Lunt LS40mm

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nebulabru
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Lunt LS40mm

Post by nebulabru »

Hi,
Anyone have the Lunt 40 mm B500 solar telescope?
For visual how is this new telescope?
Nébula.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by marktownley »

Nope sorry, not spotted anyone here using one (or shouting about using one!).


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by nebulabru »

Thanks!


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by DeepSolar64 »

I would be curious on how one does too.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by Rob63 »

Dylan O'Donnell had a brief review on his YouTube channel earlier this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nLEnCvdE0Q


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

Received Lunt 40/B600 ten days ago, four weeks after order.

I have minimal white light solar experience and zero Ha if you don't count a frustrating experience trying to make a used (and maybe defective?) Quark work with my 102mm refractor. I sold the Quark within a month.

I've used the Lunt four times, mounted on a Sky-watcher SolarQuest. Mount is outstanding; tripod is reasonably rigid, search and tracking are excellent. Sun has been dead center every time I turn it on (except the time I had the mount head in the shade of a patio beam and my head up my....) Haven't used the included solar finder once, I just realized.

Scope's helical focuser is a little stiff but smooth, I assume it will loosen up with use. Yes, the set screw is loose.

Viewing with Svbony 7-21mm zoom was a treat. Tuning was easy and both prominences and granules were easily revealed, plenty bright and with good contrast.

Tried to use a QHY-5L-II mini for imaging and found back focus was precarious without an extension.

Stochastic imaging with SharpCap produced reasonable results, although both my imaging and Photoshop technique leave lots of room for improvement.

ASI174mm is on the way which will, I gather, produce a smallish, slightly oversampled image unless helped by a 2x Barlow.

So, without enough use to produce a thorough or reliable review, I can nevertheless say I'm happy I bought the Lunt 40.

And I can report with authority that the rabbit hole remains in good working order.
Sun_layered.jpg
Sun_layered.jpg (217.71 KiB) Viewed 2708 times
Last edited by TAILSPIN45 on Thu Oct 07, 2021 6:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by EricF »

Excellent!

I've been looking at one of these also.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

Second session with Lunt 40/B600.

This is a single TIF produced from a stack of the best 10% of just 200 frames captured with a Svbony SV305 color camera using SharpCap.

Lots to learn about both capture and processing. A proper camera (ASI174MM) is on the way.

No clue why there is a gradient on the right. Camera alignment?
Sun 1010 single image.jpg
Sun 1010 single image.jpg (217.3 KiB) Viewed 2644 times


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by marktownley »

Good second session!

The gradient on the right is caused by the tilt of the etalon. Try a slightly different tilt to see if you can get a more even disk.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

marktownley wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:59 pm Try a slightly different tilt to see if you can get a more even disk.
Thanks for the suggestion, Mark.

As I understand it, though, the only adjustments I have are etalon pressure/frequency dial up front, and helix focuser at the back. There is no etalon tilt, per se on the Lunt 40.

But I will try just jimmying the camera attachment and thumbscrew.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by thesmiths »

The Lunt 40 does have tilt tuning, not pressure tuning. If there is some unevenness, the easiest thing to do might be to place the solar disk off centre a bit. If your camera sensor is large enough, that might do the trick.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

thesmiths wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 2:26 pm The Lunt 40 does have tilt tuning, not pressure tuning.
Duh. I mentioned I had a lot to learn. This is proof.

The Lunt 40 is indeed tilt tuned; you'd think I might have known that before I bought it, no?

Anyway, the ASI174mm arrived and, attached to the LS40 with a 2x Barlow, I get a 1200 x 1200 full disk image...BUT (in no particular order)
  • I still don't feel like I know how to properly tune the scope
  • IMPPG (free software) has helped pull out details from proms and surface in one image
  • SolarLiveView (also free) is a very cool program that does live stacking and timelapse of solar images (image attached)
  • The SolarQuest mount is awesome
  • With the mount and laptop on battery power I can set up and start observing in less than 5 minutes
  • There is a surprising paucity of Lunt 40 tutorials and forum info
  • Jenkins' Observing the Sun: A Pocket Field Guide is a great place to start
  • Solar Astronomy—Christian Viladrich, Ed., provides all you'll ever need to know about the Sun, and more
  • I want better resolution but $$$. Anyway I haven't mastered the LS40
  • Solar is a lot harder than nightime DSO astrophotography
SolarLiveView sample
SolarLiveView sample
2021-10-15_11-13-47.jpg (83.72 KiB) Viewed 2407 times
ASI174mm, enlarged with false color
ASI174mm, enlarged with false color
Sun_LR-PS.jpg (183.06 KiB) Viewed 2407 times
Last edited by TAILSPIN45 on Fri Dec 31, 2021 6:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

Lunt Falcon 9 booster
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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by rsfoto »

TAILSPIN45 wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:25 pm Lunt Falcon 9
Hi,

This is an Insult to all Solar and DSO imagers as soon the only thing we will see up in the Sky are those Da...n Starlink satellites driven by Greed from a single person in this world ... and a few others following his example ...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Now seriuosly there even exist studies that the blinking of those satellites can be misinterpreted by nocturnal fauna which use stars for navigating at night ...

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:


regards Rainer

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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

Apparently you haven't heard of Kappa Sigma rejection. Have you even seen one Starlink satellite with you own eyes?

Can't you provide a link to a study that suggests animals are having trouble navigating because of satellites?


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

Re: Lunt LS40mm
Unread post by rsfoto » Fri Dec 31, 2021 6:42 pm

TAILSPIN45 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:25 pm
Lunt Falcon 9
Hi,

This is an Insult to all Solar and DSO imagers as soon the only thing we will see up in the Sky are those Da...n Starlink satellites driven by Greed from a single person in this world ... and a few others following his example ...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Now seriuosly there even exist studies that the blinking of those satellites can be misinterpreted by nocturnal fauna which use stars for navigating at night ...

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
regards Rainer

I must add that my teacher/Rainer has commented very-well about the space-junk up there from all those unnecessary humenoide manufactured items floating around in space, polluting that once vacant-place, but hey I'll :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: too..

That is a monster scope though, nearly as big as my APO-Triplet. !!

H.N.Y.
Terry


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by rsfoto »

TAILSPIN45 wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:18 pm Apparently you haven't heard of Kappa Sigma rejection. Have you even seen one Starlink satellite with you own eyes?

Can't you provide a link to a study that suggests animals are having trouble navigating because of satellites?
Sorry if I offended you and you did not see the smileys ...

Happy New Year 2022

Wait and see ... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... +migration

and as usual take it with a grain of salt ...

IMHO


regards Rainer

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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by rsfoto »

Moderators: If you think this is inappropiate please tell me and I will stop polluting this message ...


TAILSPIN45 wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:18 pm Apparently you haven't heard of Kappa Sigma rejection. Have you even seen one Starlink satellite with you own eyes?

Can't you provide a link to a study that suggests animals are having trouble navigating because of satellites?
This did not grow on my Manure. Just take a look below ...


https://astronomersappeal.wordpress.com/


regards Rainer

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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

rsfoto wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:47 pm Sorry if I offended you and you did not see the smileys ...
Oh, sorry. I did see them, but I didn't understand that you were trying to make a joke. Sometimes language is a poor way to communicate? :D

¿Tal vez comunicando en español sería mejor?

I went to astronomersappeal.com but didn't find anything about satellites affecting animal's ability to navigate. Did I miss it or was that supposed to be a joke that I misinterpreted, too? (I know some animals use celestial navigation. I just haven;'t seen any reports that satellites have affected thier ability to do it.)

Feliz año nuevo.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Tailspin45
The small wheel is the tilt-tuner adjustment for the etalon. Both of my Coronado scopes have these tuning wheels as well. I tune by eye stopping when I get the most detail and an evenly illuminated field. It takes practice. It's also made a bit more complicated by the fact some features tune a bit different than others usually due to the Doppler effect. I still wrestle with the tuning sometimes. Double stacking a scope makes it a bit more tedious. One then has to tune two etalons to work together!

Nice scope decals! It looks like a launch vehicle!!

James


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
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Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
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Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by rsfoto »

Double stacking a scope makes it a bit more tedious.
Hi James,

As you know I have a double stacked SM60 and the upper SM is rotated 90° to the lower one. 90° adjusting wheel to adjusting wheel.

My method for tuning the double stacked is quite simple and has a hight reliability.

Put the upper etalon in 0° position e.g. the slit between the lower and the upper tuning ring is parallel. The same for the lower etalon.

Now if you look into your scope you should see one sun and a few ghosts. Now move the lower tuning wheel and separate the rings until the nearest ghost has disappeared from you sight. That is what my etalons do.

Now move the upper tuning wheel and center the Hot Spot and you should have the highest contrast and leave it there. That is at least what my ealons do.

Perhaps it helps you too.

Here a video of the adjustment oy my double stacked etalon. Sorry for the clouds. As soon as I get again a good Sun position I will make a new video including the adjuster software window.

http://rainerehlert.com/astro/Sol/CoronadoAdjust-01.wmv

https://rainerehlert.com/astro/Sol/DS60-AjusteFrio.wmv

Maybe this could be a solution for you ? ;) Read the whole message if you have not yet read it.


viewtopic.php?f=9&t=34197


regards Rainer

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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

Just now, with help from IMPPG... LS40, SolarQuest, ASI174MM, 2X Barlow
Sun 220101.jpg
Sun 220101.jpg (234.16 KiB) Viewed 2305 times

ASK!3, 50 of 500 frames, sharpened with IMPPG, tweaked with Lightroom, enlarged 4x

Wilson effect visible
Sun2 220101.jpg
Sun2 220101.jpg (378.08 KiB) Viewed 2302 times
Last edited by TAILSPIN45 on Sat Jan 01, 2022 8:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by Montana »

Terrific images!! :hamster:

Alexandra


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

https://luntsolarsystems.com/product/lu ... %3D.QrUXt3 just received by Email today...

And Lunt are manufacturing their own new focuser as :-
"Our nicely machined 2″ dual speed 10:1 Crayford-style focuser, designed and made in house at Lunt’s machine shop, is now available for all Lunt Solar Universal Day and Night Telescopes and has course as well as fine focus adjustments with its smooth action focusing knobs.
With a travel distance of 52mm, we designed this Crayford-Style 10:1 focuser for a variety of uses and applications alongside our Universal Telescope. Whether you are shooting night time photography, or simply spending a day in the Sun, the New Lunt Crayford Focuser is sure to delight and keep you steady!
This beauty is in stock and ready to ship. "

Terry


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by TAILSPIN45 »

Also from yesterrday, some surface detail
010122 Sun proms v2.jpg
010122 Sun proms v2.jpg (64.77 KiB) Viewed 2268 times

4x enlargement with Topaz Gigapixel AI
010122 Sun proms.jpg
010122 Sun proms.jpg (77.99 KiB) Viewed 2268 times


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Re: Lunt LS40mm

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

Nice detail shown and thanks vm

Terry


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