Solar imaging in winter ??

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Radon86
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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by Radon86 »

MapleRidge wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 11:52 pm Hi Magnus...

I'd say that Arne has the lowest sun elevation of anyone I have seen!

I am in Southern Ontario at 44Deg North, so usually a long winter season, but I have used both the pressure and tilt tuned Lunt etalons well below 0C. I think the record low session I have posted were imaged at -26C, though the typical mid morning air temp is in the -5 to -10C. All of my equipment is mounted in an observatory so it does get colder over night, but have not had issues in over a decade of being setup like this.

Keeping yourself comfortable is the challenge ;)

Brian
Hi Brian,

Thank you, I would love to have a proper observatory. I have to take everything outside so there are multiple short trips through the kitchen door...

Magnus


Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by Radon86 »

RodAstro wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 10:37 am Hi Magnus

To help balance your scope you could replace the dovetail bar with a longer one that extends under the Quark, then just slide the setup forward to balance it. This is what I do and it works well and is better as it adds very little extra weight so the mount copes better.

For the same problem of winter viewing I have been looking at putting a Velux escape window in the loft as they open fully to one side giving you over 180 degrees view. If you raise the scope above the roof tiles about 300mm you should get above the boundary layer of bad seeing.
Also build a small room inside the loft around the scope to stop the heat from the loft escaping through the open window, this could be made of 100mm polystyrene sheets taped together.

Cheers Rod
Thanks Rod, for the advice.
I cannot find a longer dovetail bar at present. It is already 20 cm long (arca swiss plate type ). I can just about balance it by adding some weights into a leather purse and fixing this weight to the front of the dovetail bar with an elastic band. I think my tracker will follow the sun for 1 hour at least pretty accurately. Any tracking deviations are easily adjusted with the knobs on the Benro geared head - its fantastic !!

Do you know of any longer dovetail bars of this type ? (it is very light, which is needed for my Vixen polarie).

Magnus


Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by RodAstro »

Hi Magnus
Are the tube rings attached directly to the arca swiss plate or to a finder scope dovetail? (I can't see in the picture)
If it is to the finder scope dovetail then I would replace this dovetail with a Vixen one that is longer out the back and have a small finder scope dovetail to attach to the bottom like you would the arca swiss plate (see pic), so you could still use it as a finder/guide scope, this is what I do when I want to mount my Solar Scout in a finder scope dovetail.

Cheers Rod
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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by Radon86 »

Dear Rob,

Thank you for your helpful suggestion. Yes, I can still use my guidescope for PhD2 guiding at present but I would need to re-assemble it to fix onto the small guidescope/finderscope dovetail on the telescope.
Here is how the guidescope is attached via tube rings to the arca swiss plate (20 cm long). The plate then slides into the Benro mounting base (like a camera plate).

Thanks,
Magnus
_MG_37300-crop.jpg
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Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

My new mini-observatory is currently under fitting-out and specifically for the purpose of viewing/imaging the Sun during the winter low-down periods.

Should be completed in the next month and will give views during some-times during the day.
When completed, will take some pics and post them here.

Terry


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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by RodAstro »

Hi Magnus

that is one long arca swiss plate, what you could do is move the tube rings fully forward on the plate and maybe even closer together and have the scope as far forward in the rings as possible. This would leave a length of plate under the focuser that will help with getting the scope, quark and camera to come to balance.
That way you are not adding any unnecessary extra weight to the mount.

Cheers Rod


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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by Radon86 »

Hi Rob,

The system is actually quite well balanced, I need to put some additional weight on the front of the dovetail. However, it is not easy to rearrange the rings and the Arca swiss plate has not an optimal spacing or availability of the holes for the right screws.

Anyway, I quite like my setup.

(I don't wish to spends another extra hundreds of pounds....)

Thanks.

Magnus


Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by Radon86 »

Hi Rob,
I had another look at my dovetail, and I noticed I can move the guidescope about 2cm forward on the swiss arca dovetail. There is maybe another 1cm I could move forward if I needed it.
The balance is much better, I don't need to put counterweights at the front of the dovetail now !!
I could attempt imaging, not sure if I can get good focus, but I will try.

Thank you so much for your advice.

Magnus
dovetail-merged-macro-resize-800pix.jpg
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Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by BGazing »

My new B1800 arrived from Lunt, so I am eager to test it out (first one produced some ghosting). Reading around, I am not sure about performance in near-zero and sub-zero (C) - does BF performance deteriorate, should it be heated? I know that the pressure tuner sorts out the first part of the train...


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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by rigel123 »

BGazing wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:04 am My new B1800 arrived from Lunt, so I am eager to test it out (first one produced some ghosting). Reading around, I am not sure about performance in near-zero and sub-zero (C) - does BF performance deteriorate, should it be heated? I know that the pressure tuner sorts out the first part of the train...
Yes, you want to warm the BF in those temps as you will lose contrast without it.


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Re: Solar imaging in winter ??

Post by BGazing »

rigel123 wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:59 am
BGazing wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:04 am My new B1800 arrived from Lunt, so I am eager to test it out (first one produced some ghosting). Reading around, I am not sure about performance in near-zero and sub-zero (C) - does BF performance deteriorate, should it be heated? I know that the pressure tuner sorts out the first part of the train...
Yes, you want to warm the BF in those temps as you will lose contrast without it.
Warm as in - properly heat up a dew strip and wrap it around, I guess, not going soft like around a SCT, no tube currents to speak of. Am I correct?


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