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H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 12:06 pm
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?

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:24 pm
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

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:49 pm
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,

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 4:03 pm
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.

Clear Skies

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 4:50 pm
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?

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:09 pm
by notFritzArgelander
Yes. Professional solar telescopes are often reflectors but have uncontested mirrors to do Ha imaging.

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 6:33 am
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".

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 6:37 am
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.

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 6:41 pm
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).

Re: H alpha solar filter?

Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:06 am
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