White light solar query

[Bobby1970]

I have a short tube (432mm) ED scope which I occasionally use with a Herschel wedge for white light viewing. 

I also have a 90mm Mak which I have used with a home made filter for the front as I understand that I can't use the HW with it. 

Now, would I be better off with a long ish focal length refractor of around 90mm aperture  with the Herschel Wedge than the short ED scope with it??

 

Also. Would a long refractor  with the wedge be better than the 90mm Mak with solar filter. ?

Asking as i am considering getting rid of the 90 mak as it doesn't get much use anyway and I bought it on a whim tbh. 

Thanks for any info. 

[A McEwan]

Personally, I think a good refractor with a Herschel wedge (and a Baader Solar Continuum filter on the Wedge's eyepiece holder barrel and variable polariser on the eyepiece) is the best way to view the Sun in white light. I have read that longer focal ratios provide a better image, but I haven't really tested that. I've used f7.5 ED scopes (80mm, 120mm, 100mm) and f9 (100mm) and had great results with them all.  I have looked through other people's filtered Maksutovs and found the view quite underwhelming, but that may be because I'm used to what I'm used to, you know?

For what it's worth, I'm waiting for a 90mm f10 achromat to arrive in the next couple of days so hopefully will be reporting on its performance with the Baader 2" Herschel Wedge I have.

Ant

Edited August 9, 2020 by A McEwan

[Stu]

I would go for something like a 100mm f10 achro, or preferably a 100ED if you can stretch to one. Lunt Wedge and Continuum filter and you should get good results.

[andrew s]

Note well all filters must be after the Herschel wedge not before it as the might shatter in the full heat of the near focused Sun.

Regards Andrew

[Bobby1970]

14 minutes ago, A McEwan said:

Personally, I think a good refractor with a Herschel wedge (and a Baader Solar Continuum filter on the Wedge and variable polariser on the eyepiece) is the best way to view the Sun in white light. I have read that longer focal ratios provide a better image, but I haven't really tested that. I've used f7.5 ED scopes (80mm, 120mm, 100mm) and f9 (100mm) and had great results with them all.  I have looked through other people's filtered Maksutovs and found the view quite underwhelming, but that may be because I'm used to what I'm used to, you know?

For what it's worth, I'm waiting for a 90mm f10 achromat to arrive in the next couple of days so hopefully will be reporting on its performance with the Baader 2" Herschel Wedge I have.

Ant

Which 90mm achro did you go for? I was wondering about something cheap like a Skywatcher Evostar 90. 

 

[A McEwan]

36 minutes ago, Bobby1970 said:

Which 90mm achro did you go for? I was wondering about something cheap like a Skywatcher Evostar 90. 

 

Skywatcher Evostar 90!   

[Bobby1970]

4 minutes ago, A McEwan said:

Skywatcher Evostar 90!   

Cool. Do please report back on how it performs. 🙂

[A McEwan]

I've had two of these 90mm Evostars in the past (maybe three actually...🤔) and they performed excellently under the stars with well aligned optics. The focusers needed cleaning up and regreasing, but this one's coming with a 2" Crayford already attached so that's (probably) one foible pre-empted. I'm highly optimistic it will be excellent for solar - as long as it's generally a good 'un!

[johninderby]

Or there is the Bresser 90mm  / 1200 refractor.

https://www.bresser.de/en/Astronomy/BRESSER-Messier-AR-90L-1200-Optical-Tube-assembly.html

[John]

21 hours ago, A McEwan said:

I've had two of these 90mm Evostars in the past (maybe three actually...🤔) and they performed excellently under the stars with well aligned optics. The focusers needed cleaning up and regreasing, but this one's coming with a 2" Crayford already attached so that's (probably) one foible pre-empted. I'm highly optimistic it will be excellent for solar - as long as it's generally a good 'un!

I currently have the Celestron branded 90mm F/11 and it's proving to be a nice performer as well

[Bobby1970]

Has anyone with the 90mm celestron or Skywatcher Evostar done any whit light imaging? Would love to see some examples

[Solar B]

I would recommend as large a refractor/ FL as you can handle I use a 127/L 

this offers me a fighting chance of seeing some granulation , or if you can go 

down the ED route ... as Stu recommends at least a 100mm ... visual only.

Brian 

[A McEwan]

2 hours ago, John said:

I currently have the Celestron branded 90mm F/11 and it's proving to be a nice performer as well

Sorry to go off-topic slightly, but... does that have Vixen/Celestron optics? And a metal objective call? Do you know how old it is? Have you posted about this scope before? When are you selling it?