Best telescope for solar viewing? -Another Wise Guy - Macon, GA USA

I am looking for a telescope for viewing sunspots and other solar
features. If it's usable for other purposes (especially viewing
features on the moon), all the better, but sunspots are the main
purpose. My budget is in the $300 to $600 range, and I know
nothing about telescopes. I don't do photography, but may wish
to start someday.

Not knowing anything about this, my guess is that I don't need
a lot of light gathering ability, but that I do need various
filters that will show different aspects of the sun.

What would be a good scope for this purpose? Am I out of line with
my desired price range?



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| Just Another Internet Wise Guy Macon, GA USA |
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Before doing anything, you should read the Telescope Buyers FAQ to get an
overall idea about telescopes. Then you need to check out the solar filters that
are being made, they go from almost free to a special solar scope for over
$1,000.

I have viewed the sun with it's image projected on a sheet of white posterboard
via my Babylon 8 Dob.

Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord


--
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towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
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Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord

"Another Wise Guy - Macon, GA USA" wrote in
message ...

I am looking for a telescope for viewing sunspots and other solar
features. If it's usable for other purposes (especially viewing
features on the moon), all the better, but sunspots are the main
purpose. My budget is in the $300 to $600 range, and I know
nothing about telescopes. I don't do photography, but may wish
to start someday.

Not knowing anything about this, my guess is that I don't need
a lot of light gathering ability, but that I do need various
filters that will show different aspects of the sun.

What would be a good scope for this purpose? Am I out of line with
my desired price range?



--
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| Just Another Internet Wise Guy Macon, GA USA |
----------------------------------------------------------------------




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"Another Wise Guy - Macon, GA USA"
wrote in message ...

I am looking for a telescope for viewing sunspots and other solar
features. If it's usable for other purposes (especially viewing
features on the moon), all the better, but sunspots are the main
purpose. My budget is in the $300 to $600 range, and I know
nothing about telescopes. I don't do photography, but may wish
to start someday.

Not knowing anything about this, my guess is that I don't need
a lot of light gathering ability, but that I do need various
filters that will show different aspects of the sun.

What would be a good scope for this purpose? Am I out of line with
my desired price range?
Sunspots (fortunately), can be seen in white light, so a cheap solar filter
will allow almost any scope to give views of these (and things like
faculae).
Unfortunately, you then talk about 'various filters that will show different
aspects of the Sun'. Forget this. The 'white light' filter (based on
something like Baader astrosolar film), will let through about 1/10000th the
incoming light. You can then use normal coloured filters as well to give
this light a 'tint', but don't expect to see anything very different through
these than you can through the white light filter on it's own. The filters
that do show different 'aspects' of the Sun, are extremely narrow bandwidth
filters, and are just about the most accurate optical assemblies sold, with
something like the Coronado H-alpha filter, in it's smallest size (40mm)
costing just under $1300 on it's own...
So, I'm afraid you need to rethink a little here.
The second problem is the 'latter photography' idea. The simplest form of
astrophotography, is just to attach a standard camera to look through the
eyepiece, and take relatively short exposures. This works well for planets,
and a couple of the very brightest objects (the classic, is Orion's nebula).
This could be done using allmost any scope. However going beyond this, then
requires a mount good enough to hold the assembly very stable, and this
increases the cost of the scope as whole.
I think I'd probably look at a small achromat, that is good enough to be a
small (and portable) general purpose scope in the future. Attach this to a
reasonable GEM mount (perhaps look at second hand to keep costs down, or
start with a solid photographic tripod), and combine this with a white light
solar filter. This should be 'do-able' in your budget. An example of the
sort of scope that would fit this description, would be the Stellarvue 80mm
f/6 unit. For the price, this is a nice little scope. A white light filter,
using the Baader film, can be made 'DIY', for under $30. Using a
photographic tripod should just about keep you inside your budget...

Best Wishes