Thanks all. Sounds like the deal... if I cant get it on band, it's time to open it up. Otherwise, leave it alone. I'm willing to bet that the seal is the culprit.

Sunny skies! April 8!

Bill

Hello, Gosh, I just realized as I was posting this that this is my first post here since I got my Lunt 130MT DS last year. I guess better late to the party than never. I have always read that you don't have to reset your pressure-tuned etalons before use. Certainly the first time they're shipped to ...

"Solar observing and equipment is a specialty, and your nighttime DSO observing and imaging will not prepare you in any way for it." No kidding, Bob! Wow. I did a LOT of research on Ha before and I thought I had my Ha plan pretty well mapped out. I shall slow my roll with my re-entry into ...

Mark and Brian, thank you for your insights. Brian, I think you and I have actually met in person before, at NEAF 2019 I believe. I think it was Franco Fellah that introduced us. Ugh. As I am diving back in to solar to get my first Ha rig together, I am quickly being reminded of the difficulty in fi...

Honestly, I'm just trying to verify what I think I understand. Based on the fact that most of my research has been done on SolarChat, this seemed like the place to come to do that.

Any insight from anyone is appreciated.

Bill

Happy new year, Stephen. My goal is high definition Ha imaging. My daytime seeing is often pretty good in my area, so the idea is to maximize the objective aperture to as big as my seeing will allow at best and I'm not overdoing it. I also want to maximize my clear aperture on the sensor end. I did ...

I am finally with approval from the boss that I can build my solar rig. It's only going to cost me in trade a kitchen renovation. I am getting a Celestron C6-R as the scope. Visual and imaging, solar only. With the substandard stock focuser requiring an upgrade, what focuser is currently available a...

Oh, wow.

Thank you guys.

Bill

Sorry, that was a dumb question.

Bill

Another question.

Does the aperture have to be circular? As long as it's one aperture, it can be any shape, like oval, right?

Bill

The longest solar minimum ever is the one you are in the middle of when you discover solar astronomy. Hey, at least it buys me time to research and save up for the Ha gear. I get the impression that it might cause diffraction issues, as if the mask part were really wide spider vanes in between the h...

Hello and happy 2019! I have purchased a Sumerian Alkaid 12" f/5 dob for a travel visual scope. For those not familiar, it packs down to a suitcase that is smaller than carry on dimensions. The plan is to use this scope for night viewing, yes, but also have a white light filter for solar viewin...

Stunning!

Stunning!

Ok, that's hilarious. For the record, I'm looking at a Quantum solid on the back of maybe an AiryLab HaT. I know the benefits of double stacking, and was checking out my options. I've been considering the Lunt DSII module made for the LS80... thank you George :D The answers in the thread, especially...

Yes, detailed enough. Thank you for your insight, and it probably needed to be said.

But what about all the other manufacturers producing etalons?

Can you provide some more detail to flesh out your previous answer? If not done right, all solar is dangerous.

Hello! I am a new SolarChat member, but not a new reader. I am on CN as well and I am going on about two years of painfully patient research about imaging and visual for solar. I've been on my 16" dob for a few years and I've been on a VERY patient campaign to get some proper gear for imaging a...