H alpha solar filter?

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milanpicard
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H alpha solar filter?

#1

Post by milanpicard »


I saw some images, they said with H alpha filter, of the Sun, that showed a grainy surface plus some minuscular eruptions too on the sides of the disk. Can that be visible to the eye in visual astronomy, not photograph, in an 8dob? Does anyone know pls?
Last edited by milanpicard on Sat Jan 11, 2020 12:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sdbodin United States of America
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#2

Post by sdbodin »


Yes, but this is not the simple screw in Ha filter for deep space imaging. These are very narrow band solar Ha filters, a $1000 should get you one from Daystar. One of the solar specialists should chime in here, this is out of my field.

Steve
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Thefatkitty Canada
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#3

Post by Thefatkitty »


Well, not a "solar specialist", but I believe the best you can do with a Dob is white light, as in a Baader, Thousand Oaks or the like solar filter. For HA, you're looking at a Daystar or Quark for a refractor, or a dedicated Solar scope such as a Lunt or a Coronado PST. Any way you do it, HA is mucho $$$....

That is the extent of my knowledge on that :D

All the best,
Mark

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W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#4

Post by Lowjiber »


Do not venture into Hydrogen-alpha viewing and/or imaging with a reflector telescope... they can't take the heat, literally.

To get started with Ha, I recommend a DayStar Quark-Chromosphere as mentioned above. Couple that with a refracting telescope around 80mm with a focal ratio between f/7 and f/7.5. You'll need to add a UV/IR-cut filter (about $100) as the first thing the light encounters after entering the scope. You don't need a tracking mount for visual work, just about any alt/az mount will suffice.

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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#5

Post by milanpicard »


Ok, I understand, thank you guys. I have a solar filter that is home made with that filter paper we all know, I can view sunspots well with it as I put it on the smaller unscrewable hole of the 8dob. So that is the extent pf solar observations I can do with my scope right? Of course anything very expensive is out of the question anyway. So this is it? Sunspots then?
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#6

Post by notFritzArgelander »


Yes. Professional solar telescopes are often reflectors but have uncontested mirrors to do Ha imaging.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


notFritzArgelander wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:09 pm Yes. Professional solar telescopes are often reflectors but have uncontested mirrors to do Ha imaging.
Autocorrect error: "uncontested" should read "uncoated".
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#8

Post by Lady Fraktor »


milanpicard wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 4:50 pm Ok, I understand, thank you guys. I have a solar filter that is home made with that filter paper we all know, I can view sunspots well with it as I put it on the smaller unscrewable hole of the 8dob. So that is the extent pf solar observations I can do with my scope right? Of course anything very expensive is out of the question anyway. So this is it? Sunspots then?
Unfortunately yes, Ha and Helium filters are much too expensive and if you could afford one it would not work with your reflector.
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#9

Post by Dragonsfire »


If you want extra detail without the $1000 price tag (Ive drooled over those filters wanting some) then get a Baader 3.8 solar filter (not for visual observing) (5.0 is for visual).
Neil
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Re: H alpha solar filter?

#10

Post by Tillibobs »


About the cheapest way to see more of the sun is a used Coronado PST. I saw one for sale yesterday for £400. This is the scope that got most of us started and while it's made for viewing it can be used for imaging too ( probably with something you already have ).
Keith
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