Hello!!! from a new member in Athens - ERF for C8

[H-Alpha]

Dear all,

First of all thank you for this excellent forum and all your amazing photos and precious info. Alexandra kindly answered this message that was posted in "AR2804- AR2805, WL 23-02-2020" with my first ever solar photos and proposed to open a new thread for my questions.

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 to try in parallel 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.

Alexandra's advice and also what I read from many of you here is to start with a smaller aperture than LUNT100. I am looking for a smaller used one in my country (Greece) that I could test first, but it is unlikely I can find one. Therefore buying a small aperture new may never give me the opportunity to sell it later in order to upgrade... And also the unique amateur owner of a LUNT100 in Athens who is experienced and makes good photos, promised me to help in my first steps and said "it is difficult and needs time, but it is not ...nanotechnology!" :-)

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!
And nice to e-meet you all!

Alexandros

[DeepSolar64]

Welcome to SolarChat Alexandros.

I was seriously considering a Lunt 100 last spring but I could never come up with that much money and I wanted a double stacked system to boot. I ended up getting a Coronado SMII90 which was much more affordable since Coronado is gradually doing away with the SMII line I got it for only 3500 dollars and that was double stacked. The scope seems to work really well despite some of the horror stories you hear about Meade and Coronado's etalons.

I have both a SMII60 and SMII90. Both double stacked.

Lunt probably on average is better than Coronado and they certainly have better customer service, or so I hear. But I would give Coronado a consideration.

If I was starting out with a Lunt I would probably go LS80MT.

Nice images!!!

James

[Montana]

A very warm welcome Alexandros

I am not sure why you can't PM Valery? if you send an email to Valery they very rarely get there as most emails are blocked by the site security. A PM would be much better as Valery would see it when he logged on. Unless of course Valery has PM turned off which could be the case?
I am sure he would spot it if you started a post saying 'looking to buy an ARIES ERF'

If I were you I would buy a smaller aperture Halpha scope as well. You won't need to sell it, you will love it forever to use as full disc imaging and visual. A high res Halpha set up will be used in conjunction to complement it when the seeing is available.

Alexandra

[solarnoob]

I agree with Alexandra; I love my Lunt 50 Halpha. It is small and offers pleasant views of the sun pretty much all the time (not my LS100); a keeper.

Frank

[DeepSolar64]

Lunt would be a good scope. They don't have the issues that plague DayStar and are better on average than Meade Coronado. Solarscope and Solar Spectrum are probably the highest rated in quality. You can get Solar Spectrum etalons through Baader Planetarium and Solarscope should be available in Europe too.

It's a shame that Lunt costs so much in Europe.

James

[MalVeauX]

Hello,

If you're determined to get a DERF for your C8, no matter what, then here's my suggestion as an alternative: Contact Nick Smith at Altair Astro, he's on Facebook under that very name, he's commonly in the Solar Activity group and this facebook group of Charlie Bates, he's on the Backyardastro.org forum too. He can give you information about the upcoming large aperture DERF and the cell holder that the company will have available this summer. They're UK based, right near you.

That said, I would urge you to measure your seeing for a while, and consider a 6 inch refractor instead of a C8. You can use the refractor for nearly any wavelength and you can get a DERF for it much easier and the resolution difference will be negligble if not indifferent because the seeing conditions will rarely support the angular resolution potential of a 200mm aperture in day time. You can mask an unobstructed 6 inch refractor to any aperture based on your needs for the seeing conditions and wavelength; you can image near UV without needing special under-correctors or magic; it will work far more often all year, not just once in a great while (if ever).

And if you are still totally hung up on getting an 8 inch, I would argue, don't get an SCT for this purpose or bother using your C8 for this. Instead, get an 8 inch achromatic doublet lens and have a big 8 inch refractor made and get your DERF made for that instead. SCT is convenient for compact size, but the corrector plate and F2 mirror come with a huge compromise for anything shorter than green wavelengths as the spherical aberration gets bad as the wavelength decreases on SCT.

Very best,

[H-Alpha]

Lunt would be a good scope. They don't have the issues that plague DayStar and are better on average than Meade Coronado. Solarscope and Solar Spectrum are probably the highest rated in quality. You can get Solar Spectrum etalons through Baader Planetarium and Solarscope should be available in Europe too.

It's a shame that Lunt costs so much in Europe.

James

Thanks a lot James. While trying to decide which solar scope to buy during the last couple of months, I have read your old posts when you were considering a LUNT. I think that someone in the forum proposed you a cheap used Coronado and you were (and are) very happy to have it. Lucky you! :-) I was considering Coronado as well, but after reading many comments here and elsewhere, I am convinced now that with LUNT I can feel safe that I will not have problems or if I have, they will be good in dealing with them. I have the feeling that with Coronado there is some risk... You may receive an excellent etalon and be happy for ever, but sometimes you may get in trouble. It seems there is more gambling there...

I am based i Europe and this is the only reason I have not already bought the LUNT100 to share photos with you. It is a shame that the price with almost no accessories is 150% of the price in the US. In the US "advanced package" they offer two eyepieces, diagonal, WL wedge and 1800 Ca-K(!!!), while in Europe there is nothing of these and the price is 150%. It is pure robbery, but I will have to live with that rather than entering the adventure to buy it in the US and then send it to Europe during these difficult times and the custom troubles that I will have to face... If I can find no good offer in Europe, I may have to limit myself to the LUNT80, but my priority remains the LUNT100 (since I have seen long-term good results by it from a user under the seeing conditions in Athens). Hope in a few months I can be part of the H-alpha team here, and share photos and experiences with all of you. :-)

Best wishes,
Alexandros

[H-Alpha]

Hello,

If you're determined to get a DERF for your C8, no matter what, then here's my suggestion as an alternative: Contact Nick Smith at Altair Astro, he's on Facebook under that very name, he's commonly in the Solar Activity group and this facebook group of Charlie Bates, he's on the Backyardastro.org forum too. He can give you information about the upcoming large aperture DERF and the cell holder that the company will have available this summer. They're UK based, right near you.

That said, I would urge you to measure your seeing for a while, and consider a 6 inch refractor instead of a C8. You can use the refractor for nearly any wavelength and you can get a DERF for it much easier and the resolution difference will be negligble if not indifferent because the seeing conditions will rarely support the angular resolution potential of a 200mm aperture in day time. You can mask an unobstructed 6 inch refractor to any aperture based on your needs for the seeing conditions and wavelength; you can image near UV without needing special under-correctors or magic; it will work far more often all year, not just once in a great while (if ever).

And if you are still totally hung up on getting an 8 inch, I would argue, don't get an SCT for this purpose or bother using your C8 for this. Instead, get an 8 inch achromatic doublet lens and have a big 8 inch refractor made and get your DERF made for that instead. SCT is convenient for compact size, but the corrector plate and F2 mirror come with a huge compromise for anything shorter than green wavelengths as the spherical aberration gets bad as the wavelength decreases on SCT.

Very best,

Thanks a lot Marty!

I will consider very carefully all your wise advice as always!

best wishes,
Alexandros

[DeepSolar64]

Lunt would be a good scope. They don't have the issues that plague DayStar and are better on average than Meade Coronado. Solarscope and Solar Spectrum are probably the highest rated in quality. You can get Solar Spectrum etalons through Baader Planetarium and Solarscope should be available in Europe too.

It's a shame that Lunt costs so much in Europe.

James

Thanks a lot James. While trying to decide which solar scope to buy during the last couple of months, I have read your old posts when you were considering a LUNT. I think that someone in the forum proposed you a cheap used Coronado and you were (and are) very happy to have it. Lucky you! :-) I was considering Coronado as well, but after reading many comments here and elsewhere, I am convinced now that with LUNT I can feel safe that I will not have problems or if I have, they will be good in dealing with them. I have the feeling that with Coronado there is some risk... You may receive an excellent etalon and be happy for ever, but sometimes you may get in trouble. It seems there is more gambling there...

I am based i Europe and this is the only reason I have not already bought the LUNT100 to share photos with you. It is a shame that the price with almost no accessories is 150% of the price in the US. In the US "advanced package" they offer two eyepieces, diagonal, WL wedge and 1800 Ca-K(!!!), while in Europe there is nothing of these and the price is 150%. It is pure robbery, but I will have to live with that rather than entering the adventure to buy it in the US and then send it to Europe during these difficult times and the custom troubles that I will have to face... If I can find no good offer in Europe, I may have to limit myself to the LUNT80, but my priority remains the LUNT100 (since I have seen long-term good results by it from a user under the seeing conditions in Athens). Hope in a few months I can be part of the H-alpha team here, and share photos and experiences with all of you. :-)

Best wishes,
Alexandros

If Lunt and Coronado was priced similarly or money was no object I would certainly choose Lunt over Coronado. Their etalons are of better quality and their customer service is said to be good and they also have their pressure tuning system but the cost of a double stacked Lunt 80 or especially 100 would have been difficult for me. The Coronado SMII 90 DS I found was not used but new, Through Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes. Meade is transiting from the SMII to the SMIII and I got the SMII 90 2000 dollars off it's normal price. $3500.000 Vs $5500.00. That was hard to pass up. So far the scope has done very well showing nice detail.

I have a SMII60 DS as well and it does ok but I do think I have some etalon issues with it. I often have trouble getting it on band in single stack and it's illumination is less even than in the SMII90. I have actually entertained the idea of selling it and getting a Lunt LS50tha.

Blessings,
James