Images through a Baadar solar film...

[Craig.a.c (Craig)]

I bought myself a Baadar solar film filter for my 4.5 inch reflector, I was excited as I was told and also read that this solar film will show some detail on the surface of the sun and also see sun spots. So far I have seen nothing but a large white ball, even when I use different coloured filters I see no detail, nothing.

Any ideas???

Cheers Craig.

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi Craig

That's normal at the moment. We've just passed solar minimum, where there is very little activity on the Sun - no sunspots!

But over the coming months, sunspots will come along - check the Sun image in the left column of IceInSpace which is generated from the SOHO images. You'll see sunspots as they appear and then you can crack out your baader film to look at them through your telescope.

However, you won't see surface detail with a white light solar filter/film. At best, you may see a hint of granulation on the surface, but that usually needs a larger telescope and is best picked up photographically.

To see real surface detail, as well as prominences, flares etc, you need a hydrogen-alpha telescope like a PST which lets through the specific wavelengths of light to see those features.

btw to IIS!

[Craig.a.c (Craig)]

Thanks for the reply iceman. I was starting to think that we were in a moment of little solar activity.

Just another question - Along with the Baadar solar film, is there any colour filters that screw into the bottom of the eye piece that might show some sort of surface detail without having to buy a hydrogen-alpha telescope?

Cheers - Craig

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi Craig.

No, sorry. Eyepiece filters, especially solar ones, are very dangerous (without the baader solar film at the front end of the telescope) and should be avoided at all costs.

A PST is the cheapest way to get into hydrogen-alpha solar observing.

[citivolus (Ric)]

My understanding is that generally speaking emission line filters that you attach to your eyepiece are not narrow band enough to do anything on the sun, even when used in conjunction with a visible light solar filter.

[Kal (Andrew)]

Yup, very quiet sun atm, I haven't used my solar filter for ages. I keep an eye on the pic of the sun in the left hand column of IIS as well looking out for solar activity.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by citivolus

My understanding is that generally speaking emission line filters that you attach to your eyepiece are not narrow band enough to do anything on the sun, even when used in conjunction with a visible light solar filter.

I have a solar continuum filter which I can recommend as a cheap way to improve your solar views. It is a fairly broad green filter tuned to the peak emission of the photoshere which is also the most sensitive spectral band of our eye (what a coincidence). I suspect the advantage is that it removes chromatic aberations in the eye (and in my achromat). In any case, detail in sunspot groups is far better. Of course they do nothing for prominences.

H-alpha eyepiece filters are out there but they are $$$