Solar Observing

[Tenby2]

Hi. I'm not really new to astronomy but new to Solar observing. I would like to buy a 50 or 60mm hydrogen alpha filtered solar scope with a budget of around £1500 what you some of you recommend!

I only really intend to observe, at least for now before I try any solar photography and like the look and feel of the Lunt equipment. I say feel because a friend of mine has a Lunt 60mm double stack with a few other bits added. I don't really the funds to stretch that far, but maybe could add to a set up when funds allow.

Is there a big difference between single and double stack?

Is it worth the extra dosh?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Mark

The above might not be in the best forum, feel free to move it if you see fit.

Edited July 19, 2019 by Tenby2
added note

[Peter Drew]

Double stacking a Ha solar telescope reduces the bandwidth of the original instrument. This significantly improves the contrast of surface detail at the expense of the prominences due to the darker image. It's pretty much down to considering which aspect you prefer. Imaging gains the most benefit. Good as the Lunt versions are, the recently offered Daystar Solar Scout could be a good compromise between performance and price.   😀

[Highburymark]

If there were a few more detailed positive reviews, I'd also recommend the Solar Scout. It's such excellent value, and it does seem as if Daystar has improved the consistency of the Quark technology that the Solar Scout employs. But there are still so few user reviews online (as opposed to magazine reviews, which I can't help feel are testing hand picked examples). The alternative is a Lunt 50 - very nice little scope, and opportunity to double stack at a later date. Trouble is, the Lunt 50 DS is more than three times the price of the Solar Scout. I think if I were starting out I'd go for the Daystar - from a trusted dealer like FLO in case of any problems

Edited July 20, 2019 by Highburymark

[Nigella Bryant]

I got hold of a 60mm lunt pressure tuned single stack for £1250 second hand. I do intend to double stack when funds allow and a double stack comes on the market second hand. I prefer just being able to set up and observe/image straight away as weather permits. That with the skywatcher Solarquest Mount it's great. Can't say about other scopes but second one's are usually half the cost and the way to go. Attached are a few images I've taken using the above equipment and a zwo asi120mm camera. There's not a lot disk activity at the moment but some good spot group's and prominence now and again. Hope that helps. 

Edited July 20, 2019 by Nigella Bryant

[Tenby2]

Fabulous  and inspiring shots well done. 

I have the chance to buy my friends lunt 60mm double stacked pressure tuner etc with goto mount at an excellent price. But funds are low. I'm trying to sell my current Heq5/925 set up and intend to go back to a much missed 8se. That purchase is not dependant on the sale of my old set up. I was hoping to use sale to part purchase my friends solar scope. 

I wonder if the 8se mount is good enough for a lunt 60mm?

Which I could probably buy but as a basic starter scope hoping to upgrade, double stack, etc at a later date. 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Tenby2
Spelling errors due to sausage fingers!

[Peter Drew]

I have a 8se mount and it would be ideal for a 60mm Lunt.   😀

[Nigella Bryant]

2 hours ago, Tenby2 said:

Fabulous  and inspiring shots well done. 

I have the chance to buy my friends lunt 60mm double stacked pressure tuner etc with goto mount at an excellent price. But funds are low. I'm trying to sell my current Heq5/925 set up and intend to go back to a much missed 8se. That purchase is not dependant on the sale of my old set up. I was hoping to use sale to part purchase my friends solar scope. 

I wonder if the 8se mount is good enough for a lunt 60mm?

Which I could probably buy but as a basic starter scope hoping to upgrade, double stack, etc at a later date. 

 

Go for that 60mm lunt, lol. 

[Tenby2]

I have since learned that 8se mount will be fine for lunt 60mm.

But will hold out for a while hoping to sell my current set up to fund purchasing my friends set up

[Carbon Brush]

Another vote for the LS60. Late last year I started looking at the Ha options. I asked a lot of questions in the solar section and got a lot of very helpful and well informed responses.
Do take a look in the solar section. After (I thought) due consideration I bought a used LS60.
There were a lot of early problems with the Quarks and, at the time, scarcity of trusted reviews on their newer offerings. This put them well down the list for me.

At the Kettering show earlier this year, I saw the Daystar Quark & Solar Scout offerings.
I wondered if I had chosen wisely with the Lunt so looked and asked questions.
To be perfectly honest I walked away happy that I chosen well.
Without letting on that my bank balance was already depleted, I asked retailers (who would have liked me to reach for my wallet) about the choices of Quark vs Daystar complete scope, and the options on the solar scout.
The answers were not well informed.
One retailer did though admit his lack of first hand experience & knowledge and made no attempt to sell to me on the day. He said it is big money and I should think about it.

I am now giving serious thought to a Skywatcher Solarquest mount to speed setting up and ease the requirements for level/align when leaving to track for a few hours.
The absence of these on sale 2nd hand may be because the owners are happy, or maybe not many have sold. I'm not sure which.

Hope this helps, David.

 

[Davey-T]

3 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

The absence of these on sale 2nd hand may be because the owners are happy, or maybe not many have sold. I'm not sure which.

Practically the day after I bought a SolarQuest mount for my LS60DS one came up for sale on here so don't give up David.

Dave

[Tenby2]

Thanks for the replies much appreciated.

There is interest buyer interest in my heq5 mount atm so hopefully it'll sell soon. 

As I am going to buy an 8se anyway I will most likely go for   lunt 60mm asa practical, financially possible lol, and use the 8se mount until or if I  feel a mount like the solarquest is really better and easier than the 8se mount. I'll have to break the 8se down for storage so the mount will be free if you know what I mean.

[Nigella Bryant]

I do love the simplicity of the lunt 60mm plus the Solarquest Mount as I'm up and running in a few minutes and it track's the sun in the field of view for hours even at 3x Barlow. As I said the only thing I would like to do is add the double stack filter. One proviso on the Solarquest Mount is the awful tripod, I quickly ditched that and use my spare neq6 tripod, very stable. 

[cletrac1922]

Mark

I started out using badder filter on my ED80, then upgraded to glass filter

Gave excellent views

Recently purchased Solarmax 11, after using club PST

I am very disappointed in it, for the money outlaid

The focuser is just a slide tube, and locks in place with plastic, not metal thread screws, and scared will snap off, if over tighten

The new Solarmax111, has a completely different focusing systen, with course and fine tune knobs

With respect to Lunt solar scope

Our club also has Lunt solar scope, and have no end of issues with the pressure tuner

If not used for a while, the silicon grease around "O" ring pressure tuner dries out, and have to take apart, clean, and re-grease

I use my Solarmax, on my EQ5 mount, which use for ED80

Pic of ED80 taken at a recent club public viewing day, before getting the solarmax11 

John  

[Tenby2]

First I've heard about trouble with pressure tuner. Tbh I don't fully understand the 'real' advantages with the pressure tuner. Can it be added later?

I will seek out and read about it, before making my mind up because it's a lot extra to purchase with a pressure tuner than without and to me makes all the difference.

As for the EQ5 mount that's what my friend uses.

I recently replaced to top part of my HEQ5 pro mount tripod as some years ago some one tripped over it and damaged it. When I looked at the damage I thought not a good design for the tripod leg stability, in fact I was surprised. When I finally realised it was too messy to fix I found a parts supplier and for about £30 replaced the top part of the tripod and to my relief they must have realised too because the new top bit is much better designed. Tripod legs solid now. I'd post pictures if I knew how to get them from my mobile to here!

Sorry to drift off of subject.

Mark

[Nigella Bryant]

2 hours ago, Tenby2 said:

First I've heard about trouble with pressure tuner. Tbh I don't fully understand the 'real' advantages with the pressure tuner. Can it be added later?

I've had no issues with my lunt 60mm pressure tuned scope. I did a regrease of the tuner as the grease when I received it (second hand) was gluppy and looked contaminated, hard to adjust. Easy fix. A more serious thing in the second hand market are the blue filter fail where the filter degrades and starts going opaque. Again a cheep fix though around £30 so even that shouldn't put you off as long as second hand price reflects this. I got the guy I bought mine from to knock £50 off and glad I did. Anyway, the pressure tuner does a better job at tuning in on the hydrogen alpha wave lengths with the doppler shift. I suggest getting a second hand lunt even if it needs some tlc. As long as the echalone is in good order everything else can be tweeked, renewed or upgraded (you cannot upgrade to a pressure tuner on the none pressure tuned model. 

[Merlin66]

The tilt tuned etalons can also handle Doppler shift, no problems.

I’ve used various solar scopes, PST, SM40, SM60, many modded PST single and double stack all tilt tuned with very good results.

My latest favorite is a SM60 external etalon mounted on an ED80 with a PST “internal “ etalon as a double stack.

All ITF filters suffer from failure, both Lunt and Coronado, thankfully they can easily (nowadays) be replaced.

 

[Peter Drew]

Given a choice, I would prefer a tilt tuned system over a pressure tuned, less to go wrong. The best 60mm Lunt views I've had were with a tilt version.    😎

[cletrac1922]

On 25/07/2019 at 07:30, Peter Drew said:

Given a choice, I would prefer a tilt tuned system over a pressure tuned, less to go wrong. The best 60mm Lunt views I've had were with a tilt version.    😎

With my 10" flex Dob, under small removable cap, hard cover, I have sticky taped baader visual film

Have to take a pic and post on here

Works well

John

[Stu]

19 minutes ago, cletrac1922 said:

With my 10" flex Dob, under small removable cap, hard cover, I have sticky taped baader visual film

Have to take a pic and post on here

Works well

John

For white light solar yes, but please note that the thread is about helping the OP with Ha observing. Thanks

[Tenby2]

I have decided to bite the bullet and buy my friends Lunt 60mm double stacked pressure tuned scope with EQ5 pro mount and some other bits and pieces for the price my friend is asking a new set up for the same would be nowhere near as good and will buy the 8SE in November.

Thanks for all the replies much appreciated. I will return with some pics asa I've mastered the equipment hoping to catch the transit of mercury

[Tenby2]

this is what I've purchased

Edited September 15, 2019 by Tenby2
adding comment

[joe aguiar]

so right now I have the coronado2 and I like it a lot yes the focuser not the greatest but works fine, just slide it to where its focused then use the fine helical to fine focus.

the newer corondo3 has a better dual speed R&P 2" focuser much better

I just this week installed a moonlight made for the corondo solar scopes. I used to have mine double stacked and u do see abit more detail but its mainly on the surface I found the flares was better for single stack, remember double stacking a system will make it from .70 to .50 so its a gain but not a HUUGE gain. I sold the 2nd filter off for $1000.

before this model I had the oringanal cornado 60 made in Arizona model and I compared to the lunt 60 (not the preassure tuned version of course ) that was like 8 or 9 years ago. the images in the Coronado was brighter then the lunts version by about 25%. now I don't know what bf the other guys was a 6mm or 12mm and his is .75a mine .70a.

both scopes were used side by side same day my same eps too, now was the original cornado made in Arizona better or was his a bf6mm who know but mine was clearly abit better not huge better but u can tell.

I plan on upgrading to the newer cornado 70mm maybe next year and put mine for sale with the moonlight focuser

[Peter Drew]

1 hour ago, joe aguiar said:

so right now I have the coronado2 and I like it a lot yes the focuser not the greatest but works fine, just slide it to where its focused then use the fine helical to fine focus.

the newer corondo3 has a better dual speed R&P 2" focuser much better

I just this week installed a moonlight made for the corondo solar scopes. I used to have mine double stacked and u do see abit more detail but its mainly on the surface I found the flares was better for single stack, remember double stacking a system will make it from .70 to .50 so its a gain but not a HUUGE gain. I sold the 2nd filter off for $1000.

before this model I had the oringanal cornado 60 made in Arizona model and I compared to the lunt 60 (not the preassure tuned version of course ) that was like 8 or 9 years ago. the images in the Coronado was brighter then the lunts version by about 25%. now I don't know what bf the other guys was a 6mm or 12mm and his is .75a mine .70a.

both scopes were used side by side same day my same eps too, now was the original cornado made in Arizona better or was his a bf6mm who know but mine was clearly abit better not huge better but u can tell.

I plan on upgrading to the newer cornado 70mm maybe next year and put mine for sale with the moonlight focuser

Be aware though, the 70mm Coronado is still a 60mm aperture Ha telescope as it has a 60mm aperture front etalon. This will be marginally better than a single stacked 60mm unit as it is double stacked with the original small internal etalon. It's hard to see how it might give much of an improvement over your Coronado2.    

[joe aguiar]

22 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

Be aware though, the 70mm Coronado is still a 60mm aperture Ha telescope as it has a 60mm aperture front etalon. This will be marginally better than a single stacked 60mm unit as it is double stacked with the original small internal etalon. It's hard to see how it might give much of an improvement over your Coronado2.    

true the most difference is the focuser and that alone be a lot money. just as an example I just ordered a new moonlight for my tak tsa 102 my cc bill says total 709 AND that's not including I may have customs duties and brackage charges when my pachage comes. so that can be close to $800 for a ficuser. now saying that I know the one used on the solar scope is not that expensive but its still a huge improvement over the ealier models.

also when I took mine apart to put moonlight on my soalrscope I held the internal filter. I didn't measure it but its not a full 60mm meaning it could be 50 to 55mm it has a cell holding it similar to the lens cell of refractors. so now seeing this I bet the full front filter maybe be better to what degree I cant say. 

lastly I like the thumb screw tilt verson the cornado 1 or my Arizona model had instead that internal tilt mode.

 

jj

[joe aguiar]

ops forgot to mention the last thing better from the type 3 to the ealier models now u can unscrew the filter and bf diagonal and use it as a regular refractor which is a bonus for those that want a whilte light solar obsevereing or just a small grab and go refractor