AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

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Martin_S
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AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by Martin_S »

Today we were rewarded with two small sunspot groups, which I managed to Image in white light with my 180mm Maksutov telescope and ASI120mm camera. AR2804 was fairly quiet, AR2805 was quite active with lots of magnetic flux variations that I just managed to capture under a turbulent Brisbane sky.

Martin
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H alpha : ,Skywatcher 120mm F8 open frame refractor, a tilted 2" 7nm H-alpha filter as a sub energy rejection filter, Baader TZ4 telecentric focal extender, Player One energy rejection filter, Combo Quark Chromosphere, Naked PST etalon for double stacking, ASI74mm camera
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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by Montana »

Wow!! these are gorgeous Martin, good images of WL granulation and sunspots makes my heart skip a beat. WL beats all the other wavelengths for me :hamster: :hamster: :bow

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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by ffellah »

Excellent captures Martin, very sharp.

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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by dhkaiser »

Super crisp imaging, must have had pretty good seeing.


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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by Fabio_Imm »

Beautiful captures Martin, really sharp!
:bow


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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by rsfoto »

Hi Fabio,

Well deserved SPoD


regards Rainer

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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by H-Alpha »

Dear Martin and dear all,

Thanks for the excellent photos and the opportunity you gave me to say hello to everybody and send my first message!

During the last two months I am reading many of your posts and you have helped me a lot to start understanding a few basic things in solar imaging.
I was making astrophotography back in 1990 in France when I was a PhD student and I was using Kodachrome slides... Since then I had as my dream to get one day a H-alpha filter and take photos of the sun, but when I saw the price, I said it should be for the future. Thirty years later, I have this possibility and so I started reading you, while amazed by things that can be done today by amateurs!

My old C8 Ultima PEC is out again and although I understood that it is not the best telescope to start imagine the sun, yesterday and today I just used my old (Celestron?) filter to take some very basic photos of the first sunspots (2804 and 2805) that I saw in my life after many years again. Here are my first very bad photos made with good seeing the 22nd and a bit worst the 23rd, just to say hello! For me they have sentimental value, since it is the start! Taken with a Canon EOS 5 DSLR and 30-40 s videos (and then rapid process in pipp, AS!, registax).

I have already ordered and waiting for an Astrosolar filter, Baader continuum, and ASI290MM for some better (hopefully) white light images.

However, all the reading I made of your posts was to decide which will be the right solar scope to buy. I will probably go for a LUNT100. Unfortunately the price in Europe is 150% the US price, with almost none of the accessories offered in the "observer" or "advanced" packages in the US.

Anyway, waiting for the day I will hold the LUNT in my hands, I would like in parallel try to make my C8 another H-alpha telescope. Although I understand it is very difficult and would need a lot of experience and time, and also very good seeing, I would like to try.

My two questions for anyone who is willing to help are:

1) My only and perhaps last hope for an ERF for the 200 mm of C8 was Valery (Aries). I e-mailed him but have no answer so far (and I am not allowed to send pm). Hopefully, he may answer here. (the French AiryLab is not producing anymore ERFs or HATs). Are you aware of any alternatives for 200mm ERF?

2) I suppose there is no other way (without ERF) to make my C8 a H-alpha telescope. Isn't it?

Thanks a for any help and hope to be able to share also my first H-alpha photo with you one day!
Alexandros
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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by Montana »

A very warm and sunny welcome :hamster:

II was thinking it maybe better to start a new thread in the main Solarchat section. You may get more replies there than the SPOD archive.

Your WL images are fabulous :hamster: I am sure you will get even better with the Baader Solar film. For H-alpha, I would recommend starting by buying a Lunt 60 double stack or even a PST double stack just to start off with. I'm not sure I would go for the Lunt 100mm straight off, or even the C8 as a Halpha. I would use the smaller DS telescopes to initially learn to observe in Halpha and hone your imaging skills and enjoy it. To move straight to high resolution as a beginner seems a bit ambitious, you will have lots of troubles to deal with and no experience. I feel you would get much more enjoyment quicker with a double stack telescope of smaller aperture. Enjoy a full solar disc first.

I started with a PST 12 years ago and I still use it and enjoy it today. I have only started working at high resolution for the last 3 years and I still haven't got many images with it yet. If you start at high resolution first off it maybe years before you get anything decent out of it. I just feel you might be disappointed very quickly. Just my thoughts anyway ;)

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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by H-Alpha »

Dear Alexandra,

Thanks a lot for your welcome, kind answer and advice.
You are right, I will try about ERF in a new thread.

I had a look at your photos and found the amazing! Congratulations!
You have a stunning prominence gif!!! :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow
I have never seen so many details before! :roll: What telescope and accessories and accessories did you use? You had a perfect seeing?

I also would like to ask you, what is the Solarscope DF100 that you mention?

And finally, have you used your C11 so far for solar, or is it waiting for the spring with its blackout material? Any result?

Regarding the LUNT100, I do understand everything you wrote. The idea is that there is already an experienced H-alpha photographer in Athens (just one!) using LUNT100 since many years, and he is willing to help me in my first steps and he encouraged me saying that although it is difficult and needs a lot of time "it is not nanotechnology" he said. :-) In addition, unless I can find in Greece a used and cheap smaller apperture solarscope, I won't have the possibility to sell what I will buy, so I prefer to have a good one since the beginning. That's the idea, but I may be wrong. Of course the C8 would be even more difficult..., but since I have it, I may wish to turn it as will towards the sun with a H-alpha, that's why I am looking for the ERF (just to have it, since it is rare). I am sure the ASI290, with the Astrsolar and the continuum will give me a lot of pleasure during the next months! :-)

Thanks once more for welcoming me!
Alexandros


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Re: AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020

Post by Montana »

Thank you Alexandros :)

The equipment I have are 2 Coronado PSTs (CaK and Halpha) I have had them since 2008 and never felt the need to sell them, I use them all the time.
A TEC140 which I use with a Baader Herschel wedge for WL, Lunt CaK module and Solarscope DSF100 https://solarscope.co.uk/
I also have a C11 which I have been successful in imaging in white light with Baader solar film, but my CaK and PST modification + Aries ERF are still work in progress to achieve an image.

In winter I use the PSTs 100% of the time, In summer I use the TEC 80% of the time, the PSTs 10% of the time and the C11 10% of the time.

I look forward to your post in the main section, I am sure plenty there will love to welcome you too :)

Alexandra


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