Baader solar material question

I own a 10" Meade SCT and I'm wondering if I can cover the full aperture
with Baader solar film? I was thinking that the sun would still be too
bright as I see most folks using off-axis masks with only a 3" hole for
larger SCTs, but I want to use the full aperture. Thanks for any comments.

Tiger

You are better off making an off-axis mask. You gain very little by
making a full aperture mask. Besides I do not think they sell the film
at that width.

Matthew Ota

Tiger Swallowtail wrote:

I own a 10" Meade SCT and I'm wondering if I can cover the full aperture
with Baader solar film? I was thinking that the sun would still be too
bright as I see most folks using off-axis masks with only a 3" hole for
larger SCTs, but I want to use the full aperture. Thanks for any comments.

Tiger

In message . net, Tiger
Swallowtail writes
I own a 10" Meade SCT and I'm wondering if I can cover the full aperture
with Baader solar film? I was thinking that the sun would still be too
bright as I see most folks using off-axis masks with only a 3" hole for
larger SCTs, but I want to use the full aperture. Thanks for any comments.

I have done this myself. Largely because I had access to a lot of Baader
film and thought it would be fun to see what it looked like at full
aperture. The larger scope gives a larger image scale at f10 so there is
no problem with excessive brightness. There is a problem with
atmospheric turbulence during the daytime with such a large aperture
though.

An off axis circular mask will probably give more pleasing views on most
days (apart from in the early morning when the air is calm with light a
breeze). Whatever you do make absolutely sure that the filter can never
fall off the scope. 10" mirror focussing direct sunlight will do you no
good at all!

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

Tiger Swallowtail wrote in message:
I own a 10" Meade SCT and I'm wondering if I can cover the full aperture
with Baader solar film? I was thinking that the sun would still be too
bright as I see most folks using off-axis masks with only a 3" hole for
larger SCTs, but I want to use the full aperture. Thanks for any
comments.

Tiger,

I have a full aperture Baader solar filter for my 12" Meade SCT that I got
from Kendrick Astro and am very satisfied with it. I much prefer the full
aperture over the off-axis mask type, though others often have just the
opposite opinion.

The wide film can be had from Baader at:
http://www.baader-planetarium.com/so...tm#distributor

Kendrick Astro:
http://www.kendrick-ai.com/astro/solarfilters.html

There's a Yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/solar-observers

Clear skies,
Dave Jessie

"Dave Jessie" wrote in message
...
Tiger Swallowtail wrote in message:
I own a 10" Meade SCT and I'm wondering if I can cover the full aperture
with Baader solar film? I was thinking that the sun would still be too
bright as I see most folks using off-axis masks with only a 3" hole for
larger SCTs, but I want to use the full aperture. Thanks for any
comments.

Tiger,

I have a full aperture Baader solar filter for my 12" Meade SCT that I got
from Kendrick Astro and am very satisfied with it. I much prefer the full
aperture over the off-axis mask type, though others often have just the
opposite opinion.

Thanks for the links! They have been very helpful especially the
do-it-yourself at Baader. One thing I'm wondering though is whether to make
it full aperture or off-axis? You say you use full aperture; Baader
recommends off-axis due to tube currents and other reasons. Do you have any
problems with tube heating? Also, as I already own an ETX-105 that has a
filter, using off-axis in the SCT wouldn't be much improvement I wouldn't
think anyway. Finally, do you have a link to solar images taken with the
full aperture filter?

Thanks again,
Tiger


The wide film can be had from Baader at:
http://www.baader-planetarium.com/so...tm#distributor

Kendrick Astro:
http://www.kendrick-ai.com/astro/solarfilters.html

There's a Yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/solar-observers

Clear skies,
Dave Jessie

"Matthew Ota" wrote in message
...
You are better off making an off-axis mask. You gain very little by
making a full aperture mask. Besides I do not think they sell the film
at that width.

Matthew Ota

This is just the question I asked Dave about below. I already have an
ETX-105 with full aperture mask. I suppose that using around the same size
off-axis mask on the 10" wouldn't be worth it. Or would it?

Thanks,
Tiger


Tiger Swallowtail wrote:

I own a 10" Meade SCT and I'm wondering if I can cover the full aperture
with Baader solar film? I was thinking that the sun would still be too
bright as I see most folks using off-axis masks with only a 3" hole for
larger SCTs, but I want to use the full aperture. Thanks for any
comments.

Tiger

"Tiger Swallowtail" wrote:

"Dave Jessie" wrote in message

I have a full aperture Baader solar filter for my 12" Meade SCT that I got
from Kendrick Astro and am very satisfied with it. I much prefer the full
aperture over the off-axis mask type, though others often have just the
opposite opinion.

Thanks for the links! They have been very helpful especially the
do-it-yourself at Baader. One thing I'm wondering though is whether to make
it full aperture or off-axis? You say you use full aperture; Baader
recommends off-axis due to tube currents and other reasons. Do you have any
problems with tube heating? Also, as I already own an ETX-105 that has a
filter, using off-axis in the SCT wouldn't be much improvement I wouldn't
think anyway. Finally, do you have a link to solar images taken with the
full aperture filter?

The wider the aperture the better the resolution - I think I have seen
the rice pudding effect on a day of exceptional seeing in my 5 inch
refractor - but can see certainly see it most of the time in a friends
8inch SCT and it is really clear in my 10inch newt with full aperture
Baader.

I bought a roll of 50cm film for these 2 scopes which couldn't be done
with A4 sheets. It cost half as much per square inch as the A4s and I
sold the surplus in 10 days (at cost).

BUT the one hand pick up and go with a mounted 3.5 inch refractor
side by side with a PST means the 10 inch is indoors most of the time.

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

Tiger Swallowtail wrote in message:
Thanks for the links! They have been very helpful especially the
do-it-yourself at Baader. One thing I'm wondering though is whether to
make
it full aperture or off-axis? You say you use full aperture; Baader
recommends off-axis due to tube currents and other reasons. Do you have
any
problems with tube heating? Also, as I already own an ETX-105 that has a
filter, using off-axis in the SCT wouldn't be much improvement I wouldn't
think anyway. Finally, do you have a link to solar images taken with the
full aperture filter?

Hi again, Tiger

I like the resolution that is provided by using the full 12" aperture. This
may be anecdotal, but several years ago, I looked through a friend's
off-axis solar filtered SCT and had a rather tough time keeping my eye in
the light cone of the exit pupil. Could have been the eyepiece used, but I
don't think so. I do, in fact, have several atypical eye difficulties which
certainly could have been part of the equation. That said, I really prefer
the full aperture for many reasons. I've never noticed tube heating /
currents to the degree that would cause me to want to reduce the aperture.
I have no images at all - ever - of anything! I have absolutely nothing
against images, mind you, but have always loved seeing whatever I'm looking
at in real time with my own eyes - as bad as they are. That, and living in
NE Ohio - with the Great Lake Erie Nebula a nearly constant companion - the
number of potential viewing minutes per decade is such that eyepiece time is
too precious (for me, anyway) to share with a camera. I'd recommend joining
that YAHOO group and pose your 'full aperture vs. off-axis' question there.
I'll bet there are images aplenty in their photo section taken with every
conceivable combination of telescope and filter.

Clear Skies,
Dave Jessie

Matthew Ota wrote:
You are better off making an off-axis mask. You gain very little by
making a full aperture mask. Besides I do not think they sell the film
at that width.

Matthew Ota

Well... check with Baader first
http://www.baader-planetarium.de/zub...lar.htm#asolar

Baader provides large sheets of AstroSolar film if you need it. No problem.
I gives you better resolution than an off-axis mask.


--
Carsten A. Arnholm
http://arnholm.org/

"Tiger Swallowtail" wrote in message link.net...
I own a 10" Meade SCT and I'm wondering if I can cover the full aperture
with Baader solar film? I was thinking that the sun would still be too
bright as I see most folks using off-axis masks with only a 3" hole for
larger SCTs, but I want to use the full aperture. Thanks for any comments.

Tiger

If you are going to make a filter for the 10-inch SCT, make it a
full-aperture filter. You will probably see much more detail. You
should also make a filter for a more portable telescope that would be
quicker to set up.