot view the full disc of the sun, however, I can focus on activity on the surface and adjusting the quark and camera further, view prominences. There are some great how to guides on You Tube if you wish to learn more - search under “Solar Image Processing” and also check out the guides here on SGL under Solar Imaging.

I would also encourage you to look at the images taken by other solar observers.....it gives you a good idea of what is possible and don’t forget to also ask what gear they use to achieve those images.

For me, having the flexibility of day and night time observing was key. What would I like to have? Well a full disc image with my Z61 would be great but I understand, and correct me if I’m wrong, I would need to change camera. I am currently looking at  a ZWO ASI174MM as it looks to provide a wider field of view (not full disc but it looks possible to take 4 images and build a mosaic of a full disc) so I would be interested to hear people’s thoughts on this.

Have fun, observe safely and if you haven’t read this already the following is a cracking read:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/15-Million-Degrees-Journey-Centre/dp/0670922188

 

John

 

 

 

Thanks John @Hughsie, so if you wanted the flex of day and night activites, why didnt you go the route of getting an erf and using your 6in sct with a quark? This was actually the 2nd route i was considering. Was it because the sct is too narrow of a field of view?

 

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Good question. The issue, so I understand, is an SCT at 6 inches aperture is not good news even with an erf. I assume it’s because a 1500mm sct plus x4.2 Barlow would be too much magnification plus a bad idea for the mirror inside. Basically, “yes”to your question. See below

 

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27 minutes ago, Hughsie said:

Good question. The issue, so I understand, is an SCT at 6 inches aperture is not good news even with an erf. I assume it’s because a 1500mm sct plus x4.2 Barlow would be too much magnification plus a bad idea for the mirror inside. Basically, “yes”to your question. See below

 

There is a Quark without the Barlow element design specifically for SCTs and long focal length refractors. You can use an off axis sub aperture erg to save the cost of a 6" one, but I guess it would be pretty small, and 8" SCT would be better in that regard I think.

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my thoughts exactly too a sct would be too much of a narrow view. how great would it be if i could have less gear overall and just reuse my 8 sct!!

i do like the williams z61 however. Ive been always considering that scope ever since i got into AP.

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I bought a Quark Chrom a few months back. The scope I planned to use it in was a 70mm travel scope and Horizon 8115 tripod. After spending about 1.5k on the Quark, I decided to upgrade the scope and tripod. I got a Bresser AR 102 X's and an AZ5 tripod and mount. Brilliant setup and the scope can be used at night. 

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2 hours ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

I bought a Quark Chrom a few months back. The scope I planned to use it in was a 70mm travel scope and Horizon 8115 tripod. After spending about 1.5k on the Quark, I decided to upgrade the scope and tripod. I got a Bresser AR 102 X's and an AZ5 tripod and mount. Brilliant setup and the scope can be used at night. 

hmm that Bresser AR 102 seems to also be in my pricepoint. Why that scope in particular? And not say, a comparable one from Celestron (102 XLT Omni perhaps)?

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5 minutes ago, b16707 said:

hmm that Bresser AR 102 seems to also be in my pricepoint. Why that scope in particular? And not say, a comparable one from Celestron (102 XLT Omni perhaps)?

It was recomended by Johninderby. I liked the specs and the price. 

OK, ok................i liked it because it looks beautiful. The best thing about it is that for a Refrac, it has very little CA.

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39 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

It was recomended by Johninderby. I liked the specs and the price. 

OK, ok................i liked it because it looks beautiful. The best thing about it is that for a Refrac, it has very little CA.

Nice, hows the focuser on that?

Looks like its discontinued. Looks like used ones are few and far in between.

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The focuser is silky smooth. Its lovely. I cant imagine the scope is discontinued. It was only released in 2017.

Where have you looked for it?.  I bought mine from here:

https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/10/m,Bresser?page=1

OR 

https://www.bresser.de/en/Astronomy/BRESSER-Messier-AR-102xs-460-Hexafoc-Optical-Tube.html

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7 minutes ago, b16707 said:

agena says discont' https://agenaastro.com/bresser-messier-ar102-refractor-telescope.html

Is the focuser all metal? two step?

Thats strange. Its still available on the links above. Yes, the focuser is all metal.

https://www.bresser.de/en/Astronomy/BRESSER-Messier-AR-102xs-460-Hexafoc-Optical-Tube.html

2 step?.

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50 minutes ago, b16707 said:

agena says discont' https://agenaastro.com/bresser-messier-ar102-refractor-telescope.html

Is the focuser all metal? two step?

b16707 - It appears you are based in the United States. The scope that Paul @LukeSkywatcherwas referring to is a Bresser AR-102xs which is a fast f4.5 short focal length refractor. It was introduced about 18 months ago in Europe and is still very much available. The scope you referred to in your thread has a focal length of 9.8 hence the recommended fast scope for a quark.

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28 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

b16707 - It appears you are based in the United States. The scope that Paul @LukeSkywatcherwas referring to is a Bresser AR-102xs which is a fast f4.5 short focal length refractor. It was introduced about 18 months ago in Europe and is still very much available. The scope you referred to in your thread has a focal length of 9.8 hence the recommended fast scope for a quark.

Dont know why i missed that. I tend not to click on links.

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