Filters for viewing nebulae?

[david_r]

Hi, apologies if its a dumb question, but are there any filter(s) that enhance viewing of nebulae? Purely for visual, not imaging. I suspect not as they're faint any any attenuation would remove them from view completely...but thought I'd ask!

Thanks,

Dave.

[John]

Hi Dave,

Not a dumb question at all

Actually there are quite a lot of filters on the market that help view nebulae. The UHC type are popular - I've used a Baader UHC-S with some success in smaller scopes. Even more effective are the OIII filters but you really need a scope with an aperture of 8" or more to make the best use of those.

Have a browse around SGL and you will find some write ups of peoples experiences with various types of filters.

In my exprience filters of this type don't help with galaxies though - you need dark skies and aperture to get the best views of them.

John

[vemarstar]

Yes i have an 8 inch dob , up to now i have not used the baader UHC-S/0III filters but saturday used one on M42/M78 UHC-S and M97 0III did make a difference makes the image stand out more especially on M97.

But views are good through an 8 inch scope anyway.

[Talitha]

Dave, here's the best comparison list of nebulae filters I've ever come across... hope it helps.

[vemarstar]

Thanks for putting that up very interesting , i will use them a lot more than i have just wasn't sure what filter suited what object .

Been observing now for about 3 years finding my way around but it's great.

[Talitha]

You're welcome Ian, I've known the author (online) for a number of years and he's one of those Gents who never seems to be wrong about anything. Wish some of it would rub off on me.

[david_r]

Awesome. Thanks all especially Talitha, that's a great link.

[JohnC]

Great link Talitha.

I have been wondering about the use of filters myself.

Many thanks

John

[Brinders]

If light pollution is the problem, you may wish to think about the Skywatcher light pollution filter available from FLO:-

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=SW_LPR_filter

I bought the 2" filter to use in my WO Dielectric Star diagonal after reading Ant's comparison review with the Baader Neodymium filter:-

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,35067.msg359106.html#msg359106

The skies around me have become noticeably more light polluted the last few months and I have tried the filter with both my Celestron C9.25 SCT and my little WO Megrez 72 APO on the Orion Nebula and M31 & M110 and found it enhances the contrast of those targets at least. It showed the orion nebula last night to a far greater extent than without the filter in both scopes.

I only received it a little before Christmas so I have not had the opportunity to try it on any other subjects yet. However, from initial experience I can say that for such a modest outlay it has exceeded my expectations. Recommended!

Brinders

[MartinB]

I have found that a CLS LP filter can work quite well on galaxies, usefully improving contrast. This is using a 12" dob, might not be so good with a small refractor!

[david_r]

Hi, Light pollution does not appear to be a problem for me (I've nothing to compare it to, as all my viewing to date has been done in my garden) but with clear skies I can see loads with the naked eye, so suspect LP is not an issue.

My reason for asking was purely to see if it was possible to "enhance" the viewing. Things like the Orion Nebula (M42?) look good already. Things like the crab nebula (M1?) are obviously harder but still visible. I'm really just curious to see if they can be enhanced (I'm greedy (and lazy) by nature, I always want more...even if its just a little!).

My scope is an 8" newtonian. Do you think a CLS-LP would improve contrast when viewing galaxies?

[Talitha]

Light pollution isn't problematic for me either, which is why I've come to prefer the brighter, unfiltered view of diffuse nebulae. Gotta admit though, the O-III really makes some of them pop, and it's a godsend when trying to determine which 'star' in the field is the tiny planetary nebula you're hunting for.

[vemarstar]

Talitha , thanks for the information i have been going through the messier list so using the filters i'm sure it will help me with the more testing objects.... again many thanks .

[Mark at Beaufort]

Carol

Do you use your O-111 filter with your 120mm refractor - or does it make the image too dark?

Mark

[Talitha]

Yes Mark, but mainly to pull details out while sketching.

NGC 6960 NGC 6992

[Mark at Beaufort]

Thanks Carol useful to know that this filter can be useful with that size refractor - by the way lovely sketches of the Veil Nebula.

Mark

[dark knight]

Awesome link Talitha, just what the doctor ordered, I'm just trying to get into imaging and presume the OIII filter would also prove useful for this, great sketches as well.

[Talitha]

Thank you, Mark and DK.

Mark, I've also used the O-III with binoculars to verify planetary nebulae and

naked-eye to make the North American Nebula pop... nice filter, IMO.

DK, you might want to ask about the O-III in the Imaging Discussion forum...

I'm sure someone will 'guide' you very well over there.