Tips for first time buyer: Lunt 50 Double w/feather touch

[Mai Ai Bing]

Buying my first solar scope and after reading tons thinking this package from LUNT seems the right choice for me:

https://luntsolarsystems.com/shop/solar-telescopes/50mm-telescopes/ls50-solar-telescope-double-stack-feather-touch/

My wife wants something easy to use and I want something to also make pictures with. 2,000 USD is close to what we want to spend.

Questions (sorry if some of these are "far out":

1) Will it be easy to use for my wife who wants plug-and-play?

2) Can I attach my Canon DSLR/mirrorless or do I need a special unit?

3) Can we transmit to a TV/Computer screen?

4) Any need for more than one optical eyepiece?

5) Can it use a standard Camera mount for the tripod?

6) Does it make sense to use an astrotracker (ours also does solar)

6) What am I missing (yeah I know "a lot" - but just newbie forgetfulness when you think you've got it all and still miss "that part/piece")

Any help much appreciated. Can see mistakes are expensive and sometimes unforgiving.  😅

[John]

I have owned on of those Lunt scopes but I didn't image through it.

On question 4, I would suggest that a zoom eyepiece is very useful. I used a 7.2mm - 21.5mm zoom with mine but the Baader 8mm - 24mm is also a very good zoom:

I used my Lunt 50 on a simple undriven alt-azimuth mount but a tracking mount might be needed if you are imaging with it.

Here are links to the zoom eyepieces that I mention:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/hyperflex-72mm-215mm-eyepiece.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-hyperion-zoom-eyepiece.html

While the scope is easy to use in terms of viewing with it, observing in H-Alpha does take some practice to be able to tease out the finer details.

 

 

 

 

[laudropb]

This is the same set up as I use. Only difference is that mine is used on a Solar quest tracking mount. I would suggest that you get a Lunt solar finder. Believe it or not it can be difficult to line up the Sun in the eyepiece. At first I would use this as a single stack unit until you get used to tuning and using the scope. The double stack dims the image but once you are used to it I allows you to see/image much finer chromosphere details.

[Peter Drew]

I think using the telescope will be quite straightforward but getting the best results from it will be quite a learning curve requiring a fair bit of patience.     🙂

[Highburymark]

Great choice of scope - significantly better double stacked, as single stack often fails to produce satisfying surface detail. One eyepiece is not enough unless, as pointed out above, it’s a zoom - of at least reasonable quality. Otherwise three Plossls would do the job well - with magnifications of around 25x, 40x and 55x. Once you get familiar with the scope, it’s very easy to set up and use. You can be observing in 30 seconds.
For imaging, you need the B600 blocking filter minimum.

[Owmuchonomy]

Question 2: For imaging in Ha it is best to use a mono high frame rate planetary camera matched to the focal length of the LUNT 50 such as the ZWO ASI 174MM.  A DSLR will give relatively poor resolution because you are only using the red pixels.  The LUNT 50 is also a bit tricky to deal with when it comes to back focus so be prepared to experiment and I'm not sure a DSLR will be able to focus.  Accurate focusing will be helped a bit by the choice of the FT focuser unit which is a massive improvement on the poor LUNT helical unit.  As Peter says above it is a bit of a steep learning curve to image in Ha.

[Mai Ai Bing]

Thanks for all the replies! Very helpful.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Mai Ai Bing

[Mai Ai Bing]

On 04/10/2020 at 16:08, laudropb said:

This is the same set up as I use. Only difference is that mine is used on a Solar quest tracking mount. I would suggest that you get a Lunt solar finder. Believe it or not it can be difficult to line up the Sun in the eyepiece. At first I would use this as a single stack unit until you get used to tuning and using the scope. The double stack dims the image but once you are used to it I allows you to see/image much finer chromosphere details.

I read that the solar finder can be useful elsewhere - however, without trying it I confess being "skeptical"... What's the problem with an object so big and bright?

[Peter Drew]

4 minutes ago, Mai Ai Bing said:

I read that the solar finder can be useful elsewhere - however, without trying it I confess being "skeptical"... What's the problem with an object so big and bright?

The filtration in a solar telescope is so severe that only the Sun is bright enough to be seen at all.  This means that your target is only half a degree across so a solar finder is a great help.   🙂

[John]

I agree about the need for a finder. I used the Tele Vue Sol Searcher:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/lunt-solar-accessories/tele-vue-sol-searcher.html

 

[AdeKing]

46 minutes ago, John said:

I agree about the need for a finder. I used the Tele Vue Sol Searcher:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/lunt-solar-accessories/tele-vue-sol-searcher.html

I agree with John and Peter, a solar finder is a really useful addition that I wouldn't be without.

You can find the sun by moving the OTA until it shows the smallest shadow on the ground, but it is a faff an even then not guaranteed to put it in the field of view.

The Sol Searcher is excellent and fits into the slot on the clamshell perfectly.

Edited October 5, 2020 by AdeKing

[jonathan]

+1 for a solar finder and zoom eyepiece, I have the LS60 PT with Sol Searcher and Baader Planetarium Zoom 8 - 24, they work very well together.  The Baader Planetarium Zoom is an excellent eyepiece for any occasion, I've recently discovered it to be brilliant for viewing Mars with my 8SE.

When trying to line up with the sun I watch the shadows cast down the tube of the scope, they should disappear when aligned (i.e. you shouldn't be able to make them out).  It goes without saying that you shouldn't be looking down the scope length at the sun!

I can also recommend some sort of floppy hat to shade your eyes from the sun, it makes looking in the eyepiece a lot easier.  There are shields available too but I never bothered with them.

I tried taking photos with my DSLR but just got a big magenta disc, I think a dedicated camera will definitely be the way to go.  DSLRs probably work fine for white light solar filters on a regular scope.

When looking at tripods I think you'll find a heavy video tripod works reasonably well (it will be a bit finnicky keeping the sun in view, in my experience even with a beefy camera tripod they tend to sag a little with a scope on), but if you wanted tracking of any kind then look to either a dedicated solar tracking mount or an EQ3-2 with RA motor drive.  I can plonk my CG-4 down vaguely polar aligned (N leg pointing North) and it'll track all day.

Edited October 6, 2020 by jonathan