Solar filter for SCT

[Bugdozer]

I am interested in trying solar observing with my Celestron Nexstar 5SE. However, I am a complete newbie to solar observing. I have looked through scopes with white light solar filters before, and with hydrogen alpha filters too, but in terms of which white light filters are recommended I have no clue. Celestron do make one which is specifically designed to fit my scope, but it's not so cheap, whereas others are cheaper but appear to be made of cardboard. In terms of what offers the best visual quality, I have no clue. I am happy to pay a bit more for good quality visuals. 

[Elp]

Baader solar film is the most popular for white light, it comes in two ND forms, one for photographic only, and one for both photographic and visual so best to get the latter for safety's sake. RVO sell the Seymour Solar one too which gives the sun a yellow/orange colour, the Baader provides better clarity though.

Making the cell holder isn't difficult. I made my refractor ones out of thick double walled cardboard. Make sure the film is cut slighty larger than the clear aperture and there's enough overlap on the holding front and rear "cell holder" cutouts so the film won't potentially fold out leaving a gap. Glue together with a strong adhesive. Now wrap a decent length of the same cardboard around the OD of the OTA around the front objective holder, enough so it's a snug fit, not a loose fit, mark the circumference on your film cell, then glue the measured cardboard tube down, making sure its ends overlap so there's no gap, again using a strong adhesive (I used gorilla glue), and leave it with a weight on the tube for a few hours so it adheres firmly together.

If done right, there should be no light gaps at all throughout the piece, and it should fit the front of your OTA fairly firmly and won't potentially blow off or get knocked off easily.

Store in a good container so it can't be deformed when not in use. Always inspect it again before use, and the film as per the instructions provided with the film. Always buy the film from a reputable astro retailer.

[Sunshine]

Definitely the Baader solar filters, they are a film and several sizes are made to fit a variety of scopes, look into those.

https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/solar/whitelight.html

Edited January 12 by Sunshine

[ollypenrice]

One more for Baader film and remember to cover you finder!

Olly

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I use Baader film on my SCT for WL. I also have an old Thousand Oaks glass filter I bought in 1999 for the eclipse, as the Mylar films used in those days were not as durable as the modern Baader film. Note that there are two different densities: 5.0 and 3.8. The former is perfect for visual, the latter for photography (although it can be used for visual if you use additional filters on the EP side). Here are two examples taken with my C8.

 

[Bugdozer]

Well it looks like a fairly conclusive vote for Baader film! Thanks for the info.