Solar Filters

[laney50w]

Thanks for the info, what about a company called astrozap? seen they had both glass and film/ Im more interested in the glass but how bout the company.

No problem!

Astrozap? Never heard of them.... I would research the company, and see if you can find some online reviews before buying it. It's probably a good company, I have just never heard of them....then again, there's probably a few more companies out there that I'm not familiar with.

[laney50w]

just pulled this one up on ebay

Baader 1.25" Narrowband H-Alpha Filter (7nm) - eBay (item 120666353381 end time Jan-30-11 20:01:35 PST)

Hey Joey,

PLEASE BE CAREFUL....That filter is for Nebula (Night Sky) use only. You "MIGHT" be able to use it in conjunction WITH a White Light filter, but, I don't know how much (if any) more detail you'll see with it. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT use that filter all by itself.

You might have known that already, I just don't want you to hurt yourself, or see anything bad happen to you if you try to use this filter...

Honestly, I don't know if you can even buy an H-Alpha filtration system to add to your telescope.....and if you can, be prepared to shell out a TON OF MONEY for one! Basic add-on accessories for my Coronado PST are priced through the roof! We're talking just for another H-Alpha filter, the tune of over $1500!!!!!! JUST FOR A BASIC FILTER "add on"....

That filter, that's listed on Ebay, is meant to bring out more visual detail in Nebulae. Nebulae contain Hydrogen, and the H-Alpha "Eyepiece Filter" helps a little with the visual aspect, but, it's mainly used for Nebula Astrophotography. It brings out the Hydrogen spectrum better.

[AbbN]

H-A will let you see the Sun the way you're meant to see it. Surface granulation, solar prominences, filaments, sunspots, etc etc...ALL IN FULL COLOR & EVERY POSSIBLE DETAIL!!! It's a thing of absolute beauty! OK, the PST might be a bit on the pricey side, BUT, on the other hand it is very affordable, considering what it does....Now, some folks might complain that "Why am I spending $600 clams on something that can only be used for one thing only?" My answer to that is simple: "Just look in the Eyepiece!"

You can see all this with the $600 PST? Can you add lenses to this unit?

Hmmmm, you've sparked an interest in me.....

[DaveW]

Laney, have you compared the PST to the Solarmax 40 (or even the 0.5A PST)? There's a pretty huge gap between the $500 40mm PST and the $1700 40mm Solarmax.

[laney50w]

You can see all this with the $600 PST? Can you add lenses to this unit?

Hmmmm, you've sparked an interest in me.....

Hey there, Abbn!

Yup! That's all you need! No extra filters to buy! Just get a PST, and you're good to go!

You "can" add lenses (or extra H-Alpha filters) to it, but...VERY...pricey!

Better yet, you can can have Denkmeier do a PST Conversion for you, at a MUCH CHEAPER price ($599). Their conv adds a bit of aperture and a better H-Alpha filter.

But, all my photos on my page are taken with just my PST, and nothing more.

[Joey0053]

That's actually more than they charge on their website, and they have free shipping there to boot.
Baader Narrowband H-Alpha (7nm) Filter - 1.25"

Thanks for that heads up.

[coolie]

Thousand Oaks Optical has a set you can buy to give you H-A in a regular OTA here H-Alpha. Includes a white light film filter and a H-A filter on the eyepiece. Never tried it, don't know how it works.

[laney50w]

Laney, have you compared the PST to the Solarmax 40 (or even the 0.5A PST)? There's a pretty huge gap between the $500 40mm PST and the $1700 40mm Solarmax.

Oh yeah, no doubt.... you're absolutely right...There are some major differences, BUT, whether it's a PST, or a Solar Max model, you're still going to see the Sun in brilliant detail.

No way I was gonna spend $1500 (or more) on a SolarMax. LOL

Luckily, I can take my PST ($599) , send it to Denkmeier for a $500 Conversion, and I'm still ahead of the game. Larger aperture, and better H-Alpha filtration. It may not be better than a large SolarMax, but, it'll be a huge improvement.

Chris

[laney50w]

Thousand Oaks Optical has a set you can buy to give you H-A in a regular OTA here H-Alpha. Includes a white light film filter and a H-A filter on the eyepiece. Never tried it, don't know how it works.

Hmmm, that's cool, I never knew they had that, either. A bit pricey, though.

But, I guess if it's a "Thousand Oaks" product, it'll certainly be of good quality.

[DaveW]

That sounds reasonable. A small and cheap solar telescope is on my wish list; there's so many benefits to it compared to a regular scope that the big drawback of only one target doesn't seem so bad. The cheap PST does seem like a great value compared to the SM40 or spending $150 on a white light filter.