Re: [APML] H-alpha solar photography nightmare

["Chris & Jennifer Cook" <ccjd@ix.netcom.com>]

Huh?  I must have missed something here.......
Lumicon's H-Alpha filter is not designed for solar observing/imaging.

Chris


==================
Chris Cook
Astronomical Photography
www.abmedia.com/astro


-----Original Message-----
From: Emmanuele Sordini <vega@ulisse.it>
To: astro-photo@seds.org <astro-photo@seds.org>
Date: Sunday, October 06, 2002 4:38 PM
Subject: [APML] H-alpha solar photography nightmare


>Hi everybody,
>here comes a report of my troubles with a Lumicon H-alpha filter (which, by
>the way, has nothing to do with Lumicon going down the tubes). Some days
>ago, I met with a friend of mine in an attempt to use his Lumicon filter
>for observation and photography of solar prominences and the like.
>We used a 102-mm Vixen achromat refractor, for which an adapter was made to
>fit the IR prefilter on the objective lens, which is conceived for a 8"
>SCT. Here are my first use impressions:
>
>1) The Sun looks like a very bright red fireball, too bright for anybody to
>tell such elusive features as prominences. Probably the filter is made for
>photographic use, not visual.
>2) Focusing is, as usual, a pain in the butt, even with my Nikon F3
>equipped with D red-dot focusing screen and DW-4 magnifier.
>3) Needless to say, we didn't notice any prominence whatsoever, even
>adjusting the filter tilt. I saw breathtaking pictures of the solar
>chromosphere but I've actually seen no hint of anything through that
>filter. Perhaps should the bandpass be even narrower?
>
>So here come my questions:
>
>A) Are any structures supposedly visible with an H-alpha filter so
>difficult to find? I have a hunch we should have used a high magnification
>(i.e. 100x at least) and should have carefully scanned all the Sun border
>for something. Am I correct?
>B) Is focusing the same as deep-sky of regular solar photography?
>C) Are there any special tricks that I am not aware of, or is the filter
>out of order (which I strongly doubt)?
>D) What can be seen/shot through those filters?
>D) How does the Lumicon compare with other competing products (Daystar,
>Coronado,...) as to usability and performance?
>
>I apologize for my long post but I am in dire need of answers. Any help
>will be greatly appreciated.
>Thanks in advance and clear skies,
>
>Emmanuele Sordini
>
>
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