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solar filter & dovetail for Orion ST 80

Started by Tifft, 08/06/2002 11:00AM
Posted 08/06/2002 11:00AM Opening Post
I ordered one of these due to the low price. I will use it for viewing the Sun and as a spotting scope on my dob & LX200. Which solar filters would be good for this, considering this is still a "cheap scope". Is the Orion any good? Previously someone discussed the bandwith pass through as a determining factor to see the most. Also, are there any dovetail gizmos I can use to mount to a dob or LX200?
Many thanks
Tom
Posted 08/06/2002 12:29PM #1
I have both the Orion Glass Solar filter and a home brewed one made with Baader solar film for my 80mm refractor. The Baader film has much better performance as it is sharper and shows far more granulation on the surface of the sun as well as more detail on sunspots. It is also cheaper, I got a piece that was more than large enough to make my filter for $11 unused on Astromart. Even if you are considering the an H - alpha system (which costs close to 5 times as much as an ST80 you will want the Badder film in the meantime and for sunspots later on. The bandwidth issue you mention applies mainly to the H - alpha systems, the closer they are to the H - alpha emission line and the more they reject on either side of it is what determines how much detail is seen.
In regards to your other question here are links to the items you will need (Ken's rings is probably the cheaper option):

http://users.kricket.net/ken/rings.htm

http://www.losmandy.com/secondary.html#DM

Joplin