Help - Telescope for Solar Eclipse

[feistl (Errol)]

Hey guys,

Straight up, I'm a complete newbie and know NOTHING about telescopes, however ive always had an interest in astronomy.

I am going up to cairns later this year to watch the solar eclipse and will be watching the transit of Venus in June from here in Melbourne.

I am considering buying a telescope to watch these events but have no idea what to look for or where to buy, so would love some advice.

Obviously ill need a filter, so advice on that would be great as well.

What sort of money should i spend to get something "reasonable"? Now i know people will have differing opinions of what is "reasonable", but i guess my expectations are fairly low. The last telescope i looked through was an ultra elcheapo kids one which i still found amazing.

I dont really have a budget as such, but could spend up to say $300 (Not much i know). If theres a real improvement spending more (Say $500) id be happy to do that. I guess the question is whats going to give me the best bang for buck...

Also, ill be taking it on the plane with me, so something fairly portable and reasonably light would be good.

Cheers, Errol.

EDIT - Oh it doesn't have to be new either, i don't mind second hand. Just need to know what to look for and best place to buy.

[Poita (Peter)]

If you really want a great view, grab a 2nd hand PST telescope, they can be had for <$500 and you would be able to sell it for close to that after the event if solar viewing wasn't your cup of tea.

[feistl (Errol)]

Hey mate,

Thanks for the reply. What does PST stand for? Can you recommend me anything specific? Where is the best place to look?

Cheers

[Allan_L (Allan)]

I think it is Personal Solar Telescope.
No good for anything else other than the Sun. (due to inbuilt filters).
Meade Coronado PST.
There may be one on the Classifieds here.
I bought mine second hand here for $550. And that is the basic model (with case).

Or you could go for a small MAK, with tracking, and a special solar filter for about the same, but you could use that for normal astronomy too.
I sold a Saxon Mak with auto tracking and solar filter on this forum 2 years ago for $180. New it was under $400.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=56889
So bargains can be had.
Look through the classifieds or try andrews communications for something new. They are in Sydney but do ship cheaply. Or Bintel I think are in Melbourne, and they are good to deal with.

[Poita (Peter)]

Ah, Personal Solar Telescope.

http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/...8/catmenu.aspx

They often sell for around $400-$500 second hand, and you get to see prominences and surface detail you won't see with just a solar filter.

[Liz]

Hi Errol, am not a big expert in the solar area, but an ordinary 6" Dob with a solar filter may be good to watch the transit, then the Dob could be used for other astronomy observation. This may be more in your budget.

re the solar eclipse (i will be there too with half of the members in IIS) ... it is better to watch with your eyes to appreciate the fiull effect (perhaps with those funny glasses). i am not taking my dob up to Cairns at all. Will take pics with my camera on tripod.

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

Hi Errol , and welcome , I got a nice TelVue 70mm Pronto from here at IIS's classified section for a good price , that and a full apateur solar filter and a sturdy photography tripod is what I will be taking to both solar specticals this year ,
I have booked the time off from work already for both, so whatever you get I hope to see and meet you at either one , along with lots of IIS'rs .
Brian.

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Hi Errol,

As Liz says the eye with eclipse glasses is a good way to watch a solar eclipse. Having said that I will certainly be taking my refractor with Hydrogen Alpha filter. Hydrogen alpha enables you to see the textured details of the solar surface, prominences, filaments etc. They are expensive and the PST is the cheapest version probably. The virtue is that the sun is a great star to watch in hydrogen alpha as it always changes, even throughout the day. But you couldn't use the PST for any other observing. The bonus this year is that in addition to an eclipse, you get a transit of Venus on June 6th.

The other option is an ordinary scope useful for observing with white light filter. You get to see solar disc and sunspots and would see the transit as a shadow moving across the disc.

[OICURMT]

Originally Posted by Paddy

Hydrogen alpha enables you to see the textured details of the solar surface, prominences, filaments etc. They are expensive and the PST is the cheapest version probably. The virtue is that the sun is a great star to watch in hydrogen alpha as it always changes, even throughout the day. But you couldn't use the PST for any other observing. The bonus this year is that in addition to an eclipse, you get a transit of Venus on June 6th.

Let's be VERY clear here...

Ha filters for solar observation are NOT the same for nighttime astronomical observing, so please be careful how you state or phrase what someone can and cannot use.

The specific Ha filter for solar observing is actually a Fabry-Perot style interferometer, also know as an Etalon. This specific equipment is used in conjunction with an Energy Rejection Filter and a Blocking filter to reduce the total amount of energy reaching the eyepiece and filters the the light by allowing only a small portion (less than one angstrom) of the overall spectrum through.

The statement that the PST is the cheapest version of "it" is almost correct in that it is the cheapest version of the *combination* of the three filters...

Please do not attempt to use a normal Hydrogen-alpha filter for solar observation, it will be the last time you see the sun...

OIC!
BTW: If you have any technical questions regarding solar observation, there are a couple of guru's on this forum, feel free to post questions, you will get a very good, solid answer.

[feistl (Errol)]

Wow guys, excellent replies. This looks like a great community...

So im thinking rather than getting a PST which can only be used for Solar, i should get something which can be used with a filter for the solar events, but still be used for night observation.

Ive been lucky enough to book a 4 bedroom house in Palm cove for the 10th Nov - 18th which is 100 meters from the beach. It looks to be about 5km from the centre of the umbra, so should be a pretty good show.

Originally Posted by Liz

it is better to watch with your eyes to appreciate the fiull effect (perhaps with those funny glasses).

That is an interesting point. I do intend to watch with the naked eye for most of the event/the actual total eclipse, but during the lead up during the partial eclipse i was hoping to have a close up look using a telescope. It also seems like a good time to buy, as i can use it during the venus pass.

This information is good so far, but could someone please recommend say a specific package and where to buy? I now know roughly what im looking for, but still not sure what is good value. Again im happy to buy second hand, but i havnt seen much suitable (probably cause i dont know exactly what to look for) in the classified section.

I also have a bad feeling that once i get started, this is going to turn into a very expensive hobby. Between my current love of motorsport and computers i am destine to be broke forever lol.

Once again thanks everyone for the replies.

Cheers, Errol.

[OICURMT]

Originally Posted by feistl

I do intend to watch with the naked eye for most of the event/the actual total eclipse, but during the lead up during the partial eclipse i was hoping to have a close up look using a telescope. It also seems like a good time to buy, as i can use it during the venus pass.

A couple of comments. The first total eclipse one I saw was naked eye, which was awe-inspiring. The others I always had a set of binoculars with me for totality. A telescope is a waste of time imho as there is the weight to consider for up to 7 minutes of use versus bino's which obviously are just plain easy.

The objective for viewing during an eclipse isn't to observe the sun per se, but rather the corona, which most people never get to see. Because of advancements in solar viewing equipment, viewing prominences are more accessible to the masses. The corona is always overwhelmed by the sun itself, so this is the only time the layman can view it.

I use the binoculars to eek out some detail and only use them for the first half of totality using a stopwatch and alarm (it's amazing how time can get away from you when totality is occurring...). The reason I only view for the first half with bino's is two-fold. 1) to protect myself from directly viewing 3rd contact and 2) so I take half the time just "absorbing the moment". Using eclipse glasses (Baader film ones) is for viewing the sun up to and after totality, so I'd suggest you buy a set (cheap as chips). Buy them now though, every time there's an eclipse, the prices of those little things skyrocket.

As for the bino's, get or make solar filters for them as well so you can watch the progression of the partial phase. A sharp eye will be able to detect the surface relief of the moon. 7x50 are the best, light and easy to maintain on target and you can see a lot of the corona.


A good thing to try to look for just prior and just after totality are shadow bands, which I've only witnessed once because was standing on a flat white surface (Maracaibo Venezuela - 1998 @ 10.682765, -71.593373 if you are interested). Another cool effect is to listen... not for some kind of solar crack or nonsense like that, but listen to the wildlife. Watch and listen to birds, they change their song because of the change in darkness. I noticed that the seagulls landed during the eclipse and almost none were flying.

One thing I would suggest is to NOT take camera gear until you get a couple under your belt. You will travel back to your house and then realized that you spent so much time concentrating on getting pictures, the whole event was anti-climatic and not as enjoyable as just opening up the peepers and watching the show.

OIC!

[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by Paddy

Hi Errol,

As Liz says the eye with eclipse glasses is a good way to watch a solar eclipse. Having said that I will certainly be taking my refractor with Hydrogen Alpha filter.

What filter are you using with your refractor?

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Myself, I'm just using my DSLR, a 300mm lens, with a home made white light filter (using Baadar Solar film).
The sun will still show as a decent size disk, and when totally arrives, the filter comes off and there is plenty of room to show the Corona to best effect.

[stevemac]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/So...3/N/4223241022

Meade Coronado PST will be good viewing combined with other safe aids, as confirmed by the rest of the team.
Bintel in Aust sell them, however the link above has a cheaper price, direct mail from the States.

[Liz]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

Myself, I'm just using my DSLR, a 300mm lens, with a home made white light filter (using Baadar Solar film).
The sun will still show as a decent size disk, and when totally arrives, the filter comes off and there is plenty of room to show the Corona to best effect.

Have some Baadar Solar Film .... what have you done with it jjj, or are you you just going to secure it well over the lens???

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I made a simple cardboard cap for the lens Liz.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...535#post818535