Coloured Planetary Filters

[Littleguy80]

I’ve never been a fan of coloured filters for planetary observing. I just prefer a more natural look. I like the Baader Neodymium for Jupiter. I also have the Baader Contrast Booster but there does add some false colour. However, I find myself contemplating a #47 Violet filter to try and see some cloud details on Venus. Has anyone else tried this? Are there other coloured filters that really stand out? I read some very positive comments on magenta for Mars. 

[Paz]

I've got a set of Baader coloured filters and have used them with success so far for solar, lunar, and Jupiter.  

I've not had a chance to try them on Mars and Venus. I think though that seeing any detail at all on Venus in particular is going to be tough!

If you do get a filter it is worth  giving it time at the eyepiece and not expecting to instantly see better.

[John]

I've tried lots of different filters for planetary observing over the years including various colours, UHC, H-Beta, O-III, polarised and the rather expensive Tele Vue Planetary filter (not in production now). For me, I didn't see any improvements in the visibility of planetary features during those trials. The Tele Vue filter (which gave a rather "bubble gum pink" tone to everything) did initilly appear to enhance the contrast of the more obvious features of Jupiter but this was at the expense of the visibility more subtle features and it was the latter that I was after of course !

So these days I don't use planetary filters. I do try and observe the planets when there is still some daylight left in the sky though. I've found that really does make a difference to surface detail and some of my best views of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus have come under such conditions.

Observing the target planet when its high in the sky also makes quite a bit of difference but that has been difficult lately without moving ones observing site quite a bit further south.

Fortunately colour filters are relatively low cost things so its possible to try for yourself without risking too much capital

[Ships and Stars]

I haven't done much planetary, but ended up using my ND moon filter last night on Venus simply because it's so bright. Think the ND improved things quite a lot and tamed glare. I think I was viewing at 231x and the mirror was still cooling down, so there was a bit of scintillation and shimmering, but a decent view overall. Without ND filter it's an intense sphere (well, c.50% illuminated last night) of pure white light, obviously a planet, but impossible to tease out much detail due to the brilliance. Maybe give the ND a bash for detail?

Edited March 9, 2020 by Ships and Stars

[mikeDnight]

 

I've a basic set of planetary filters, 2X  W21 orange ,  2X  W80A blue,  1X W15 yellow and 1X W25 red. To be honest I don't really use them much. The 21 orange is good for enhancing dark detail on Mars, while the 80A blue can enhance the white clouds on Mars, or the bright regions on Venus cloud tops. The 15 yellow is good for Venus, and the deeper red enhances darker regions on Mars.   I've found that filters can sometimes have a calming effect on a turbulent image, which can help the observer more accurately pinpoint a region on a planetary disc that might otherwise be dancing across the disc. However, once removed, all the same detail remains on view. I personally feel that planetary filters in small to medium aperture scopes, always have a detremental effect on the image quality and that the naked view is always better. In larger aperture scopes, the filters may be more effective at revealing subtle detail as they reduce the brilliance of the image. Perhaps the less brilliant image is one reason why smaller scopes will often reveal remarkable planetary detail?  I have used a Neodymium filter while viewing Mars in the past to some advantage, but find the filter is generally more harmful than helpful.

Edited March 9, 2020 by mikeDnight

[laudropb]

Hi Neil . I have recently been experimenting with colour filters viewing Venus with my 120 ED refractor. I bought a few Wratten filters hoping to use them on Mars later in the year. Previously  I had tried rather cheap coloured filters and was not impressed.  
Why try again ? Well every book or article I have read on planetary observation recommends their use. I felt there just had to be something to it. So far in the few sessions I have had with Venus I have been gradually becoming more impressed with the views given.  The #15 yellow has showed subtle improvements in detecting some cloud detail. The #47 violet gives a very dark image but again I feel  there is some advantage for cloud detection.

Its early days yet, but I am hopeful that using the filters will help in seeing some of the more subtle features on the planets. 

 

 

[Littleguy80]

1 hour ago, John said:

So these days I don't use planetary filters. I do try and observe the planets when there is still some daylight left in the sky though. I've found that really does make a difference to surface detail and some of my best views of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus have come under such conditions.

Thank John. Are you able to see any cloud detail on Venus without a filter? Perhaps a similar experience to Mike. Once you’ve seen it with a filter it becomes easier to see without?

[Littleguy80]

59 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

 

I've a basic set of planetary filters, 2X  W21 orange ,  2X  W80A blue,  1X W15 yellow and 1X W25 red. To be honest I don't really use them much. The 21 orange is good for enhancing dark detail on Mars, while the 80A blue can enhance the white clouds on Mars, or the bright regions on Venus cloud tops. The 15 yellow is good for Venus, and the deeper red enhances darker regions on Mars.   I've found that filters can sometimes have a calming effect on a turbulent image, which can help the observer more accurately pinpoint a region on a planetary disc that might otherwise be dancing across the disc. However, once removed, all the same detail remains on view. I personally feel that planetary filters in small to medium aperture scopes, always have a detremental effect on the image quality and that the naked view is always better. In larger aperture scopes, the filters may be more effective at revealing subtle detail as they reduce the brilliance of the image. Perhaps the less brilliant image is one reason why smaller scopes will often reveal remarkable planetary detail?  I have used a Neodymium filter while viewing Mars in the past to some advantage, but find the filter is generally more harmful than helpful.

Thanks Mike. Good point on aperture. Hadn’t considered that. I wonder whether sticking with the Equinox 80 unfiltered on Venus may prove as effective as using a filter with the 10” dob?

[Littleguy80]

27 minutes ago, laudropb said:

Hi Neil . I have recently been experimenting with colour filters viewing Venus with my 120 ED refractor. I bought a few Wratten filters hoping to use them on Mars later in the year. Previously  I had tried rather cheap coloured filters and was not impressed.  
Why try again ? Well every book or article I have read on planetary observation recommends their use. I felt there just had to be something to it. So far in the few sessions I have had with Venus I have been gradually becoming more impressed with the views given.  The #15 yellow has showed subtle improvements in detecting some cloud detail. The #47 violet gives a very dark image but again I feel  there is some advantage for cloud detection.

Its early days yet, but I am hopeful that using the filters will help in seeing some of the more subtle features on the planets. 

 

 

Thanks John. Very interesting results. Sounds like you a few steps ahead of me on this  The Baader Contrast booster adds a yellow tint so I’ll give that a go first as I already have it. Maybe try the violet after that. I’ll be interested to hear how your journey with the filters continues!

[John]

18 minutes ago, Littleguy80 said:

Thank John. Are you able to see any cloud detail on Venus without a filter? Perhaps a similar experience to Mike. Once you’ve seen it with a filter it becomes easier to see without?

Nothing solid Neil. I've only ever seen vague contrast variations when observing Venus. They might have indeed been cloud features but they were so vague that I've not felt confident that they represent anything worth noting. Maybe I've been seeing something all along and not realised it ?

Personally I have a level at which I need to be sure that I'm actually seeing something to feel that I've actually seen it, if that makes any sense. None of the vague shadings and brightness variations that I've seen on Venus has convinced me of that, as yet. I've had times when I've felt close though !

 

 

 

 

[mikeDnight]

45 minutes ago, Littleguy80 said:

Thanks Mike. Good point on aperture. Hadn’t considered that. I wonder whether sticking with the Equinox 80 unfiltered on Venus may prove as effective as using a filter with the 10” dob?

I really like the Equinox 80 Neil, and have spent many happy hours at the eyepiece of mine. It's been five years since I sold it, but it wouldn't surprise me if you did see some detail on Venus cloud tops, if the image scale is large enough. Detail on Venus is always at the border of discernability, so if you feel you may be seeing something, why not make a basic sketch and compare it with other sketches of the planet. It might be an idea to study Venus against a twilight sky too, rather than a black sky.

An astronomer who lives relatively near to me, Nigel Longshaw, has observed both Venus and Mars for many years using a Takahashi FS78, and his observational sketches are astounding. Your Equinox 80 is very close to a FS78 in performance, hence my confidence in its ability to define such subtle detail well. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by mikeDnight

[Don Pensack]

On 09/03/2020 at 13:51, Littleguy80 said:

I’ve never been a fan of coloured filters for planetary observing. I just prefer a more natural look. I like the Baader Neodymium for Jupiter. I also have the Baader Contrast Booster but there does add some false colour. However, I find myself contemplating a #47 Violet filter to try and see some cloud details on Venus. Has anyone else tried this? Are there other coloured filters that really stand out? I read some very positive comments on magenta for Mars. 

I used a #30 magenta on Mars for a while, but a friend suggested the Baader Contrast Booster.  it is simply the most amazing Mars filter I've ever used, and I've had about 9 other specialized Mars filters over the years, including the TeleVue Mars A and Mars B, the TeleVue Planetary filter, the Orion Mars filter and the Sirius Optics Mars filter, a #23a, a #25, a #21, and the #30 magenta.  None gave the incredible images of the CB.  If you have one, try it on Mars.  You'll be amazed.

[JeremyS]

There are a couple of BAA articles on using filters for planetary observing:

https://britastro.org/journal_item/9415

https://britastro.org/node/13609

 

[Louis D]

I like the Meade CCD Dichroic Color Filter Set I picked up new for $30 a few years back better than the dyed type filters.  Transmission seems much higher and colors much purer and more intense.  It's just a shame they aren't offered in more colors at this price.  Regardless, the effect on planetary viewing is still subtle at best.

Bandpass plot for them:

[JeremyS]

On 09/03/2020 at 22:48, laudropb said:

Hi Neil . I have recently been experimenting with colour filters viewing Venus with my 120 ED refractor. I bought a few Wratten filters hoping to use them on Mars later in the year. Previously  I had tried rather cheap coloured filters and was not impressed.  
Why try again ? Well every book or article I have read on planetary observation recommends their use. I felt there just had to be something to it. So far in the few sessions I have had with Venus I have been gradually becoming more impressed with the views given.  The #15 yellow has showed subtle improvements in detecting some cloud detail. The #47 violet gives a very dark image but again I feel  there is some advantage for cloud detection.

Its early days yet, but I am hopeful that using the filters will help in seeing some of the more subtle features on the planets. 

 

 

Best f luck with your tests. Interesting to see that persevering with the filters on Venus seems to bring rewards

[JeremyS]

On 09/03/2020 at 23:51, mikeDnight said:

An astronomer who lives relatively near to me, Nigel Longshaw, has observed both Venus and Mars for many years using a Takahashi FS78, and his observational sketches are astounding. Your Equinox 80 is very close to a FS78 in performance, hence my confidence in its ability to define such subtle detail well. 

Quite right, Mike. Nigel's planetary obs with a relatively small scope are amazing!

[laudropb]

2 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Best f luck with your tests. Interesting to see that persevering with the filters on Venus seems to bring rewards

I have had a few more sessions with the filters and I do believe that they do help to bring out some subtle cloud detail. I enjoyed reading the article on Venus in the latest BAA journal, especially seeing Paul Abel’s sketches.

[JeremyS]

1 minute ago, laudropb said:

I have had a few more sessions with the filters and I do believe that they do help to bring out some subtle cloud detail. I enjoyed reading the article on Venus in the latest BAA journal, especially seeing Paul Abel’s sketches.

And you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try out on Mars this year 👍

[laudropb]

Yes hopefully the sky will play ball.

[chiltonstar]

On a night when cloud detail was already obvious w/out a filter to me and an experienced observer colleague, an 80A did improve the visibility of the detail a little I believe (102mm f13 frac). I've probably used it more these days to improve contrast when there is a slight haze, and some NaD lighting is scattered back (a blue filter removes yellow from the visible image).

Chris

[bomberbaz]

I have used a UHC-S filter made by Baader on Jupiter a few times. I found it increases contrast on the cloud banding and helps it stand out, especially on the GRS. That said, I still preferred the view without the filter for some reason, the natural look I guess.