Cheap scopes for solar observation | Orion 90mm F/5.6 & SW 102 F/4.9

[pedro]

Cheap scopes for solar observation | Orion 90mm F/5.6 & SW 102 F/4.9

Check out two solar observation setups | Orion 90mm F/5.6 & Sky Watcher 102mm F/4.9 (Pre Mead SM60 + BF10 & SM90II + BF15)


ORION 90mm F/5.6


SW 102 F/4.9 SM60 BF10

[EGRAY_OBSERVATORY]

Some different set-ups there Pedro.

The SolarScope Solarmax 50mm is one of the first I used to used at public and school outreach's, which was very-fine scope with many seeing our Sun for the first-time with great interest - over ten years ago.
Owned by our local astronomy club, it was purchased with funding from our early lottery. They later acquired the PST Ha and Cal-k scopes too.

Thanks for showing the pics Pedro

Terry

[DeepSolar64]

Pedro,
That's an attractive little SW 102. I love the chrome finish! I have one of those Orion ST90s! I use it quite a bit for nighttime observing but have never tried it out for solar. It would suffer against my C102 though. The 102 gives much sharper images and does much better at high magnifications. Synta/Orion still has the 80mm version available in some form but I haven't seen the 90 sold in a number of years. Mine is a late 1990's model.

I also have an Orion 70mm dedicated white light solar telescope. It is a wonderful performer for the cost. The image is almost white and the little scope gives sharp images and is capable to over 100x. It has a built in glass filter over the objective of the scope. Orion sells it for 149.99 US dollars. Lunt Solar Systems sold it until they released their modular line of scopes which can be used for white light. I guess they didn't want this little scope competing against theirs! I bought mine off Amazon for 133.99 a little over a year ago. It was well worth it's modest cost. It comes with two eyepieces. a 20mm and a 10mm. Very usable modified achromats.

https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-7 ... 118193.uts

I love your mounts too, Pedro. I am planning to buy a smaller tracking mount for these small refractors. That HelioFind looks nice.

James

Orion ST90.JPG (4.2 MiB) Viewed 468 times

Orion70.JPG (4.23 MiB) Viewed 468 times

Orion70 Filter.JPG (4.34 MiB) Viewed 468 times

[pedro]

Great looking scopes James

Some achromatic refractors can perform well for solar observation with h-alpha etalons.

[DeepSolar64]

Both of my Coronados are achromats. With an adapter the SM90 etalon would probably work great on the C102. Though not bad I do occasionally notice the CA in white light in both the Orion70 and C102. I can and do often use the Baader 540nm continuum filter which not only boosts contrast but does not pass the color fringing. I do plan to pick up either a Baader Fringe Killer or Semi-Apo filter. Years ago one could pick up a Chromacor corrector but now they are hard to find. If I remember right they were sold under the Aries name.

[Montana]

Some lovely telescopes!! but I am rather envious of the blue skies

Alexandra

[pedro]

Thanks Alexandra & James

I had a Chromacor corrector that I used with a SW/Synta150 F/8. It worked fine. I sold it recently and I should have kept it to use with an Achromatic APM180 f/5 I bought recently.

http://www.astrosurf.com/re/chromacor.html








Synta (Sky-Watcher) 150 mm F/8 with matched Chromacor. Installation of a new Crayford focuser.