June 6th Sun in W/L and not-done-by-me HA

[Thefatkitty]

Hey all, hope things are going well

We've had a lot of forest fires lately here in Canada. BC, Alberta and Quebec are not doing well for that. We were forecast to get smoke today and so it was. Tonight was supposed to be clear but you can see that's changed:

I took a pic out the window of my truck today in Tottenham, that would be quite north and west of Toronto. It was 2:30PM, the skies are technically clear, but you can see the haze from the smoke.

Got in late, 5PM (traffic due to a pileup) and took out my white light setup (C80-HD, EOS 550D, Baader Solar Continuum & UV/IR and 5.0 film). I usually do this with the 3.8 OD film, but in conditions like this the 5.0 film is more forgiving. Best 10% of 140 shots in PIPP and AS3, no post processing except for a crop and the planets to scale

Full size image here



As some of you know, Mike (@Solsearcher) has been building me a PST mod with a 102mm and a Baader 90MM ERF. Not only is he a machinist, he's a machine! He PM'd me he finished the scope yesterday and took it out for first light today. Funny, I know when his observing "window" is (trees), and thought while driving today, "I'll bet with even the smoke Mike is out testing the scope he built for me". I was not wrong!

He sent me a PM with the images he took with it. I forget the camera model, but he did inform me when he took them the Sun was pretty much overhead and he was lying down... I can picture that; thanks buddy for going to that length!
Mike also informed me he's of the opinion that the Baader ERF is better than the Lunt. I informed him he's probably one of the first few to do a PST mod with a Baader ERF

Mike said he didn't want to post them as it was with my scope. I informed him I had no problems with that, you're the one that took them. He replied no, they're taken with your scope, you post them...
See, this is why Canadians will sit at a 4-way stop, politely wave each other on (no problem, you go) and then both go at the same time narrowly missing a collision

OK, so i'll go through the 4-way first....

This is the scope he made me. The PVc between the hind end of the scope and the focuser houses the etalon and as an added bonus is adjustable. The scope itself is literally new.

And these are the pics he took of the Sun through less than ideal conditions with the 5mm blocking filter; I'm already dreaming of a 15mm.... I can't believe the quality he got through the crap that is our respective skies:

Am I happy? Not that it matters, but Oh Yes I am. I've been wanting to do HA for some time, but the $$$ for it, especially nowadays. Mike made it affordable for me.

I'll be heading out to his place this weekend with the rest of the coin to pay for this, plus I'm bringing the Guinness. I'll have only one, and only because I'll have to drive home

A big huge thanks to Mike, and I must get dinner going; the wife/daughter units will be home soon....

All the best!

[messier 111]

I'm happy for you, he made some good catches.

[Tillibobs]

Smashing captures Mike and Mark. The surface details are far better than the Lunt shows up. Your on a winner there Mark.

[Butterfly Maiden]

Friends like Mike are hard to come by, who will put themselves out to help someone else. A deed to be cherished.

Great images too.

[Juno16]

Hi Mark,

Looks like Mike fixed you up with a gem!

The images that he captured are awesome! I am sure you are ready to get your hands on this fine solar tool and I am really looking forward to seeing your images.

@Solsearcher Super that you did this for Mark. You are a good dude!

If either of you make it down this way, please give me a yell!

[Solsearcher]

I have always enjoy helping others anyway I can . Mark is close and I knew he had been wanting to get into Ha so I contacted him to let him know what I had to offer .
I had done a few of these in the past and had everything here including a 100mm Lunt ERF to do another one . I no longer have the ERF due to unfortunate circumstances and I was shocked at how much these filters have gone up . The Baader Mark purchased was about twice the price of the Lunt I had !! I was disappointed I was not able to offer this component as well but on the plus side the Baader did look to be a higher quality than the no longer available Lunt's did . The main thing is that it performed well !!
I am not making excuses here but the sky was far from ideal for imaging when I took these and I know that Mark will do much better once he gets on to using his new camera with it . I used my DMK 31 and did not have to lay on the ground , that was when I was testing to make sure eyepieces would come to focus More comfortable for viewing later or earlier in the day !!
Mark should be good to go now and I am looking forward to seeing what he brings us , the only thing you need now is an appropriate sized box and curtain

@Juno16 Jim , that would be fun , Mark says he has lots of vacation time and I am unemployed (retired ) If I ever get back down there I will try to drag Mark along with me I know he would love the food !!

[Thefatkitty]

I'm happy for you, he made some good catches.

Merci mon ami, je suis excite pour ca!

Smashing captures Mike and Mark. The surface details are far better than the Lunt shows up. Your on a winner there Mark.

Thanks Keith, but it remains to be seen if I can follow Mike's finesse with this... As for the scope, I love what he's done and the way it was done, and though the Baader was pricey, it seems to be worth it

Friends like Mike are hard to come by, who will put themselves out to help someone else. A deed to be cherished.

Great images too.

Thanks Vanessa, and I agree whole-heartedly. There are good people in the world still!

Hi Mark,

Looks like Mike fixed you up with a gem!

The images that he captured are awesome! I am sure you are ready to get your hands on this fine solar tool and I am really looking forward to seeing your images.

@Solsearcher Super that you did this for Mark. You are a good dude!

If either of you make it down this way, please give me a yell!

Hey Jim, I couldn't agree more. He's an accomplished craftsman; I could spend hours looking at everything in his basement... Oh wait, I did! This will be a scope for life for sure

As for my upcoming images, we shall see... Still, Mike walked me through what he uses and does, and I'm sure if I have a brain-fart he will assist. And yeah, Mike is a good dude!

I've never been as far south in the US where you live; Florida is it. Wouldn't mind the trip though....

I have always enjoy helping others anyway I can . Mark is close and I knew he had been wanting to get into Ha so I contacted him to let him know what I had to offer .
I had done a few of these in the past and had everything here including a 100mm Lunt ERF to do another one . I no longer have the ERF due to unfortunate circumstances and I was shocked at how much these filters have gone up . The Baader Mark purchased was about twice the price of the Lunt I had !! I was disappointed I was not able to offer this component as well but on the plus side the Baader did look to be a higher quality than the no longer available Lunt's did . The main thing is that it performed well !!
I am not making excuses here but the sky was far from ideal for imaging when I took these and I know that Mark will do much better once he gets on to using his new camera with it . I used my DMK 31 and did not have to lay on the ground , that was when I was testing to make sure eyepieces would come to focus More comfortable for viewing later or earlier in the day !!
Mark should be good to go now and I am looking forward to seeing what he brings us , the only thing you need now is an appropriate sized box and curtain

@Juno16 Jim , that would be fun , Mark says he has lots of vacation time and I am unemployed (retired ) If I ever get back down there I will try to drag Mark along with me I know he would love the food !!

You're a kindred spirit Mike, and as I said to Jim, we'll see how my imaging goes. I still feel bad for you on what you told me about the Lunt ERF. Some people.

A road trip? For sure, I've never been to New Orleans or anywhere further south than Florida! I could see that being a fun time, we need to talk

Yes, the Baader was pricey, it cost me a bit over $705 CDN with tax/shipping. I got it from Teleskop Service in Germany. They had stock and the price was the same as the no-stock here and in the US.

As for the Lunt ERFs, they are no longer available. I originally ordered one from Robtics in the Netherlands and a couple of weeks later got this email:

Hi Mark,

Unfortunately this product is no longer available and therefore I have to cancel this order. I have refunded you through paypal.

Clear skies!

Menno van der Mark
Robtics

I did get my money back, no problem

So if anyone wants to do a PST mod, you'll have to use a Baader product it seems.
The Baader ERF's are only available in sizes from 75-180mm; the Baader site is here listing all available sizes: Baader ERF


Thanks again all for the comments, and again too kudos to Mike!!!

[Lady Fraktor]

Some nice images from both and it looks like Mike has adapted the telescope well.
Congratulations and I am looking forward to your images with it.

PS: I consider you bill paid in full