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White Solar Panorama
Oct 8, 2022 19:43:38   #
bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
 
Shot six white light imaging sessions of the sun this afternoon with a David Levy scope, 2x Barlow, Baader Film solar filter and a QHY462C camera off an iOptron CEM26 mount.

Each of the six sessions was 2000 frames of video. The best five frames of each session were stacked using AutoStakkert and the best three stacks out of the six were manually selected and processed to the attached panorama.

Ol' Sol is really ramping up as it approaches it maximum activity level!

Enjoy!

bwa

2022Oct08 White Light Solar (DL152,2xBarlow,BaaderFilm,QHY462C,CEM26) - Panorama of three sessions
2022Oct08 White Light Solar (DL152,2xBarlow,Baader...
(Download)

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Oct 9, 2022 14:32:30   #
profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA
 
bwana wrote:
Shot six white light imaging sessions of the sun this afternoon with a David Levy scope, 2x Barlow, Baader Film solar filter and a QHY462C camera off an iOptron CEM26 mount.

Each of the six sessions was 2000 frames of video. The best five frames of each session were stacked using AutoStakkert and the best three stacks out of the six were manually selected and processed to the attached panorama.

Ol' Sol is really ramping up as it approaches it maximum activity level!

Enjoy!

bwa
Shot six white light imaging sessions of the sun t... (show quote)


That took a lot of work, but the result is a high-quality image. Thanks, from this retired physics and astronomy prof. --Richard

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Oct 9, 2022 15:02:49   #
bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
 
profbowman wrote:
That took a lot of work, but the result is a high-quality image. Thanks, from this retired physics and astronomy prof. --Richard

I hope to go after the same region with a Herschel Wedge white light filter later today, if the cloud dissipates...

bwa

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Oct 9, 2022 17:35:05   #
profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA
 
bwana wrote:
I hope to go after the same region with a Herschel Wedge white light filter later today, if the cloud dissipates...

bwa


I have tried to use a pinhole in front of my camera to get a solar picture, but with the image being so dim, I had a hard time getting it pointed correctly. I also bought a sheet of mylar solar filter, but I don't want to cut it up until I know how to make my set up work. Any suggestions would be welcome. --Richard

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Oct 9, 2022 21:31:39   #
bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
 
profbowman wrote:
I have tried to use a pinhole in front of my camera to get a solar picture, but with the image being so dim, I had a hard time getting it pointed correctly. I also bought a sheet of mylar solar filter, but I don't want to cut it up until I know how to make my set up work. Any suggestions would be welcome. --Richard

You probably already know what the commercial Baader Film filters look like, i.e.: 1st attachment.

My 1st solar filter was for a camera lens. I simply taped a piece of Baader Film over the bottom of a cut off plastic jar that fit my camera lens.

As much as one would like to believe wrinkles in Baader Film would impact a White Light solar image, it actually doesn't seem to have any impact.

When you 'construct' your filter, size it for the largest lens/telescope it has to fit. You can always pad the back for smaller lenses.

I have several white light solar filters. My glass ones I rate the worst. The Baader Film ones are pretty darn good. My Herschel Wedge white light filter blows all the rest out of the water BUT does cost an arm and a leg. For cost effectiveness Baader Film wins.

Be sure to securing attach the filter. It doesn't take much direct exposure to the sun to damage a camera sensor and the longer the focal length the faster the damage!

bwa



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Oct 9, 2022 21:46:40   #
profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA
 
bwana wrote:
You probably already know what the commercial Baader Film filters look like, i.e.: 1st attachment.

My 1st solar filter was for a camera lens. I simply taped a piece of Baader Film over the bottom of a cut off plastic jar that fit my camera lens.

As much as one would like to believe wrinkles in Baader Film would impact a White Light solar image, it actually doesn't seem to have any impact.

When you 'construct' your filter, size it for the largest lens/telescope it has to fit. You can always pad the back for smaller lenses.

I have several white light solar filters. My glass ones I rate the worst. The Baader Film ones are pretty darn good. My Herschel Wedge white light filter blows all the rest out of the water BUT does cost an arm and a leg. For cost effectiveness Baader Film wins.

Be sure to securing attach the filter. It doesn't take much direct exposure to the sun to damage a camera sensor and the longer the focal length the faster the damage!

bwa
You probably already know what the commercial Baad... (show quote)


Thanks for your response to my post. I have no problem with making the filter, but any hints on how to find the sun and focus on it will be helpful. BTW, if one does not fold a flexible filter back on itself so that one makes three thicknesses of the filter, waves in the filter should not affect the image. That is what my physics tells me, but I will still fell better when I see it. --Richard

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Oct 10, 2022 13:36:54   #
bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
 
profbowman wrote:
Thanks for your response to my post. I have no problem with making the filter, but any hints on how to find the sun and focus on it will be helpful. BTW, if one does not fold a flexible filter back on itself so that one makes three thicknesses of the filter, waves in the filter should not affect the image. That is what my physics tells me, but I will still feel better when I see it. --Richard

One layer of the solar film is all that's needed. Not too sure what multiple layers would do; I've never tried.

As for finding the sun, you can add a solar finder to your setup but you don't need one. Simply stand in front of your setup and adjust the direction the lens/telescope is pointing until the shadow on all sides is the same width.

As for focus, if you're using an autofocus lens, no problem. If you're using a manual lens/telescope, adjust focus until the sun is in focus, i.e.: start with an edge. Work your way up to sunspots. I find getting a good focus on the background granulation also works quite well. Solar focus is an art form; practice makes perfect (or close to it)!

bwa

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Oct 10, 2022 16:30:06   #
profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA
 
bwana wrote:
One layer of the solar film is all that's needed. Not too sure what multiple layers would do; I've never tried.

As for finding the sun, you can add a solar finder to your setup but you don't need one. Simply stand in front of your setup and adjust the direction the lens/telescope is pointing until the shadow on all sides is the same width.

As for focus, if you're using an autofocus lens, no problem. If you're using a manual lens/telescope, adjust focus until the sun is in focus, i.e.: start with an edge. Work your way up to sunspots. I find getting a good focus on the background granulation also works quite well. Solar focus is an art form; practice makes perfect (or close to it)!

bwa
One layer of the solar film is all that's needed. ... (show quote)


Big thanks come your way! I should have thought about the direction idea, but I sure had not. --Richard

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Oct 16, 2022 12:00:39   #
Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California
 
bwana wrote:
Shot six white light imaging sessions of the sun this afternoon with a David Levy scope, 2x Barlow, Baader Film solar filter and a QHY462C camera off an iOptron CEM26 mount.

Each of the six sessions was 2000 frames of video. The best five frames of each session were stacked using AutoStakkert and the best three stacks out of the six were manually selected and processed to the attached panorama.

Ol' Sol is really ramping up as it approaches it maximum activity level!

Enjoy!

bwa
Shot six white light imaging sessions of the sun t... (show quote)

Nice work on stitching the images together.

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