Solar Scope Choices

[Astro_Baby]

What with everyone else buying into Solar telescopes and me finding theres no more stellar kit I want, need or can usefully use and also with some cash in the bank I was mooching around looking for my own christmas present and weeeelllllll....

I'm kind of considering a solar telescope - H-Alpha of course. Johns review of the Coronado PST sort of intrigues me. I do worry though that (for me at least) it might be a flash in the pan interest - and there always seems to be PSTs up for sale which may indicate that people get bored OR that they upgrade rapidly to something a lot bigger.

I dont really want to do either - I want something big enough to keep me interested without ending up with the sorts of rigs at SSP where people blow £5k on a filter set

Sooo with all that in mind - I had a mooch around and the four that fall in the price range really are;

Coronado PST - Probably available at lower cost than the rest, dont really like its looks but could live with it, have the opportunity maybe pick one up soon for around £350. Aware of problems with early ones but this one is almost new. Never heard a bad word said about its capabilities.

Lunt 35 - Looks nicer than the PST but I know zippo about its capabilities. No idea. It looks more rinky than the PST to my eyes.

Lunt 60 - Pushing the budget - some of my other stuff would have to be sold to make the cash for this one and I dont know if its really worth it. Zero know-how with this technology so ?????? Has a 2" Crayford but no idea if thats useful on this type of scope. More aperture than the others but not sure how much this is worth - I mean its not like your trying to spot a faint fuzzy is it

Coronado Solarmax40 - Pushing the budget again - not sure why this one is so much more expensive than the other three when its specs seem so similar - similar bandpass performance to the PST and less aperture than the Lunt 60 so no idea whay this one costs so much more. Have seen a few come up at around £800-£1000 2nd hand.

The Nutty Approach - Not Very Serious Of course I could also adapt my 1970s Unitron for Solar which is not without appeal - classic scope readapted to the needs of the modern amateur blah blah blah - it could be glamourous, one of a kind, might make it onto Sky at Night (yawns) - all that stuff but what a hassle and the cost for HA filters would be (at least as far as I can tell) prohibitive and on top of that a 3' long solar scope seems a bit overkill especially with the Unitrons wonky~bonky focuser and non standard dovetail system which would all add to the cost.

Any ideas from users or people expert in the ways of the bright side would be helpful. Of course if you just happen to have a double stack 60mm system to fit the Unitron that you dont want and are handing out free I will spare you the trouble of taking them to the tip

[Merlin66]

The first three options all have sub-diameter (about 20mm diameter) etalon filters built into the body of the scope. They are usually short focal length and generally for visual work.

The SM40/ 60 and the Solarview equivalents are full aperture etalon filters which can be mounted on any suitable telescope. They give very good results with no "sweet spot" issues and are very suitable for imaging. The larger blocking filters also accommodate the longer focal lengths and give a far larger FOV.

I use a double stacked SM60/ BF15 on an ED80 with a x2.5 TV powermate/ DMK for solar imaging.....majic!

The PST etalon, as you know, can be safely used with the addition of a ERF and BF10 filter to give a fantastic 80mm or 90mm Ha system. Getting cost effective blocking filters is a problem...(Nick? - any news????)

Jan Timmermans page shows what can be achieved with a basic PST - Sherri on her thread shows the good performance of the L60.....

[John]

For budgetary reasons my choice was limited to enty level Ha options - a PST or the, slightly less expensive, Lunt 35. In the end I went for the PST because, i) one became available from a reliable source at the right price and, ii) it's "moddability" gives it more future potential if the solar bug really bites.

Being ruthlessly practical, that latter factor should also ensure that I would be able to sell it on relatively easily, should the solar bug NOT bite as hard as my initial experiences suggest

[brianb]

Of the stuff you mention, the Lunt 60 is by far the most effective. The PST is a great introductory scope but lacks aperture; the Lunt 35 seems designed to irritate. (mostly the focuser)

If you can find a secondhand Solarscope 50 or 60, jump at it even if you have to raid the bank to get the cash.

Aperture is of value to solar observers because of the resolution it brings. Light capture is secondary but still a factor; shorter exposures are very helpful to beat the rotten daytime seeing.

[ollypenrice]

Phew, Brian's post comes as a relief since that's what I've just ordered. I have never looked thorugh a single stack Lunt 60 but the double stack was deeply impressive. For me the PST did not quite get to the level I would want, partly because many of the people who will be looking through it will be novice or first time observers who may not have the ability to tease out faint detail.

Although many people have brought solar scopes down to my place I have never known anyone get bored with the view. I certainly have never done so and am fed up with having to wait for visiting solar scopes to appear!

If you want to get a Lunt by Christmas, Mel, I'd get your order in PDQ since the delay is quoted at about a month.

Olly