Solar view with etx ls 6

Howdy community, Been out of the the astro game for awhile. Where i was living was to light infested and to drive out to the dark skies got cumbersome. Anyway i moved to an area with some dark viewing from my yard. But this question pertains to solar viewing with my meade ls6. Can i get recommendations on some equipment for doing that with this scope? I know i could get a lens cover filler but i want to see the solar flares. Ideas? Trying to avoid buying a whole new set up just for that.

Thx, joe

Hi Joe,

First welcome to AstroMart and back to the hobby.

You wrote: " . . . But this question pertains to solar viewing with my meade ls6 . . . I know i could get a lens cover filler but i want to see the solar flares . . . Avoid buying a whole new set up just for that."

First, some terminology: solar flairs are "EXPLOSIONS" and are transient, violent events where large amounts of mass is ejected from the sun in a very short periods of time. What many people mean when they say "solar flairs" are known as "solar prominences" which last longer and are very nice to view. You can learn more about this difference by asking Google, "What is the difference between solar flares and solar prominences ?".

Unfortunately, both these types of events CAN'T be seen in a "lens cover filler" (as you say) which is more properly known as a Neutral Density Filter or better known as a "White Light Filter" because it dims all the light evenly or "tints" the light to give a Yellow-Orange Color which many people expect the sun to look like. These filters only let you see "SUN SPOTS", which are "COOLER REGIONS" of the sun, which last longer than flairs and some prominences. You can use these "White Light Filters" even without a telescope, but the magnification of the telescope lets you see the "SUN SPOTS" in more detail.

Other events on the sun CAN'T be seen unless you invest quite a bit more money in what is called a "Hydrogen Alpha Etalon" that keeps a certain color (Very Crimson Red at 656.28 Nano-Meters) and rejects the rest of the MUCH BRIGHTER LIGHT of the Sun. These are available, but they are expensive. Additionally, they don't tend to work with some telescope designs, like yours, unfortunately.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,

Ed (aka eblanken)