Baader Moon & Skyglow Filter

I've had this filter in my box for several months and hadn't used it, not being inclined even to attempt deep sky viewing under a bright Moon. Tonight I brought my scope to a public star party I had no hand in scheduling, and with the Moon one night before full decided to give the filter a try.



It made a huge difference on M13 in my 5" Mak: contrast was much better and the cluster stood out much more dramatically at 60x. Without the filter The Great Cluster was a fuzz spot in a grey field; with the filter it began to resolve into stars. Public reaction went from "Is that it?" without the filter to "Wow, that's cool!" with the filter. I was surprised at how effective the filter was, blocking moonglow (and probably some local light pollution at the suburban site) but not attenuating the cluster starlight very much. It doesn't replace a moonless sky, obviously, but the improvement was quite dramatic and much more than I expected.

But what really surprised was how effective the "Moon and Skyglow" filter was on Jupiter. I've used color filters for years but, without doing a careful comparison, feel this filter gives a better contrast improvement on Jupiter in the 5" than the 80A blue filter I've been using for years.

Like all the Baader filters (I also have a color set and their O-III) the Moon & Skyglow is very well made, with durable coatings and flat optics that don't degrade high power views.

Highly recommended!

Click here for more about this subject. -Ed.