Testing a new Setup

[astro_al]

Still very windy here but not as bad as yesterday so I took the opportunity to get out for a bit with the 60mm and Herschel wedge. I had checked the latest image of the sun on the internet already so I knew I wasn't in for any particularly interesting - but it was good to be out regardless.

After 10 minutes I decided to use the clear skies but poor seeing as an opportunity to test the wedge with my largest scope, the 152mm F8. I was confident that back focus wouldn't be an issue with the 2.6x glasspath corrector in place; and it wasn't. I kept mainly to the 25mm Plössl (~120x) but even that was too much magnification. No surprise really considering that the wind kept blowing the towel off my head. I must upgrade from a tea towel to a beach towel  

Initially I wasn't going to bother with the 1.7x GPC as I thought on days when I might use the big scope I would want more magnification anyway. I can use the 60mm for full disk, lower power views plus the 152mm doesn't have enough backfocus with the Clicklock in place. Anyway, in the end I removed the 2" nosepiece from the wedge and repurposed the 2" adapter that I removed when taking the Clicklock off the other end of the wedge and used that to connect to the scope in a more direct way - thanks to the magic of Baader adapters.

I am glad I did. With the 1.7x GPC in place (more like 1.5x really) I had a view of the full solar disk at ~75x with the 25mm Plössls and immediately noticed more widespread surface detail than with the 60mm. Stepping up to ~90x with the 20mm Plössls kept the full solar disk (just) and for a very short while the seeing improved and I could see what looked like individual cells on the surface. Amazing! 

So despite the poor conditions I have had a taste as to what the 152mm might do on a good day. I wasn't sure I would be using this setup over the grab and go but I will certainly make the effort now as often as I can.

Al

[Solar B]

Velly nice now that’s one set up I’d 

like to have a peek through ... as the 

the bright thing climbs higher seeing 

will inevitably improve on better days.

Brian