Post by Chicago Astronomer Joe on Jan 19, 2012 10:12:40 GMT -6
Odd...about the images being all goofy and stuff.... 
Naked C11. Raw indeed...!
Paulie,
I think I'm running the largest publically and mobile regularly accessed telescope in the city.... ;D
At the Doane, there are three scopes in use. The 20" Cassagrain, a 6' or 8" refractor, (I forget) - which is riding along side the main OTA...and a 90mm Solar Max Coronado - also riding the OTA.
We use the Coronado for prominences and the 6" Refractor for white light filtered views - straight through. The main scope is not used for daytime observing.
Here, when I'm in the Doane, I like to zoom in on the flares/prominences on the Coronado - filling up the FOV with the limb arc against black space. Others who operate the scope prefer to keep the whole solar disk in view, which is nice, but does not fully take advantage of the scope's ability. In the refractor, (which has a glass solar filter permanently attached), I like to target the sunspots specifically, (if any). but other observatory operators like to keep the full disk in view here as well...
And again, even with larger scopes, the general public isn't all that impressed with our Sun.
Many a time, I hear comments of "All I see is a red blob" while looking through the SolarMAx or "What am I supposed to be seeing" while checking out the refractor. I explain about Sunspots and flares...and the dynamics behind the events, but for most people, it's a oh-hum view.
For Chicago Astronomer solar viewing....
I'm using the full aperture filter on the C11 of course, but using the 90mm Refractor concurrently for "Other-Side" projection - where the solar image is projected onto a screen of sorts and the viewer sees the image from the other side. We have seen such set-ups with big huge boxes, but they can act like a wind sail. Still mulling this over.
For those of us who will be doing solar parties this year, don't be too disappointed in the reactions of the masses on viewing our Sun.
It's all cool.
Naked C11. Raw indeed...!
Paulie,
I think I'm running the largest publically and mobile regularly accessed telescope in the city.... ;D
At the Doane, there are three scopes in use. The 20" Cassagrain, a 6' or 8" refractor, (I forget) - which is riding along side the main OTA...and a 90mm Solar Max Coronado - also riding the OTA.
We use the Coronado for prominences and the 6" Refractor for white light filtered views - straight through. The main scope is not used for daytime observing.
Here, when I'm in the Doane, I like to zoom in on the flares/prominences on the Coronado - filling up the FOV with the limb arc against black space. Others who operate the scope prefer to keep the whole solar disk in view, which is nice, but does not fully take advantage of the scope's ability. In the refractor, (which has a glass solar filter permanently attached), I like to target the sunspots specifically, (if any). but other observatory operators like to keep the full disk in view here as well...
And again, even with larger scopes, the general public isn't all that impressed with our Sun.
Many a time, I hear comments of "All I see is a red blob" while looking through the SolarMAx or "What am I supposed to be seeing" while checking out the refractor. I explain about Sunspots and flares...and the dynamics behind the events, but for most people, it's a oh-hum view.
For Chicago Astronomer solar viewing....
I'm using the full aperture filter on the C11 of course, but using the 90mm Refractor concurrently for "Other-Side" projection - where the solar image is projected onto a screen of sorts and the viewer sees the image from the other side. We have seen such set-ups with big huge boxes, but they can act like a wind sail. Still mulling this over.
For those of us who will be doing solar parties this year, don't be too disappointed in the reactions of the masses on viewing our Sun.
It's all cool.
