Orion UltraBlock Narrowband Light Polution Filter

Hello everyone, it's been quite a long time since I posted to this News
Group. I am planning on ordering Orion's UltraBlock Narrowband Light
Pollution Filter. Has anyone here ever used it? I've read that it
works quite well on objects it's made for (nebula). I was hoping
someone here could give me a firsthand account of how well it works.
Also, for a limited time, there is a special web sale going on that
lowers the price on this item to about $60, so I want to order as soon
as possible if it is indeed a worthwhile tool. Thanks

PS. As it's been a while, here are a few stats about me and my gear:

Orion XT8 8" Dob
Mag 5 to 5.5 skies on best nights, quite often lower.
Location: Sussex County NJ
Age of me: 22 as of Aug. 8
Website: http://users.nac.net/enterprise/astronomy/

I also have an Orion XT8, and I have had an UltraBlock filter for a couple
of years now and it is by far the most used filter I have. It works very
well on emission nebula like M42, M27, M17, M20, and many others. I also
have a Lumicon 0III filter, and it is a good complement, but if I were to
have only one, I'd have the UltraBlock. It is a bargain at the price you
mention in your post. It is very much worth it, in my opinion.

Jason Fry
Kingsville, TX

"enterprise" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone, it's been quite a long time since I posted to this News
Group. I am planning on ordering Orion's UltraBlock Narrowband Light
Pollution Filter. Has anyone here ever used it? I've read that it
works quite well on objects it's made for (nebula). I was hoping
someone here could give me a firsthand account of how well it works.
Also, for a limited time, there is a special web sale going on that
lowers the price on this item to about $60, so I want to order as soon
as possible if it is indeed a worthwhile tool. Thanks

PS. As it's been a while, here are a few stats about me and my gear:

Orion XT8 8" Dob
Mag 5 to 5.5 skies on best nights, quite often lower.
Location: Sussex County NJ
Age of me: 22 as of Aug. 8
Website: http://users.nac.net/enterprise/astronomy/




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"enterprise" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone, it's been quite a long time since I posted to this News
Group. I am planning on ordering Orion's UltraBlock Narrowband Light
Pollution Filter. Has anyone here ever used it? I've read that it
works quite well on objects it's made for (nebula). I was hoping
someone here could give me a firsthand account of how well it works.
Also, for a limited time, there is a special web sale going on that
lowers the price on this item to about $60, so I want to order as soon
as possible if it is indeed a worthwhile tool. Thanks

PS. As it's been a while, here are a few stats about me and my gear:

Orion XT8 8" Dob
Mag 5 to 5.5 skies on best nights, quite often lower.
Location: Sussex County NJ
Age of me: 22 as of Aug. 8
Website: http://users.nac.net/enterprise/astronomy/

The UltraBlock has always been my favorite nebula filter. However, calling
it a "light pollution filter", as Orion does is a misnomer, in my opinion.
The filter works very well, but it does not work its magic under light
polluted skies. You should do very well with this filter in Sussex County,
but performance in Essex, Union or Middlesex counties would be less than
dramatic. It is certainly a worthwhile tool and you should buy one whenever
you're ready.

Al

"enterprise" wrote:
...I am planning on ordering Orion's UltraBlock Narrowband Light
Pollution Filter. Has anyone here ever used it? I've read that it
works quite well on objects it's made for (nebula). I was hoping
someone here could give me a firsthand account of how well it works.
Also, for a limited time, there is a special web sale going on that
lowers the price on this item to about $60, so I want to order as soon
as possible if it is indeed a worthwhile tool. Thanks.

I found that the UltraBlock did a fairly good job of bringing out detail in
nebulas I could already see, but if I couldn't already see the nebula due to
skyglow, the filter offered little help.

However, on a similar note, I just lost my Ultrablock, and am currently
looking for a replacement narrow-band filter. I want a general purpose
filter to use with an 8" SCT that will provide the best nebula enhancement
under moderately dark skies (about 1 hour outside of Los Angeles). I am
looking at either getting another UltraBlock, or going with another filter
such as the UHC, the Sirius Optics Neb-1, the IDAS NBN-PV, the Meade
908Narrow, the Thousand Oaks LP-2, etc. Does anyone have recommendations or
comparisons (Al M)? Which filter will have the best overall effect? And
where is that $60 special?

Thanks

-- Zan Hecht

Thanks everyone who replied, I think I'll be ordering one tomorrow, and
with any luck, the moon should be close to being new when I get it, so I
should have some dark skies to test it out under, assuming the weather
cooperates that is. I'll post how it performs when I get the chance.

enterprise wrote:

Hello everyone, it's been quite a long time since I posted to this News
Group. I am planning on ordering Orion's UltraBlock Narrowband Light
Pollution Filter. Has anyone here ever used it? I've read that it
works quite well on objects it's made for (nebula). I was hoping
someone here could give me a firsthand account of how well it works.
Also, for a limited time, there is a special web sale going on that
lowers the price on this item to about $60, so I want to order as soon
as possible if it is indeed a worthwhile tool. Thanks

PS. As it's been a while, here are a few stats about me and my gear:

Orion XT8 8" Dob
Mag 5 to 5.5 skies on best nights, quite often lower.
Location: Sussex County NJ
Age of me: 22 as of Aug. 8
Website: http://users.nac.net/enterprise/astronomy/

Hi!
In case you haven't read:
"Light Pollution Filters" by Dave Knisely at
http://www.weatherman.com/uhc.htm
It's an excellent summary!
In practice, 8" is what I would consider the minimum aperture for
effectiveness, on my 6" the vew was too dark to see enough contrast.
At 8" it is worthwhile, allows you to see detail that otherwise would
be missed, and you can see even more with averted vision using the
Ultrablock. For example, it brings out the nebulosity in M42 on the
edges. On the other hand, narrowband filters really shine on larger
apertures and from dark sky sites. I am an equipment geek and want
every edge possible - for me the filter is a must have. for $60, it's
a deal. Clear Skies! Andrea

I agree that 8" is about minimum aperture. The added
darkness from the filter is too much for me in my 4.5",
but there is noticeable improvement in my 8".

Others disagree on this point. That doesn't mean we're
wrong or that they are. A matter of taste and vision.

Regards,
-Larry Curcio

Andrea Merritt wrote:

Hi!
In case you haven't read:
"Light Pollution Filters" by Dave Knisely at
http://www.weatherman.com/uhc.htm
It's an excellent summary!
In practice, 8" is what I would consider the minimum aperture for
effectiveness, on my 6" the vew was too dark to see enough contrast.
At 8" it is worthwhile, allows you to see detail that otherwise would
be missed, and you can see even more with averted vision using the
Ultrablock. For example, it brings out the nebulosity in M42 on the
edges. On the other hand, narrowband filters really shine on larger
apertures and from dark sky sites. I am an equipment geek and want
every edge possible - for me the filter is a must have. for $60, it's
a deal. Clear Skies! Andrea

Hi there. You posted:

What about the O-III filters? Is there any real difference between,
for instance, Thousand Oaks and Lumicon? Are they pretty much
equivalent?

The Lumicon OIII has a broad red secondary passband. This can result in
faint red secondary star images for objects lower in the sky
(atmospheric refraction), but otherwise does not hurt things very much.
In fact, the red passband can show faint red coloration in parts of some
bright nebulae when used with 10 inch and larger apertures. The
Thousand Oaks model does not have this red passband. I have used the
Lumicon and Thousand Oaks OIII's and both show about the same level of
detail in nebulae. Clear skies to you.
--
David W. Knisely
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

**********************************************
* Attend the 10th Annual NEBRASKA STAR PARTY *
* July 27-Aug. 1st, 2003, Merritt Reservoir *
* http://www.NebraskaStarParty.org *
**********************************************

Hi there. You posted:

I agree that 8" is about minimum aperture. The added
darkness from the filter is too much for me in my 4.5",
but there is noticeable improvement in my 8".

Others disagree on this point. That doesn't mean we're
wrong or that they are. A matter of taste and vision.


Well, the problem isn't exactly aperture but the correct selection of
"power per inch" or exit pupil for these filters to work properly. For
the best performance, I recommend something between 3.7x per inch (6.9mm
exit pupil) and about 10x per inch (2.5mm exit pupil). I regularly use
my narrow-band UHC, OIII, and H-Beta filters on apertures as small as
80mm, although again, you will see more with larger apertures mainly
because they bring more objects within range of the telescope. Also,
these filters offer the best performance under relatively dark skies and
when the observer is very well dark adapted, as much of the enhancement
is of fairly faint detail. I can view something like the Rosette Nebula
in my 10 inch as well as my 80mm f/5 refractor, but the overall view of
that huge object in the 80mm scope is better since I can see all of it
(the same goes for the North America Nebula). Clear skies to you.
--
David W. Knisely
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

**********************************************
* Attend the 10th Annual NEBRASKA STAR PARTY *
* July 27-Aug. 1st, 2003, Merritt Reservoir *
* http://www.NebraskaStarParty.org *
**********************************************

David said something along the lines of:

I regularly use
my narrow-band UHC, OIII, and H-Beta filters on apertures as small as
80mm,

David,

What targets do you use an OIII and 80mm on? Seems to me, like that
would be a little dim in most cases. Once I move to smaller scopes
(under 10) I generally prefer a UHC filter.

About the only thing I can think of off hand would be the Veil, and
even then I still prefer a UHC filter on a small scope.

??

Tom T.