22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by DeepSolar64 »

pedro wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 5:43 pm Fantastic images Alexandra

The SS filter is great. Keep them coming

I second that!!


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by pedro »

Quick attempt - IMPPG, PS
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alexandra_SS_C11.jpg
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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Ivan »

:bow :bow :bow


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by mspingy1 »

Alexandra, thanks for posting these exquisite photos of the sun. I am considering getting into solar photography using my Stellarvue SVX 152. I'd like to ask you 3 questions:

1.) Where can I purchase a Aries ERF

2.) What is the TZ3 in your setup

3. What is the cost of the Solar Spectrum .3

Wish you many clear days in the UK.

From sunny Reno, Nevada USA

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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Rusted »

Aha! So that is what the sun is supposed to look like Alexandra! :bow

Thank you for sharing your remarkable skill and good fortune. :bow

Respect! :bow


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Montana »

Thanks everyone, you are all so encouraging :bow2

Thanks Valery and Pedro for the great processing :)

Valery, I'm trying to understand what you mean, do you mean I should use a telecompressor, then enlarge the imager later? I have a 0.4x and 0.7x telecompressor but I haven't used them yet and I am not sure which one reduces down further then the other (I can't work out the maths).

Michael, hello
1.) Where can I purchase a Aries ERF
From Valery (see above comments). However, if you only have a 152 then perhaps an easy option in the USA is to buy a Baader D-ERF 160mm + filter cell https://astrograph.net/epages/www_astro ... Filters%22

2.) What is the TZ3 in your setup
For the Solar Spectrum to work you have to get the beam of light at f28 or above for it to work correctly. The C11 is f10 native, so I need a 3x telecentric before it to get it to f30 before entering the SS. The TZ3 is the Baader telecentrics recommended for the Solar Spectrum https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/r ... ngth).html

3. What is the cost of the Solar Spectrum .3

https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/s ... lters.html

Kind regards
Alexandra


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by nicspenceryork »

My jaw drops to the floor every time I see your images!
There’s a wonderful effect I’ve seen you and a handful of others achieve. I wonder whether it’s capture and processing technique or quality of equipment, likely a mix of both. It’s tricky to describe so the best I can say is ‘silky-blurry-not-blurred flow’! surrounding the sunspots. 🤔


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by RodAstro »

Hi

I totally agree Nic, all of the active area is very sharp and has little movement, I guess the movement is upwards towards the camera so looks more stationary, were as around the active area everything looks like it is being blasted away from the active area across the solar surface, it gives me a total feeling of movement and an indication to what is going on.
It is like an extra layer of information within a still image, I like it to.
As Valery says you could speed up the capture process and sharpen the outer detail, that is also good as other things would then appear in the outer areas so I think both ways are valid.
I just personally prefer the movement, its something I don't get visually.

These are stunning images Alexandra, the setup is working well and I can only see you getting it better as always.
How often do you think you will get the seeing at, your location, to get the best out of it?

Rod


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Valery »

Montana wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 11:28 am
Valery, I'm trying to understand what you mean, do you mean I should use a telecompressor, then enlarge the imager later? I have a 0.4x and 0.7x telecompressor but I haven't used them yet and I am not sure which one reduces down further then the other (I can't work out the maths).



For the Solar Spectrum to work you have to get the beam of light at f28 or above for it to work correctly. The C11 is f10 native, so I need a 3x telecentric before it to get it to f30 before entering the SS. The TZ3 is the Baader telecentrics recommended for the Solar Spectrum https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/r ... ngth).html

Kind regards
Alexandra
Alexandra,

Yes, you need to downsize the image scale with focal reducer - prior to the camera. Not prior to the etalon(!!!).
In general, the best for you will be to change the TZ3 for TZ4 and then reduce the scale by focat reducer.
The larger the F/D parameter, the bettwer will work your etalon, the closer to it's nominal bandwidth - higher contrast and better uniformity within FOV.

Now your image scale is a bit too large for optimal sampling (somewhat oversampled). You can correct this by scale down.

Tell me what the pixel size in your camera(s) and we will see what you need to change to optimize the sampling.


Valery


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by MAURITS »

Crazy question,
Can I use a "SolarSpectrum H-Alpha Filter 0.3 Angström on a Takahashi TOA 150B - f7.3 refractor.

Which parts do I need extra (TZ3 ?)
I have the Baader DERF already ...

There are two series the 1 and the 1.5, which arguments will determine which series you will need?

Is my idea waste of money with my refractor.


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Valery »

MAURITS wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:17 pm Crazy question,
Can I use a "SolarSpectrum H-Alpha Filter 0.3 Angström on a Takahashi TOA 150B - f7.3 refractor.

Which parts do I need extra (TZ3 ?)
I have the Baader DERF already ...

There are two series the 1 and the 1.5, which arguments will determine which series you will need?

Is my idea waste of money with my refractor.
Buy a TZ4 or better buy a 5x telecentric from Oliver Smie (beloptik.de). 5x telecentric will give you
F/36,5 instead of F/29 with TZ4 and F/22 with TZ3. TZ3 is forbidden for use in F/5-7 refractors!
The slower the F/D the better your etalon will work - with a narrower bandwidth.


Valery.


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by MAURITS »

Thanks Valery for the feedback.

Is there a big difference between the Solar spectrum 0,5A and the 0,3A except the price?


Regards,
Maurits

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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by DeepSolar64 »

MAURITS wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 6:27 pm Thanks Valery for the feedback.

Is there a big difference between the Solar spectrum 0,5A and the 0,3A except the price?

I wonder on this too. My guess is the 0.3A would perform like a triple stacked system with very high contrast.


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by christian viladrich »

Marvellous Alexandra !
As pointed by Valery, it would be interesting to experiment with a focal reducer in order to reduce the image scale.


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Montana »

Thanks again guys :)

Rod, I think I can get good images with the C11 at least 2 times per year so far. But that is a time, not a number of viewing occasions. We need a period of quiet high pressure system with no jetstream. We had one in spring where I got about 3 days consecutive good seeing. Then this past week where I got 3 good days seeing. However, if I wasn't at work I could have had at least 6 or 7 good days. Perhaps we might get another high pressure later in the season?

Valery, thank you very much for your help. I have a ZWO ASI174 which has a pixel size of 5.86µm

Maurits - Yes, I am using it on my TEC140 f7 refractor. However, you have to use the SS at above f28. So I am using a Baader D-ERF 135mm which is 125mm usable aperture. So with a TZ4 I am at f31. I didn't know you could get a 5x telecentric. If I used it with a TZ4 at 140mm I would lose contrast. Maybe a 5x would be good but I would need to buy the 160mm ERF which is yet another dollop of cash :(

A mica based etalon is slightly different to a regular etalon (air spaced) and so 0.3A doesn't mean the equivalent of a triple stack. You still see a double limb. This is because the width of the curve is wider at the base and so more off band light is let through. It is the nature of things, the FWHM can be narrow (and sound good) but a base wide. You need the FWHM to be narrow and the base to be narrow for good bandwidth https://solarnutcase.livejournal.com/9896.html

Using the Solar Spectrum at higher f numbers gives better contrast and makes the mica etalon work at it's optimum bandwidth.

The difference between a 0.5 and 0.3A is mainly brightness I think. The 0.5A will be brighter but will still have good contrast if used properly. If my 0.3A is similar to a 0.6A air spaced etalon, I would think (only guessing) a 0.5A would give a view similar to a 0.8A air spaced? I could be wrong, I have never looked or used one.

This post explains the difference between models, although they have rebranded them with different names the model steps are still the same
viewtopic.php?p=208953#p208953

Kind regards
Alexandra


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by gabrieli »

Hi, Alexandra

Thank you for posting the original png of one of your stacked files and also your other beautiful renditions.
I know that I sometimes try too hard to make the live view look as bright as the final product. This means I sometimes use a shutter speed that is too slow and gain/gamma that are higher than they should be. From here on, I'll try to remember that shutter speed is important and rely more on processing to drag out the details.

Also, with my Solar Spectrum 0.5Å (Advanced Series) filter, I find the buttons that raise/lower the temperature a little bit stiff. I need to push them with a finger nail until I hear the "click". Using a thumb isn't enough. Do you find the same in yours?

Also, the set temperature stamped on the filter is shown as 0.0 (not a temperature). The changes are shown in degrees but I don't actually know what the actual oven temperature is, just that it is so many degrees higher or lower than the manufactured set point. I wonder whether my set point is 27˚C as is yours. It's not a huge deal but it would be nice to know.

Lou


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by rigel123 »

Beautiful shots!


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by RodAstro »

Hi Alexandra
Thanks for your reply I was thinking that about the seeing.
My seeing is pretty diabolical most of the time and I struggle to get to f30 with my 6" f15 so use a reducer before the Quark and then its telecentric after so I can get some sort of stable image. Even at 4ms with the asi174 it is hard at times to get enough good frames to stack.
I have tried stopping down but it makes little difference because I then have to raise the exposure.
The other week we tried a TZ2 and a quark combo but didn't get good results from that although time was limited so I don't thing it was fully on band.
This is leaving me thinking am I best moving house or planning in the future to get a Solar Spectrum, that's my big question.

I had a little go at processing your image, I hope you don't mind, and can see how fantastic the detail is so much in there that I can't get near to, just beautiful and dramatic.

The only thing I did noticed, is what seems to be a little bit of vignetting on the top corners, more prominent to the left and wondered if this may be to do with a bit of sagging in the optical train, it is such a long setup. I would imagine that would cause the image to be a bit off band unless you have corrected this with the heater.
I can't see it being limb darkening after looking at the GONG image the orientation does not seem correct.
I know it is all subjective how we like our processing, all different and monitors have a lot to do with it but here is my effort with the corners I think corrected.
Rod
Attachments
Alexandras C11 Solar Spectrum 0.jpg
Alexandras C11 Solar Spectrum 0.jpg (217.01 KiB) Viewed 603 times


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Jordan Konisky »

So fabulous, Alexandra. Always learn so much from your postings.

Jordan


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Stardust5858 »

Absolutely fantastic Alexandra, your captures are fantastic. I'll have to get my C11 up and running, lol.


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Valery »

To Maurits:

A 0.3A etalon should be significantly more contrasty than a 0.5A one. All the main details will be seen in both. But 0.3A will show them more distinct and the regions between spiculaes will be more full with shades and details.
When I jump from 0.3A to 0.5A and back, I immediately see the difference.



To Alexandra: do use a 0.4x focal reducer in the imaging train. Between the SS and camera. If the scale will be still a bit too large, just increase slightly the distance between the reducer and the camera.

In general this will close to the optimal sampling.


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Re: 22nd July 2021 C11 / Solar Spectrum 0.3A

Post by Carbon60 »

This is a really interesting thread. Thanks everyone. Good information.

Stu.


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