Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Feb 20, 2013 15:20:54 GMT -6
Shake out test Solar session with the new AstroZap full aperture Solar Filter and the 102mm Refractor
20 February 2013
20 February 2013
Having received the new AstroZap Baader Full Aperture Solar Filter the day before....
( astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Equipment&action=display&thread=4196 ) - I was anxious to try it out...and the very next day was a clear, but cold one - with a high of only 16 degrees and slight wind chill breeze.
The filter fit snugly onto the dew shield of the 102mm Celestron Refractor and off we go...
...and my first views were spectacular....
I have used the Seymore film and the full aperture Orion glass filter for the C11, but the Baader Solar film is superior - delivering great definition of Sunspots, faculae and surface granulation...
Great sunspot this day, with two hyphen-like groups and the massive 1678, which started out small last week and growing fast!...
SpaceWeather.com has a great animation displaying the Sunspot growth...
I had utilized different white balance settings on the simple Samsung Pocket camera.... crudely attached to the scope train of glass by a strip of Gorilla tape....(God's gift to mankind). Originally using the great 40mm MaxviewII 2" eyepiece solo...I attached the 2" Celestron 2 inch barlow....which great results. The pics above, do not reflect the sharpness and high definition viewed with eyeball alone, and I found myself studying the solar face longer than usual.
I am totally satisfied on the performance of this Full Aperture AstroZap Baader Solar Filter and seriously considering swapping out the glass filter on the C11 cell...and replacing it with a sheet of the Baader stuff. Teamed up with the C11, the solar views will be great - the best thing short of a 90mm H-Alpha scope.
Stopped down aperture is for chumps...
