My eyepiece and filters

[Craig.a.c (Craig)]

In my case I currently have,

Coloured filters. (All Yorkoptical and made in Taiwan)
#80a - medium blue
#82a - light blue
#12 - yellow
#23a - light red
#11 - yellow/green
#56 - light green
#29 - DARK red
#ND96 - nutural density filter

Baader Neodymiun Moon and Skyglow-Filter

Eyepieces (came with the Tasco telescope)
20mm
10mm
4mm
and a 3x barlow.

Now a quick question. When I bought the coloured eyepeices I got a #29 dark red, I have no idea why I got it. It is that dark you have to hold it up to your eye and look directly at a light on the ceiling to see through it. Can anyone tell me what this filter is used for?

Cheers - Craig.

[Craig.a.c (Craig)]

Its ok, I found this.

#29 Dark Red
Mercury: Features
Venus: Planet/Sky Contrast
Venus: Terminator
Mars: Maria
Mars: Polar Caps
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Galilean Moon Transits
Saturn: Clouds

Still, it seems to dark to be used at night time.

[dannat (Daniel)]

Craig - as you have a 4.5" refletor it may be you do not gather enough light to use all of the colored filters effectively, especially the dark red.

I don'tthink many use colored filters a great deal, but specialty filters that enhance particular wavelengths to enhance nebula or certain emission targets - like the baader moon & skyglow, which i think will attempt to block mercury vapours produced by lights from town

[Craig.a.c (Craig)]

I have used the most of the coloured filters while observing the moon. I have noticed that different colours will show different details.

While observing nebulea I often use the moon and skyglow filter with the light blue filter.

[Kal (Andrew)]

The different strength filters, light and dark, are just so that you can have the best amount of filtration depending on your aperture. If you have a large 12-16" etc. you would want the dark red filter, for a smaller aperture the light red is a better choice.