Re: Do you have a skybender?
Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 4:27 pm
Heya,
Sorry, didn't see this thread till just now. There were only a handful of units, maybe 20+ made. Apollo gave them to active imagers without cost with some filters to let them image with them and combine systems (such as to tune a calcium unit made from a PST Calcium etalon), and asked us to simply post the images and talk about the skybender in general (advertising basically, but not in a bad way or anything). I talked to several imagers at the time who use them here and there, most of them seemed to focus on calcium for the most part.
I got my Skybender from Apollo right before he went dark and off-grid so to speak. I got a pair of unmarked 393nm filters, a 370~395 bandpass filter, and an IR absorption filter (KG1 I think, from newport). I also received a pair of 532nm filters, unmarked. I don't know the FWHM of them, most filters out there for sale that are inexpensive seem to be anywhere from 12~15nm +/-, so they're not that tight, but they do produce different results from full spectrum white light. I was told these were from Semrock, but apparently they're either not available anymore, or are from some where else. They're unfortunately unmarked, so I cannot track them down.
I have since put a KG3 heat absorption filter on the nose of my skybender instead of the one I got (which I broke). I got it from Newport for around $50. So far, it takes the heat from my 120mm aperture refractor pointed at the sun and hasn't broken, so it's doing a great job of managing heat in my imaging train.
The skybender is strictly for imaging only, not safe for visual. Just to be clear for anyone looking into these things. It's purpose is purely for imaging with a high transmission.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I primarily use my Skybender for calcium solar imaging, because I simply couldn't find an affordable entry into calcium. PST Ca units are long gone and coveted. Lunt systems are expensive and hard to find, impossible to get used. Quark Calcium units are expensive and impossible to get used. So I of course didn't pass on the opportunity to test out the Skybender as an alternative. It turned out it worked well enough, not to the same standard as the output from the Lunt/Quark/PSTCa etalon systems, but at least well enough to be significantly different from full spectrum white light.
Here's my unit setup for 393nm imaging:
Two 393nm 1.25" filters stacked on the nose of the camera.
One 370~395nm 1.25" filter inside the skybender in the tilting chamber.
One KG3 IR 1.25" absorption filter (managing heat) on the nose of the skybender unit.
Here are two ways I image with it, both on a short refractor (80mm aperture), and a long refractor (120mm aperture) for high res. Reminder note, there is no front filter on the scope, it is not needed. The KG3 filter manages the heat, even on my 120mm aperture. I've been advised that there should be another way to manage heat and that the filter will break from the heat, but so far, this has not happened and I image with it a lot. So just again a reminder for anyone with these.
Here's directly inserted into an 80mm F7.5 refractor with no specific ERF and no UV/IR cut filter (it would kill the point since I'm imaging at 393nm). Again the KG3 filter manages the heat. I do full disc imaging with this setup.
Here's how it looks on camera (notice my exposure values are 0.05ms, Gain 10, Gamma 1 at F7.5 with an ASI174MM):
Here's the skybender with a 3x barlow being used, for high resolution imaging: The barlow simply inserts between the tilt chamber and the camera. The filters are still on the nose of the camera. I was told you can also put the barlow in front of the sky bender, but I do it this way to keep the KG3 and heat all on one side away from everything else.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here's some of my recent results:
120mm F8.3 refractor + Skybender as described above with 393nm filters and a 3x barlow with the ASI174MM:
When the seeing is great, I seem to be getting convection cells from the photosphere, but at least I can get more contrast to show the faculae as this is not truly calcium wavelength.
80mm F7.5 refractor + Skybender with 393nm filters with the ASI174MM for full disc:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have not used the 532nm filters yet. With minimal sunspots, I have little to use them on. I typically do my white light with a standard baader solar film and a 540nm continuum filter. Next time a decent sized sunspot shows up, I will put the 532nm filters in the skybender and test it more. I was told to put 1x 532nm filter on the camera nose. 1x 532nm filter in the tilt chamber of the skybender. And then put a green filter or 540nm filter on the nose of the skybender behind the KG3 filter.
Very best,
Sorry, didn't see this thread till just now. There were only a handful of units, maybe 20+ made. Apollo gave them to active imagers without cost with some filters to let them image with them and combine systems (such as to tune a calcium unit made from a PST Calcium etalon), and asked us to simply post the images and talk about the skybender in general (advertising basically, but not in a bad way or anything). I talked to several imagers at the time who use them here and there, most of them seemed to focus on calcium for the most part.
I got my Skybender from Apollo right before he went dark and off-grid so to speak. I got a pair of unmarked 393nm filters, a 370~395 bandpass filter, and an IR absorption filter (KG1 I think, from newport). I also received a pair of 532nm filters, unmarked. I don't know the FWHM of them, most filters out there for sale that are inexpensive seem to be anywhere from 12~15nm +/-, so they're not that tight, but they do produce different results from full spectrum white light. I was told these were from Semrock, but apparently they're either not available anymore, or are from some where else. They're unfortunately unmarked, so I cannot track them down.
I have since put a KG3 heat absorption filter on the nose of my skybender instead of the one I got (which I broke). I got it from Newport for around $50. So far, it takes the heat from my 120mm aperture refractor pointed at the sun and hasn't broken, so it's doing a great job of managing heat in my imaging train.
The skybender is strictly for imaging only, not safe for visual. Just to be clear for anyone looking into these things. It's purpose is purely for imaging with a high transmission.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I primarily use my Skybender for calcium solar imaging, because I simply couldn't find an affordable entry into calcium. PST Ca units are long gone and coveted. Lunt systems are expensive and hard to find, impossible to get used. Quark Calcium units are expensive and impossible to get used. So I of course didn't pass on the opportunity to test out the Skybender as an alternative. It turned out it worked well enough, not to the same standard as the output from the Lunt/Quark/PSTCa etalon systems, but at least well enough to be significantly different from full spectrum white light.
Here's my unit setup for 393nm imaging:
Two 393nm 1.25" filters stacked on the nose of the camera.
One 370~395nm 1.25" filter inside the skybender in the tilting chamber.
One KG3 IR 1.25" absorption filter (managing heat) on the nose of the skybender unit.
Here are two ways I image with it, both on a short refractor (80mm aperture), and a long refractor (120mm aperture) for high res. Reminder note, there is no front filter on the scope, it is not needed. The KG3 filter manages the heat, even on my 120mm aperture. I've been advised that there should be another way to manage heat and that the filter will break from the heat, but so far, this has not happened and I image with it a lot. So just again a reminder for anyone with these.
Here's directly inserted into an 80mm F7.5 refractor with no specific ERF and no UV/IR cut filter (it would kill the point since I'm imaging at 393nm). Again the KG3 filter manages the heat. I do full disc imaging with this setup.
Here's how it looks on camera (notice my exposure values are 0.05ms, Gain 10, Gamma 1 at F7.5 with an ASI174MM):
Here's the skybender with a 3x barlow being used, for high resolution imaging: The barlow simply inserts between the tilt chamber and the camera. The filters are still on the nose of the camera. I was told you can also put the barlow in front of the sky bender, but I do it this way to keep the KG3 and heat all on one side away from everything else.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here's some of my recent results:
120mm F8.3 refractor + Skybender as described above with 393nm filters and a 3x barlow with the ASI174MM:
When the seeing is great, I seem to be getting convection cells from the photosphere, but at least I can get more contrast to show the faculae as this is not truly calcium wavelength.
80mm F7.5 refractor + Skybender with 393nm filters with the ASI174MM for full disc:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have not used the 532nm filters yet. With minimal sunspots, I have little to use them on. I typically do my white light with a standard baader solar film and a 540nm continuum filter. Next time a decent sized sunspot shows up, I will put the 532nm filters in the skybender and test it more. I was told to put 1x 532nm filter on the camera nose. 1x 532nm filter in the tilt chamber of the skybender. And then put a green filter or 540nm filter on the nose of the skybender behind the KG3 filter.
Very best,