Coronado - yes or no?? help pleeese

JimmyH155 · #1 22-03-2007, 01:27 PM

Having missed out on the transit of Mercury due to cloud, and having been geed up by watching that doco on the sun last week, I have been wondering about those Coronado scopes. They are horrendously expensive (a 40mm PST is $995) and would I really see much more from it than say my 8 inch SCT with Baader film that I made for it? The Coronado has H alpha filter of 656.28 nM which claims to let you see all sorts of wonders like prominences. eruptions etc.

Suppose I put the Baader film on my 8 inch and get a cheapo H alpha eyepiece filter from Bintel for $250 - would that help? I dont think the Bintel filter is supposed to be used for the sun - is it???

An aperture of 40mm sounds awfully small though. Have any of youse good folk out there got some advice for me??

rmcpb (Rob) · #2 22-03-2007, 01:45 PM

If you have the readies and you are interested in solar observing then they are worth every penny. I would not buy one on a whim and would make sure I had looked through one BEFORE buying (the view is fantastic). As for the 40mm, its not a problem at all, the sun puts out plenty of light!!

[1ponders] (Paul) · #3 22-03-2007, 01:48 PM

Hi Jimmy.

Yes it is pretty small but you still get to see some pretty spectacular prominences. The Solar Filter and Ha eyepiece filter don't really work that will together.

You can see some images taken through a pst here and here. The colour is purely personal, visually the PST the sun looks very red, as you would expect

If you really want to look through one you are welcome to come up and have a look through mine.

ving (David) · #4 22-03-2007, 01:55 PM

yup $1k for a scope you can only use on the sun is a bit steep. i wouldnt do it, but if I were really interested n observing teh sun i would.

h0ughy (David) · #5 22-03-2007, 02:03 PM

Worth every Penny, I sold my first one, stupid move, but I only did that to fund "growth" in astrophotography, but when I had the money I quickly bought a replacement. fantastic views surpassed by none. When in real time, and I mean real time you can see prominances climb up from the disk - wow, its an experience

xstream (John) · #6 22-03-2007, 02:48 PM

I have to agree with h0ughy, if you have the readies it will be money well spent.
The views through a PST are just awsome for 40mm of aperture.

JimmyH155 · #7 22-03-2007, 05:24 PM

Hi Folks, thanks a lot for that. I am convinced -

and the idea of seeing stuff in real time, HOughy, well, that would be like seeing M42 blowing up!!
I really would like to have a squizz through one, 1Ponders, would have to be a week end. Pls let me know when suitable

Thanks, guys
Jimmy

[1ponders] (Paul) · #8 22-03-2007, 05:51 PM

If it's sunny on Sunday, I'm up for it.

sheeny (Al) · #9 22-03-2007, 06:18 PM

Jimmy,

I have to second the positive comments here. I realise it might not be for everyone, so by all means go and have a look though Paul's.

In case you haven't read it I did a review for IIS: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.p...41,320,0,0,1,0

...and I have to say that with time my opinion hasn't changed. It is a great little scope and worth every penny to me!

Al.

Miaplacidus (Brian) · #10 22-03-2007, 06:42 PM

It has to be borne in mind that before Coronado came up with these little wonders, there was simply no way of obtaining such dynamic views of the sun's surface and prominences for under many thousands of dollars. So something under a grand is definitely a major advance, and Coronado ought to be congratulated. I use mine enough to make me no longer worry about the money I spent on it, but I couldn't actually say it gets anything like as much use as my other scopes. Transit of Mercury, well sure, but it is mainly interesting for the solar detail it provides. Definitely have a look through one before you commit.

After all, it is still a scope with only one target.

[1ponders] (Paul) · #11 22-03-2007, 06:58 PM

One thing should be remembered too, a much as the computer industry, electronics industry and satellite industries don't like it, we are heading into the next solar maximum period very soon.

I wouldn't be without a PST for that!

Rob_K · #12 22-03-2007, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [1ponders]

The Solar Filter and Ha eyepiece filter don't really work that well together.

Good thread, and good replies. Just wondering, Coronados aside, if anyone who's used Baader full-aperture/Ha eyepiece filter combination could comment. How '2nd rate' is the view compared to Coronado? Can you still observe prominences etc? Anyone tried photography with this combo? I'd be very interested to know. Thanks.

Cheers -

[1ponders] (Paul) · #13 22-03-2007, 10:54 PM

Our good mate Dennis did just that experiment a short while ago. His results are here

Rob_K · #14 22-03-2007, 11:13 PM

Thanks Paul - that is everything I wanted to know. Makes you wonder if perhaps there's nothing new under the sun (no pun intended) and whether the forum Q&As could rumble on in the future just by exchanging links!!

Hmmm - maybe a few searches might be in order........

Cheers -

MikeyB (Michael) · #15 22-03-2007, 11:45 PM

A safe, cheap combination that might be worth trialling is an approved white light solar filter over the front of the scope and a Baader Solar Continuum filter at the eyepiece. This is a dark green narrowband filter that enhances surface contrast, supposedly allowing granularity, etc., to become visible:

http://www.alpineastro.com/Solar_Obs...olar_Continuum

Expensive though it may seem, it's hard to beat the value for money package that the PST offers, though. Very different from normal astro observation, solar observing is more like viewing Comet McNaught, where day by day the object changed and we couldn't be sure what would happen next. It's addictive stuff!

Ambermile · #16 23-03-2007, 02:57 AM

Why not get *two* PST's and use them as bino's? Awesome!

Arthur

JimmyH155 · #17 23-03-2007, 05:30 PM

Now THATS a thought

Ambermile · #18 24-03-2007, 12:54 AM

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=18113