Solar viewing, do you get bored with it quickly?

I have been considering a Solarmax ? and I am curious for those who own a solar scope or have done solar viewing if you get bored in short order since your subject matter is limited to one object, not unlike lunar viewing. I guess the upside for me is that like lunar viewing you actually get to see a great deal of detail. Are you also limited to the 50x/inch general rule that you encounter with a conventional refractor?

I get bored with just a white light filter. But i'm sure one of those fancy $3000 plus filters would keep me dancing for a long time.

One day i will suck up and pay the price, i would enjoy H- Alpha solar much more than deepsky, in my city skies.

Chas

Gary,
I have a Coronado MaxScope 60 (dedicated 60mm H-alpha scope), and also have white light solar filters for my Tele Vue TV85 and Takahashi TOA-130 refractors.

While at first glance it might be easy to compare the sun to the moon--the sun and moon are both just "one object", after all--it's not really a valid comparison. This is largely because features on the sun are in a constant state of change. One could even argue that while features on the moon are fixed, the view of those features can change radically from one day to the next. This is because of the way light and shadow fall upon lunar features.

True, a white light filter limits to a degree what one can see in the sun's photosphere (especially during solar minimums), but there is still variability among sunspots and other features visible with white light setups.

The real action is in H-alpha light. A good H-alpha scope or filter allows one to see the sun's chromosphere, where the view can change from day to day, and even during the same day. One day there may not be much to see, the next day may yield a large prominance on the limb.

Solar viewing is limited by seeing conditions, too, but much of that comes from the fact that one is observing in the daytime when the Earth's surface and atmospheric heating tends to affect seeing the most. I've never tried looking at the sun at up to 50x per inch. It's doubtful that conditions most of the time would permit a steady view (others may have different experience to share here). I find most of the time that low to medium power views of the sun are more than adequate and usually quite pleasing.

Bored? Not a chance.

Ron

I've had a PST for a few months now. I love the scope. I am looking forward to winter (I'm in So. FL). I observe much more often with the PST than my night scope. My observing sessions aren't as long with the PST, sometimes only 10-15 mins. I have the PST set up on a camera tripod. I was going to get a driven EQ 1 or 2 for tracking, but I don't really need it. I'm sure the larger aperture Ha scopes offer better views, but if you are afraid of getting bored, $500 isn't too much to risk. I don't think you'll be disapointed. I wasn't!

I have been waivering back and forth about buying a PST, because like Gary I'm concerned that after a while it will become repetitive. However, the feedback so far has me reconsidering buying one.

How well does the PST work on a hazy day, when the Sun is visible but there is considerable haze and wispy clouds? What I am describing is essentially the day time sky here in the Mid-Atlantic states for the past year. I haven't had my scopes out for night time viewing in months, which is one of the may reasons I've been considering the PST.

Yeah, it does get tiring after a while.

If only the features would remain the same instead of constantly changing, we wouldn't have
to spend so much time mesmerized by it. :S



(info on this and other solar images: http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-ha-08nov02.html )
Cheers (from a sun-lover),

Paul