Posts Made By: Paul Hyndman

Great capture Johannes!

I especially like the detail showing fibril tendrils extending into the umbaral regions... ya' know you've got good seeing *and* the focus nailed, when you can see those puppies!

Paul

Ahhh Grasshopper, there are many paths that lead to solar Nirvana! Here's one that blew my socks off (with my apologies to John and Simon for yet another reference to their 2003 Stellafane setup):

http://www.astro-nut.com/st3p974.html

A few basic observations of mine, re solar H-a... maybe right maybe wrong:

(assuming decent seeing conditions)

Larger apertures yield improved resolution and brightness... no secret there!

Tighter bandpass (ie:"stacking") produces higher contrast of surface features and tends to "tighten" proms... again, no secret!

Binoviewers are a MUST!!! A good binoviewer and optimized EPs are like magic when viewing solar H-a (unfortunately, one of the best kept secrets!)

How much resolution, contrast, and "magic" will be needed to transport you to solar Nirvana is up to you... but once drawn by the flame, there is no turning back (ouch, ouch, ouch!)

Paul

PS: (a Lonnng PS)

Things that you can do immediately to improve your views include shading yourself and the EP from ambient light (hood, etc), choosing simpler designed EPs such as Plossls with fewer internal reflections and greater contrast (I love the CEMAX... bought two sets of 'em!), viewing when the local conditions are most stable (and over areas that generate fewer thermal rises/disturbances)... and don't forget the binoviewer!

PPS: And don't forget the Chapstick© for when your lips pucker up under the sunlight when you go "Ooooooooo!"

Hi All,

One more from Stellafane... I'll post more as time permits.




Paul

But a camera tripod will work just fine!

Paul

I believe the PST ERF is actually a coating on the objective.

The etalon is an interference type filter which, by design, passes the target frequency and its harmonics.

The Blocking Filter is a wideband H-a filter used to block the harmonics, allowing only the centerband to pass. Without it, the view would consist of multiple images (at various frequencies) and would be much brighter (its transmissivity is factored into the overall mix).

All told, the PST is quite an engineering marvel... not a bad deal for under 500 smackers, eh Hal?

Paul

--- http://www.astro-nut.com ---

Great shot Paul... and captured faculae no less!!!

Thanks for sharing with us cloud-bound solar geeks... keep 'em coming!

Cheers,

Paul

I absolutely LOVE using a Traveler with my Coronado H-a system... and I can actually reach the T-max to fine tune things (hallelujah, amen!)

The dewshield situation also vexed me, but with the help of a fellow club member was solved. The solution is elegantly simple, does not damage or alter the equipment, and best of all, works great and unobtrusively.

Here's a page I prepared showing our solution to assure a close-fitting, no-snag connection with the extendable dewshield:

Cheers,

Paul

David's vision opened new astronomical realms for many.

I no longer see distant stars as mere pinpoints of light, but fiery nuclear infernos with the ever-changing activity I've seen from our sun.

Thank you David, for opening a part of the cosmos to share with us.

With sincere condolences,

Paul Hyndman

Superb image, Maurizio!

I'm still in awe with those fantastic Jupiter images you shared with us during your Stellafane talk several years ago.

It's great to see more of your work!

Cheers,

Paul

I'm impressed, Markus!

Any chance of you bringing those puppies along to NEAF next month? (please? )



Certainly beats my H-a binos:



Cheers,

Paul