An hour's white light - first time out!

[Mr Spock]

Well, more green than white lol. Trying out my newly acquired Lunt wedge and Baader Continuum filter along with my trusty Helios 120mm achro. You could call it my first time, only ever having looked through other people's kit before, plus a 60mm refractor I had back in the '70s.

Well, seeing was boiling. Not unusual for here. I did see some spots: a large double spot, the lower of which seemed to have a couple of white lines across it; a couple of tiny ones a bit lower; one small one on its own near the middle.

Due to the conditions I couldn't get more than x125, but that was enough. Also enough to compare scopes - the 120mm achro v 80ED. The 120 was a lot sharper and showed more detail. That's my solar scope now 

First of many sessions I reckon 👍

[johninderby]

Good stuff. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Sun came out here but was busy with other things. 😢

Best white light views I have ever had were with the 125 APO and wedge. 120isn aperture seems to be the sweet spot.🙂

[Paz]

Nice report. For a long time my main solar set up was a Sky Watcher 120mm f5 achro with a wedge and continuum filter and I still rate it as a great set up. 120mm is plenty of aperture and the continuum filter cleans up the view nicely.

[John]

Nice report Mr Spock

I really must dig out my Lunt wedge and have a look at whats going on with the Sun. It's been a long time since I did any solar observing and I believe that things have picked up quite a lot now

[Franklin]

Sol has been quite active in white light for some time now. About a year or so ago it was still dormant. I know that solar activity runs in an 11 year cycle, or 22 if you include the reversal of the magnetic field, but I always thought that there would be a slow build up from minimum to maximum. This time around the Sun seems to have just "switched back on". That's how it has appeared to me anyway. I use a Lunt wedge and Continuum filter as well and I get some very high contrast views with my 102mm refractor, seeing permitting. I did get a single polariser as well but find I don't really use it much. The Continuum seems to reduce the intensity enough on its own.

I did read that others were using a UV/IR cut filter before the wedge as a safety precaution, but am unsure if one is necessary for visual as the Continuum is supposed to cut everything but a small part of the green. I have seen the difference a UV/IR cut makes to solar imaging, the results are very much improved in contrast and definition.