A Portable Heliostat Mount

Frankenscope? Let's see it!***be advised that NOTHING in this forum has been safety tested and you are reading and using these posts at your own peril. blah, blah, blah... dont mess around with your eyesight when it comes to solar astronomy. Use appropriate filtration at all times...
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bobh
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A Portable Heliostat Mount

Post by bobh »

My "frankenscope" is a Televue TV-85 with a 4x Powermate and modified 0.05nm Daystar heated T-Scanner mounted on a portable heliostat mount, with a milk crate chair and separate shield to keep my head cool. I'm on my third blocking filter, and have added a PID controller to keep the filter on band.

The mount is polar aligned before adding the scope by using a digital level and compass. There is a fine adjustment mechanism below the diagonal to make final adjustments. The heliostat mirror was the secondary from an old large Coulter Optical Newtonian telescope. Control knobs to manually adjust the mirror are conveniently located near the focusing knobs. A black shield under the eyepiece blocks one eye's view allowing me to keep both eyes open. Everything but the chair fits into a bat-bag and case, which also serves as a foot stool. The two tripod design gives great stability in the wind.
Solar Scope Mesa.jpg
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marktownley
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Re: A Portable Heliostat Mount

Post by marktownley »

Welcome to the forum, that's an interesting setup you have there.


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