Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Apr 7, 2012 1:39:16 GMT -6
Solar Imaging on the C5 and Movie screen
06 April 2012
06 April 2012
With the Venus Transit coming fast we should all be putting our equipment to task, eliminating what doesn't work and enhancing what does. I thought I would try to shake out the C5 set-up...with limited success.
I have a couple of old school movie screens layin' around and thought perhaps I could use one for solar projection...
Setting up in my sky-limited backyard, I catch the Sun as it peeks out from my neighbor's building - giving me about 20 minutes of test time.
The screen does the job, but falls short...
Using the 2 3/4" refractor finder scope riding on top of the C5, (which is capped or filtered), for projection, it does a decent job displaying the solar disk onto a sheet of paper, but does not grab enough light from the limited aperture of the finder scope. With the screen close, a bright enough disk, but a dim disk with the screen about a yard away.
Sunspot 1450 was easily discernible, but not a sharp image. The screen itself is partially to blame...
The matte surface is a woven-like material - softening things a bit. Not a good reflective surface, at least with this little refractor.
Using the Seymour Solar filter sheet crudely taped to the finder scope, it provided a decent disk view...
Capping off the finder scope and taping the solar filter to the C5 with a 25mm eyepiece, the full solar disk was not able to fit the FOV...
...but a decent sunspot was enjoyed with the larger aperture.
As the Sun sank behind my neighbor's tree line, the late afternoon experiment was over - concluding with limited success.
The C5 probably will not be a solar scope, nor will this particular screen be used.
