New toy available - Lunt Solar Systems - LS60T/Ha Double Pass System Telescope
temptation is a cruel thing:
Lunt Solar Systems - LS60T/Ha Double Pass System Telescope with 12mm Blocking FIlter
The Lunt Solar Systems LS60T Hydrogen-Alpha RefractorTelescopeis a custom design 60mm air-spaced doublet refractor with a focal length of 600mm.
The LS60T has a patent pending double pass internal etalon system with tune adjustment that allows a super low bandpass of <0.55 Angstrom.
The Lunt Solar Systems LS60T Hydrogen-Alpha Refractor Telescope includes a 12mm blocking filter that provides a ~5.4mm solar image within a larger tuned area than the 6mm blocking filter.
The Lunt Solar System includes a dual speed 10:1 Crayford-style focuser, clamshell mount and a foam-lined hard case.
Pre-orders highly suggested. An initial 20% deposit will be charged to your credit card, and the balance will be due when the telescope is ready to ship. First shipments are expected to begin in late April - Early May on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lunt Solar Systems LS60T Hydrogen-Alpha Refractor Double Pass Telescope
Now introducing the Lunt Solar Systems Double Pass LS200T Hydrogen-Alpha Newtonian Reflector Telescope. At its heart is the custom-made 60mm aperture precision aligned air-spaced doublet. An internal dual etalon system with tune adjustment allows for an incredible <0.5 Angstrom bandpass - providing incredibly detailed, well contrasted images of the solar surface and limb edge activity such as prominences or solar flares. The focal length of the Lunt LS60 solar telescope is 600mm, providing a ~5.4mm image through a 12mm blocking filter - far superior to a 6mm design. Course focus adjustment can be achieved via a slide tube with fine adjustments to focus accomplished through the included dual-speed Crayford style focuser with 10:1 reduction.
As experienced solar observers know, it takes less than 1.0 angstrom to be able to see any detail and considerably less to see striking contrast - especially on the ever changing prominences. In the past, lowering the bar on the bandpass was achieved by "double stacking" or introducing two etalon systems into the optical path. The reduction in bandpass from an estimated 0.8 Angstroms to 0.5 Angstroms seems to bring the Sun's surface to incredible life, but adding a second etalon to an existing etalon is not quite as simple as it may seem. Both etalons need to be brought on line (tuned) and both need to be tiltable so that all ghosts are eliminated. Ideally the transmission curves should overlap perfectly when on band to provide for the best possible resolution and contrast. Lunt Solar has engineered a unique system that takes all of these issues into account. With a Lunt Solar Systems double pass h-alpha telescope, the light from the primary is passed thru the same etalon twice. When the etalon is tuned on band for the first pass it is, by default, on band for the second pass and is a perfect match to itself. The loss of transmission due to the beamsplitting or doublestacking is no longer an issue.
But there's more than just a pretty view... Lunt's H-Alpha Refractor has an infrared reflecting window (ERF) provided early in the optical path to remove unwanted heat from the system. An optically optimized collimating system ensures true collimation, coma correction, and off axis (sweet spot) reduction. What's more, Lunt Solar Systems newly designed Induced Transmission Filter will ensure long term safety and performance! Add to that a dual-speed Crayford style focuser with 10:1 reduction, clamshell mounting system compatible with tripods, stylized white pearl paint with anodized black trim and included foam lined hard case! It's all part of the Lunt Solar System H-Alpha Telescopes double pass system which has an estimated bandpass of <0.55 Angstroms and is capable to providing ultra high resolution and high contrast views of both surface and edge detail under good to excellent seeing conditions.
Lunt Solar Systems creates their line of h-alpha solar telescopes in Tuscon, Arizona. They have have put together a group of experienced solar enthusiasts who are looking forward to energizing the hobby with a continued commitment to advancing technologies, pride in quality, and the highest level of customer care. These are names you'll recognize, including Andrew Lunt with 20 years of optical design, Markus Ludes with his extensive knowledge of telescope design, Manny Serrano as a design engineer and Brian Stevens assembling, repairing and troubleshooting etalon systems. And newly designed etalon systems are what it's all about.... Some of their new products will range from an entry level 50mm etalon filter through to a 160mm Lunt Solar Telescope System using different components... One that's less thermally sensitive and far less prone to de-contacting.
Lunt Solar Systems LS60T Hydrogen-Alpha Double Pass Refractor Telescope Features...
New, patented dual etalon technology and different components.
Infra-red deflecting window to eliminate unwanted heat.
Optimized collimating system for true collimation, coma correction and off-axis reduction.
Stylized pearl white paint with black anodized trim.
Induced Transmission Filter for long term safety, durability and performance.
Clamshell Mount with pre-drilled holes.
Full warranty from Lunt Solar Systems.
The word I get in the solar circles it that it might me late May before the first delivery is made and the list at present is pretty long.
That being said it is touted as being a lot cheaper than the coronado models and perhaps as good too. With solar scopes though the larger you can go the better. This of course means more expensive. If you really want to get into Ha you need to get a minimum of 60mm objective. You just miss out on so much detail with the likes of the PST and 40mm objectives. They are ok for a look but 60mm is like triple the viewing value.
Also you need to consider that a 0.7 a instrument is not enough. The bench mark for serious Ha viewing is really 0.5A. Anything less than that you are missing out on a lot. Especially during this time of low solar activity. The features are so much smaller and having a low angstrom instrument makes all the difference.
The word I get in the solar circles it that it might me late May before the first delivery is made and the list at present is pretty long.
That being said it is touted as being a lot cheaper than the coronado models and perhaps as good too. With solar scopes though the larger you can go the better. This of course means more expensive. If you really want to get into Ha you need to get a minimum of 60mm objective. You just miss out on so much detail with the likes of the PST and 40mm objectives. They are ok for a look but 60mm is like triple the viewing value.
Also you need to consider that a 0.7 a instrument is not enough. The bench mark for serious Ha viewing is really 0.5A. Anything less than that you are missing out on a lot. Especially during this time of low solar activity. The features are so much smaller and having a low angstrom instrument makes all the difference.
The blocking filter is more to do with filling the field of view with varying focal lengths. The longer the focal length of any particular scope the larger the blocking filter has to be. If the blocking filter is too small it will cut off parts of the solar disk via vignetting.
The blocking filter is more to do with filling the field of view with varying focal lengths. The longer the focal length of any particular scope the larger the blocking filter has to be. If the blocking filter is too small it will cut off parts of the solar disk via vignetting.
ah yes I see - btw i reread the ad blurb and saw this "It's all part of the Lunt Solar System H-Alpha Telescopes double pass system which has an estimated bandpass of <0.55 Angstroms and is capable to providing ultra high resolution and high contrast views of both surface and edge detail under good to excellent seeing conditions. "
You should wait to see the results of Karl's ( and mine!) alernative ERF filter.
If it DOES work as intended then the PST etalon could be used on any f10 system ( ED80+Barlow etc, or an even larger aperture!!; Oldfield uses a 5" SCT) and provide detailed Ha views for a fraction of the cost.
Worth considering??
BTW the blocking filters used in the PST and the SM series are nothing more than a narrow bandwidth Ha filter.
The nature of the etalon forms a multiple image of the sun in the Ha and the "resonant" images and slightly varying wavelengths ( at either side of the primary image) must be "blocked" from getting through to the eyepiece/ camera. The narrowbandwidth of the BF effectively does this.
The size of the BF is directly related to the focal length of the scope and the final image size of the solar disk, ie a BF5 is designed for a 500mm focal length, the BF10 for a 1000mm FL etc. Coincidently the size of the full solar image is about 5mm in a 500mm FL!!
You should wait to see the results of Karl's ( and mine!) alernative ERF filter.
If it DOES work as intended then the PST etalon could be used on any f10 system ( ED80+Barlow etc, or an even larger aperture!!; Oldfield uses a 5" SCT) and provide detailed Ha views for a fraction of the cost.
Worth considering??
BTW the blocking filters used in the PST and the SM series are nothing more than a narrow bandwidth Ha filter.
The nature of the etalon forms a multiple image of the sun in the Ha and the "resonant" images and slightly varying wavelengths ( at either side of the primary image) must be "blocked" from getting through to the eyepiece/ camera. The narrowbandwidth of the BF effectively does this.
The size of the BF is directly related to the focal length of the scope and the final image size of the solar disk, ie a BF5 is designed for a 500mm focal length, the BF10 for a 1000mm FL etc. Coincidently the size of the full solar image is about 5mm in a 500mm FL!!
so what ofthe 12mm and the focal length of 600mm for the Lunt?
H0ughy,
I'll post a couple of shots of the ERF filter, not much to see other than the Red filter!!
On my other post I show the PST etalon set up, so I'll mount everything on the available scope (ED80) for a mug shot of the whole set-up.
According to the graphs should give good performance??!!
The 12mm blocking filter sounds overkill, but MAY be related to the way they achieve the "double pass" through the etalon????? Certainly not required for CCD shots ( assuming you use a Webcam).
These photos show the set-up with the ED80.
The 100mm ERF combo at the front, TV x2 Barlow ( to achieve > f10), the PST etalon, 2" to 1 1/4" adaptor and the BF10 blocking filter ( used the one from the SM40 for convenience!).
As soon as we see some sunshine over here, I'll get some shots with the Webcam and MX7c.
