First ever shot at prime focus with wedge today!

[Cschur]

Hi all,

I finally got my adapters from Alpine to shorten the optical path when using the baader wedge and for the very first time today (with really bad seeing) I compared the views with the astro solar foil to the wedge with the new adapters. When the image with the wedge came up on the computer screen, I nearly fell out of my chair! The contrast and sharpness was at least 3x the foil, and I could see faculae nearly to the center of the sun. Putting the astro solar back on and removing the wedge for comparison is like looking at the sun through a fog. And its not quite as sharp. I used the same continuum filter, baader UV/IR blocker for both views. I dont quite understand why the foil adds the fog, but it sure is there.

Here are three photos. The first here is that full disk shot with the wedge taken this morning in my 30 minutes of clear sky for the entire weekend. 80mm f/6 prime:




Next here is a close up with the two new adapters from Alpine in place to shorted the optical path by over an inch so I could for the first time reach focus:




And here is a veiw from behind the scope, showing the sunrise and the back of the wedge with the sun on its diffusion screen.




Thanks for looking, and I think this will push my prime focus white light shots up another notch in quality!

[marktownley]

Cool stuff! You're going to be dangerous with a wedge You planning to do any mosaiced full disk images? Running at prime focus will be seriouslly undersampling the image. You manage to get anything with your 5x powermate?

[Pedro]

Great fulldisk image. You're going to love the images obtained with solar wedges. I Have 4 wedges (two by LUNT/APM 2" and 1 1/4", one Baader - old photographic model, and one Solarvue).

http://astrosurf.com/re/herschel_prism_20051213.jpg
http://astrosurf.com/re/solarvue_20070729-01.jpg
http://astrosurf.com/re/lunt_solar_wedg ... 018-01.jpg
http://astrosurf.com/re/herschel_prism_ ... 409-09.jpg

best

[MapleRidge]

Hi Chris...

That is a great full disk white light shot. The scenery in the background is quite nice too!

Brian

[Cschur]

Thanks guys, Mark - I tried to 2.5x barlow but no good. The seeing is limited to prime images today!

[swisswalter]

Hi Chris

a nice result for the first prime focus WL shot. Wow, what great scenery

[marktownley]

Thanks guys, Mark - I tried to 2.5x barlow but no good. The seeing is limited to prime images today!

Crikey! I thought it was only me who couldn't use anything above a 2x barlow on a regular basis...

[Derek Klepp]

Nice one Chris I love your backdrop I have to travel a long way to see snow.

[Derek Klepp]

Great fulldisk image. You're going to love the images obtained with solar wedges. I Have 4 wedges (two by LUNT/APM 2" and 1 1/4", one Baader - old photographic model, and one Solarvue).

http://astrosurf.com/re/herschel_prism_20051213.jpg
http://astrosurf.com/re/solarvue_20070729-01.jpg
http://astrosurf.com/re/lunt_solar_wedg ... 018-01.jpg
http://astrosurf.com/re/herschel_prism_ ... 409-09.jpg

best
Which one do you like best ?
cheers Derek

[Merlin66]

Chris,
Interesting observation re the Baader Solar Film.
There are obviously many solar images on various forums taken with the Baader Solar Film and they show tremendous detail in the surface granulation, faculae and sunspots.
I'm surprised you found the difference is so great.

[Montana]

A wonderful full Sun Chris! however, if I had a view like that I would find it very hard to concentrate on taking solar images

Regards
Alexandra

[Cschur]

thanks all, Merlin - Going back and forth quickly between the astro solar and the wedge was a real eye opener. Im not saying you cant get great shots with the film, Im saying you can but have to maybe increase the contrast and sharpening a bit to equal the wedge in quality and details.

Alexandra - when we get snow in winter, the surrounding escarpment which is some 2000 feet tall gets quite scenic. But it doesnt hold a candle to the wonderous Sun and its features!

[solarchat]

nice setup masn. Love the woodwork.

I went to all wedges in 2008 after a baader foil filter blew off the front of the scope. Not too safe for outreach if you ask me.

[Merlin66]

I use silver gaffa tape on my Baader filters when "sharing" with Kids and friends.
As you say, you never know what might happen.

[Merlin66]

Chris,
Your wedge images as well as others I've seen continue to drive my need to build a good wedge..or buy a Baader....
Certainly if my current project fails I'll go for a commercial wedge.

[Pedro]

Hi Derek:

I use the 2" LUNT most of the times. The Baader is also great (1/10 lambda Zeiss solar wedge). The others are maily used for outreach programs.

best

[solarchat]

out of my 4 wedges I usually use the Lunt for imaging and the Baader for visual. I always use a green #58 filter for imaging through the wedge.

The Baader wont focus for imaging without a barlow on either of my Exp Sci scopes so I just use the Lunts.

[Pedro]

Here's a simulated comparison pic that I use sometimes in my solar presentations. It is very evidente the increase in contrat when solar wedges are used. Hope this helps

best

[Cschur]

Stephen, That is one of the reasons I went with the new adapter from Alpine - I couldnt get the Stellarvue 80mm to reach focus by about one inch with the baader wedge. But now, I have 3/4 inch to spare! You might consider this adapter for imaging. It will take all the same filters fortunetely, but switching them back and forth between adapter and 2" focuser to use a barlow is painful. So I bought a 1.25" version of my filters to just keep inside the adapater and now swap out everything.

I also agree with you on the safety issues with the foils, although I NEVER look visually through any telescope and havent for years, you can do a job on your expensive camera if the foil blows off, gets punctured. And there is always a big risk of not remembering to take the camera off when you take the front filter off, and still are pointing at the sun! I almost did this once and that was it - no more front filters, peroid.

Pedro - simulated images? Cmon. havent you ever shot with one then the other at the same morning? The difference was startling for sure. I cant figure out why the film is so foggy, maybe has to do with the bouncing between layers or something. Anybody ever figured this out?

[solarchat]

What? Did you say you never look through your scopes visually? Wow...I don't think I could go a week without seeing the real thing. Imaging is fine but none of any of our images even come close to the real view.

[Pedro]

Hi Chris:

I have loads of images obtained with the Baader Astrosolar film. I made de simulation taking into account what I see at the eyepiece. You will not see much differences after image processing.

images taken with the astrosolar film in 2003 solar maximum:

Sun (20031029)- Takahashi FS128 F/8.1 (VR-1 filter) + Fuji FinePix S1 Pro. Baader Filter.
http://astrosurf.com/re/sun_20031029-01.jpg
http://astrosurf.com/re/sun_20031029-02.jpg
Takahashi FS128 F/8.1 (VR-1 filter) + Toucampro.
http://astrosurf.com/re/sun_20031020_toucam.jpg

best

[Merlin66]

I certainly be interested in hearing any technical explanation for the loss of contrast...
The imaging results don't seem to show anything as dramatic as the simulated images.....
Maybe a ghosting reflected from the rear surface of the film and the objective? but the light intensity there is so low...hmmm...