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Sunspots using White Filter


patindaytona

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Amazing site!

I made my first solar filter with the Baader Film and viewed the sun today first time in my life.

I realize we are in the middle of sunspot minimum, but can i still expect occasionally to see at least one or two on certain days? I know you can't see a whole lot using just a white light filter for the photosphere. The solar granules...i couldn't see anything but solid white. I used a 3.5" aperture on my 10" dobsonian off axis, but it seemed pretty bright to me. I stopped it down to about 1.5" aperture and it's better. Can you give me some opinions and/or advice. Thanks..

Pat

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With a normal white light filter of Baader I also never saw any granules of the surface. Most scopes are way too big for the vast amount of light of the Sun, although the filter does filter enough it's still very bright. To really see granules, a H-alpha solar telescope is a better fit. You got H-alpha filters for scopes as well but really expensive or the 'cheaper' Coronado PST telescopes. 

To see sunspots, it ain't the best time indeed 😉 hopefully the new solar cycle will be here soon to get something worth viewing :D 

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14 minutes ago, Vancanneyt Sander said:

With a normal white light filter of Baader I also never saw any granules of the surface. Most scopes are way too big for the vast amount of light of the Sun, although the filter does filter enough it's still very bright. To really see granules, a H-alpha solar telescope is a better fit. You got H-alpha filters for scopes as well but really expensive or the 'cheaper' Coronado PST telescopes. 

To see sunspots, it ain't the best time indeed 😉 hopefully the new solar cycle will be here soon to get something worth viewing :D 

Anticipating Mercury transit on Nov.11th. My sister in law teaches 5th grade, and I told her I'd bring my telescope to her class that day to show them.  My mother's side is from Belgium:-)

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3 minutes ago, Vancanneyt Sander said:

Mercury transit is really great to view through a telescope! I witnessed it one time and a rare Venus transit.

The kids at school will sure like it!

I am using a 10" XT10i Orion Dob. I first made the off axis aperture about 3.5", found the sun pretty bright.  I reduced it to about 1.5" only and it's still bright, but not as much as was.

Does having this small of an aperture ok for the sole purpose of reducing the brightness of the sun?

What about the heat being trapped inside the telescope due to covering the open end? Is that of any concern?

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10” is big so If the filter itself is also 10” than the view will be very bright. Reducing it will help. I haven’t build a solar filter for my Orion 12” Dobson because it was too big and more risk of damaging the filter. I had an old 11cm scope which was good enough for the Sun but still no granules. 

But from what I’ve read you should have an extra filter on your ocular which further reduces the light to reveal details. Take a look at https://www.astromarket.org/filters/blocking-filters/15_15_36/m,Baader-Planetarium

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