First Light Lunt 40mm

[nebulabru]

Hello,
I just bought a Lunt 40 b600, I used a Baader IV 8-24mm zoom, I had to take the diagonal out a bit to be able to focus, with good results, good images, when the atmosphere stabilized I would say spectacular, a lot of activity in bumps though at high magnification the image softened a bit. , more difficult to see details on the disk although I could see a couple of "snakes" meandering very spectacular..
I have noticed the helical focuser is a bit hard, turning it moves the rest a bit, let's go diagonally, I have to hold this so that it doesn't rotate... I imagine that the standard focuser could be changed for a better one?
I would also like to ask you about a fixed focal eyepiece with good optical quality, without blackouts... with the Baader zoom I sometimes notice that it is difficult for me to position my eye for comfortable observation.
And one last thing, do you know any method to shade the eyes? Is there any accessory?
Tomorrow I will try to try the binoviewer to see if I can focus...
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Paul

[DeepSolar64]

Paul,
I plan to get the Orion Lanthanum zoom eyepiece. It's parfocal so the focus stays the same when the magnification is changed. It also has 20mm of eye relief! One can get all the field of view easily with glasses on! It also has lanthanum ED glass in it's optical system and has fully multicoated optics.

https://www.telescope.com/catalog/searc ... m+eyepiece

Currently I use TeleVue De-Lites and Delos for solar which have excellent fields of view and eye relief. I also use TV plossls and the Coronado CeMax eyepieces. No zoom yet.

I wear a wide-brimmed booney hat to shade my eyes. It makes a BIG difference. Lunt sells a solar hat also.

https://luntsolarsystems.com/product/lu ... -t-shirts/

James

[marktownley]

Welcome to a joyous solar journey. Congrats on the new equipment.

[DeepSolar64]

Amazon has them but almost anything can be found on Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/boonie-hat/s?k=boonie+hat

[EricF]

Welcome aboard Paul. I picked up a Lunt 40 about a year ago. Great scope.

I have an 18mm Radian that lives in the case with the Lunt 40. Better than any of my Plossl's. If you add the pupil guide to the eyepiece, it shields the eye lens from stray light.

I opted for the 1.25" feather-touch when I bought the scope. I'm sure there's other solutions - GFO or similar.

Have fun.

Eric.

[Carbon60]

Welcome, Paul.

Stu.

[Rusted]

I wear a dark green baseball cap for solar imaging in the dome.
The slit greatly limits access for the sun. I always sit facing south.
With the large imaging monitor mounted on the pier above my desk.
The cap's peak shields my face without excess bulk at the sides.

While a wide brimmed hat makes much more sense out of doors.
Where one would be moving about and turning one's head.

Some use a towel or dark [19th century, photographer's] cloth to shield themselves from the sun.

Enjoy your solar journey.

[MAURITS]

Welcome to this forum Paul, congrats with the new equipment.

[DeepSolar64]

This would be useful and much cooler in the summer than a black photographer's cloth!

https://www.astronomics.com/telegizmos- ... l?___SID=U

[Rusted]

This would be useful and much cooler in the summer than a black photographer's cloth!

https://www.astronomics.com/telegizmos- ... l?___SID=U

Certainly cooler, but [judging from the picture] it might be stiff enough to move the telescope with the observer's own movements.
That said, I have no experience of what seems like an expensive bit of kit for what is on offer. Shade.

There are alternatives without a hobby mark-up.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/reusable- ... R-p-312111

Personally I find any cloth risks catching the wind. With potentially catastrophic damage to very expensive equipment.
While a suitable hat should be safely be isolated from the telescope.

[Montana]

I use a sheet of blackout material, it is white and ultra cool as almost no heat gets through, or light. I bought it from a haberdashery shop. The neighbours think I am weird anyway

Or I use a black umbrella

Alexandra