LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

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p1taylor
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LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by p1taylor »

Hi All, I have a Lunt ls60tha/b1200cpt60mmh-alpha craford focuser pressure tuner single stack, camera zwo asi 178mm, using sharp cap 3.2 software. do I put blocking filter slide in centre of movement or is there a spot to put it, or do I just put focuser, pressure tuner and blocking filter in centre of travel, or is there a setting I can put them which is near correct, in what order do I adjust them?

peter


LUNT LS 60THa WITH PRESSURE TUNER, BLOCKING FILTER B1200, Skywatcher Startravel 80T OTA, ZWO ASI 178MM, lot of bit
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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by marktownley »

What are you trying to do Peter? find focus?


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by MapleRidge »

Hi Peter...

If you are trying to get focus as Mark asked, I would suggest setting up and focusing visually then swap the camera in. It should be close enough to be able to see the sun and then get it centred and focus adjusted.

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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by p1taylor »

Hi Mark and Brian, I was just after a starting spot to start with having 3 bits to set.

peter


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by marktownley »

Post a pick if you can Peter, i'm not familiar with the scope directly, but my first approach would be to just push everything in and rack the focuser out until things come sharp.

Mark


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by p1taylor »

Hi Mark, This is my setup.

peter
Image.jpeg
Image.jpeg (1.44 MiB) Viewed 1462 times


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by marktownley »

Will just come to focus, try it!


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by p1taylor »

Yes I can focus it with EP not tried with camera, just got setup so I can when sun gets out of clouds will try it.

peter


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by marktownley »

Won't be much difference in focus. Bring on the sunshine!


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by SimonM »

Suggestion is to start with the Blocking Filter half in to the focuser and the focuser at the midpoint. A clue is that any adjustment (difference) will be the same across scopes using the same EP and camera.
Last edited by SimonM on Tue Feb 09, 2021 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

Exactly as Brian and Mark T., have said Peter.

With an Eye-Piece only into the Blocking-Filter - exactly as your photo shows "fully-in the focusing draw-tube" at first, then wind the focusing through to the maximum stop-end, to find the correct focus-point through that E.P. (using a Zoom E.P. if you have one first) and especially using the Rim/Limb/Edge of the Sun's disk - for fine-focusing only.

Then once you have got the focus correct, can you really start tuning the ONE ETELON only for Prominences or Surface Detail such as Granulation (Porridge), Faculae etc. Once you have got the initial-hang of this so far, keep on and do the same thing over and over again to get the whole idea of what to do (when Solar Imaging Sessions) and long-before playing with your ZWO ASI 178 camera.

(Changing a Zoom E.P. setting or any other E.P., may well require slight re-adjustment of the scopes focusing)...

If you get focus, then using the markings on the draw-tube and/or or you can mark one yourself for future use - with an indelible pen...

If you cannot achieve focus (as above), then slide the B.F., out to say a half of its' travel and lock-it tight there.

Then try the same procedure as mentioned above. If you are successful in focusing, then mark with indelible-pen both positions for ease of use - in future...

Only after successful E.P. focusing and viewing in Hydrogen-Alpha, should you start to initially enjoy Solar-Prominences and Surface Detail - with your Mk.1 Eyeball - before the eventual trials of camera and PC setting-up should begin..
++++++++
Only once when you have achieved the above, set-up your PC with say SharpCap (probably the simplest program to use at first).

Plug-in the camera to the PC and check that the camera only is showing something in SharpCap (blurry-image). SharpCap will have to recognise the ASI 178 camera by telling it in the "Select Camera" window as:- " Cameras/ZWO-ASI 178MM "/L-CLICK. If the 178MM is not shown, then un-plug and re-plug the camera USB-3 Lead or try " RE-Scan for Cameras "...

if everything okay so far then, now is the time to have the scope pointing to the Sun for any finer-adjustments of the focuser on the Sun's-edge, before worrying about anything else.

Once the tracking of that edge is achieved in focus, take an image as either a single-frame/"Snapshot" and/or a "Quick Capture" for say 100-frames.
Revue those two first in whatever file that are stored in on the PC and hopefully they are your first Solar captures.

I know that you have achieved some good Deep Sky captures previously, so the need to learn the few things first of SharpCap is the next stage to get used to and their instructions are available within the programs' "Help" menu...

Please tell us when you get success (weather hopefully permitting soon)...

CLEAR SKIES
Terry


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by p1taylor »

Thanks all for all your help, when I get some clear skies and sun a bit higher up.

peter


LUNT LS 60THa WITH PRESSURE TUNER, BLOCKING FILTER B1200, Skywatcher Startravel 80T OTA, ZWO ASI 178MM, lot of bit
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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by marktownley »

p1taylor wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 4:53 pm when I get some clear skies and sun a bit higher up.
Know the feeling! :lol:


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Re: LUNT LS60THADS60/B1200FTPT H-ALPHA SOLAR TELESCOPE

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

Thanks Peter and yes I also know that when the Sun is higher and no doubt a tad warmer too, I will open the observatory roof for some imaging.

At the moment it is -2-degsC here and a fair amount of snow, with more to come (over the next few days)...

Best wishes
Terry


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