Daystar Quark Chromosphere Hydrogen Alpha Solar Filter

Focus point on Sky Watcher Equinox 100mm+Tele Vue 75mm extension tube for ZWO ASI174MM camera with Daystar Quark hydrogen and calcium-H filters

Posted 20/09/2020 by Andrew Thornett

Focus point on Sky Watcher Equinox 100mm+Tele Vue 75mm extension tube:

= 74mm Quark H+Daystar interference elminator+QHY ASI174MM.
= 44mm Quark CaH+Daystar interference elminator+QHY ASI174MM.

Adding tilt adapter to my Daystar hydrogen Quark filter

Posted 12/09/2020 by Andrew Thornett

Today I installed a Rowan Tile Adapter on my Hydrogen Quark.

I now need to find out whether I can still get focus on my ZWO ASI174MM camera with this tilt adapter in place. As long I can do that, hopefully it will enable me to get rid of Newtonian Rings.

Andy

Photographs of solar surface 24-25/6/2020 at different settings on dial of Daystar Hydrogen Quark Filter

Posted 28/06/2020 by Andrew Thornett

I took following photos through my Daystar Hydrogen Quark filter, with different settings on the dial on the filter. This dial varies from -5 to +5, and I wanted to see whether photos were better with one or other setting – those settings vary the tuning of the filter.

Sky Watcher Equinox 100m OTA
Daystar hydrogen alpha filter

After this analysis, I am still not sure which setting is best! However, visually, and also Damian’s previous assessment, was that setting -5 was most effective for my Quark H filter.

it is worth saying that these photos were taken before I sorted out the flat frames on FireCapture, and the alternate dark and light banding in the photos shows (Newton’s Rings).

Andy

+5 setting:

+3 setting:

-3 setting:

-5 setting:

Solar observing with Sky Watcher ED Pro 80mm OTA and Daystar Quark Hydrogen Alpha filter on Manfrotto 116 Mark 3 video tripod

Posted 04/11/2019 by Andrew Thornett

When I have used my Daystar Quark Hydrogen filter in the past, I have attached it to my Sky Watcher Equinox Pro 80mm OTA. However, I am now using that scope for my astrophotography setup and it is useful not to take the camera on and off the scope between sessions (for exampme keeping the camera attached to the acope wothout changing orientation between sessions allows flat frames to be used again and again a long as camera cooled to same temperature each time used and also makes for much faster setup times each time I want to do astrophotography).

Therefore, I have changed to using my Sky Watcher ED Pro 80mm OTA for solar and casual observing and keep it in my portable telescope kit.

Today was my first opportunity to check that the Quark came to focus on this scope…..It does – but only just! And that is with 1.25 inch diagonal not with 2 inch diagonal.

Photos below show the scope and Quark in action today and the focus position.

Andy

Solar Flare Lichfield 20/4/2019 @ 11:15

Posted 20/04/2019 by Andrew Thornett

DayStar Hydrogen Alpha filter, Sky Watcher Equinox Pro 80mm Telescope, Samsung S7 phone. Single exposure, phone hand-held under black cloth over myself, phone and telescope – sadly not quite as impressive as Roger’s photos of the same flare today!

Andy

Solar Observing and Evening Treats!

Posted 25/06/2018 by Damian

Sunday 24th June, a chance to get out and do some solar observing – can’t leave it all to Nick and Roger after all !

I double checked my usual sites to see what was happening on the sun, they suggested enough to warrant pulling all the gear out.

http://halpha.nso.edu (GONG)

http://www.spaceweather.com

https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov

Credit: SOHO (NASA/ESA)

Credit: SDO/HMI

Invited the big ‘A’ to join me, he duly did after 2.15 as we set up the gear.

Forecast on ‘Clear Outside’ app was correct, indicating 90+% high cloud cover…

This did have a detrimental effect on the observing to some degree, especially in my longer focal length scope, but you have to take the opportunities when they present themselves!

We both took the chance to do some sketching and it was good to see that Andy’s Calcium Quark actually worked – an “enhance white light” view, being my description.

We were more than pleased with our day as Andy packed up after 5, me not long after…

But the day wasn’t finished…

Looked out my North facing front office window to be greeted with a Solar Pillar – about 9.30pm.

Took a quick snap with the iPhone, then rang Andy. He seemed a bit perplexed at first for my call and a ‘Light Pillar’, but I urged him to go outside, then put the phone down pretty abruptly and went to grab a ‘proper’ camera.

iPhone image 9.34pm:

And again at 10.07pm

Even later into the evening, I spotted roughly in the same position what I thought could be noctilucent clouds… never seen them before.

Having left my tripod at work, I quickly grabbed the GorillaPod and took a 3 sec exposure – ‘NCL’ confirmed !

Texted Andy… no reply…

Those images will appear in a new thread!

Damian

Andy’s drawings from solar observing today

Posted 24/06/2018 by Andrew Thornett

I joined Damian in his garden in Streethay to observe the solar disc today. Interesting to compare my very amateurish drawings with Roger’s amazing photos in his post from his session with the sun today! Still, it was great fun.

I think that Damian intends to add in his own post soon – his drawings were amazing…..the artist at work puts me in the shade!

Both Damian and I have Daystar Hydrogen Alpha filters for observing the sun and I also have a Daystar Calcium-H filter. The latter performed really well today showing up substantial white haloes around the sunspots and also in the area of the filament in Roger’s photo. I have tried to capture these white areas in my drawing of the Calcium-H view. That filter does not show the prominences – the H-Alpha filter is required for that.

The drawings below were all drawn at my telescope:

Sky Watcher Equinox Pro 80mm on Manfrotto mount
Daystar Hydrogen Alpha and Calcium-H filters
Televue Plossl 32mm eyepiece
Baader 8-28mm zoom eyepiece

Andy

A Day’s Observing from Streethay 19/5/2018 – The Royal Wedding…

Posted 20/05/2018 by Damian

The ‘big day‘… and the weather couldn’t have been better… sunny for most of the day plus into the evening forecast (although there appeared to be a layer of high cloud).

There was great excitement in the Briden household to see what our guest would appear in… would it be a one or two piece, perhaps sandals… or a hat.. or come completely ill-prepared…

Look who came around to play, after arriving in her (motorised) carriage !

Yes, well ‘Meghan‘ is a bit shy after all… and these solar hoods/veils can be a right pain to get into!

And a pic of ‘her’ using her own scope and trying a different… veil…

Our solar panels had a cracking day also – generating over 24kWh.

To get into the spirit of things Julie appeared with flags…

What a fine specimen of a man is our ‘Harry‘… It was a first chance for him to use his updated home-made sun shield – now faced with white card to reflect some heat and so stop the main cardboard construction warping (the other face is covered with DC-fix black self adhesive felt – the same stuff that ‘Harry’ had lined his 10″ OO Dob some years ago…)

Although the seeing was not so good today, one has to make do when the opportunity arises… besides it didn’t spoil the generally good feel of the day… we even managed a celebratory glass of Pimms No.1 no less – I say, can’t get more British than that!

Following two images are taken hand held, iPhone6 to a 32mm TV Plossl, (Takahashi TSA102s, Daystar Quark Chromosphere, 2″ Baader UV/IR blocking filter inserted before the diagonal), running at 107x

…showing a fantastic set of ‘Newton’s (wedding) Rings‘ there!

This prominence can be seen on the GONG images at the 8 o’clock position…

Time: 2.16pm

..and later at 4.44pm

My sketches of the evolving prominences throughout the ‘big’ day…

After a great day, we retired for dinner, then set up again with changed attire…. ready for the…. ‘evening event‘!

What a beauty, hey! Just checking how he looks on the ole social media! Here featured in a RAG jacket, matching trousers and footwear by….

Lunar shot taken at 9.50pm, iPhone 6 hand held to the 21mm TV Ethos (TEC 140-ED APO refractor)

..and another slightly later at 10.05pm (not so zoomed in) – those damn paparazzi, hey….

Had a chance to do some drawing…. managed quick sketches of both the Western and Eastern (Bridal) Veil portions. Seeing and transparencey was not good and my intended target, Jupiter, was just not great tonight to bother with…

Managed to just pick out the Crescent Nebula in Cygnus (only via my 2″ Lumicon OIII and UHC filters), but I’ve seen it through the same scope much clearer on a previous occasion.

Most tricky observation came early on in the evening after following Andy… sorry ‘Meghan’ to M81/M82… came across ‘Coddington Nebula’ in the same vicinity – IC2574, a spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, running at Mag 10.4. Took averted vision, patience and the superb Sky Safari Pro 5 charts (able to reverse the chart as well which really helps to double check everything). Discovered by Edwin Coddington in 1898 and classified first as a ‘nebula’.

Best observation was the ISS flypast just after half 12. Was able to use the laser pointer attached to the Nova Hitch mount to track it sufficiently well for brief periods to see the Space Station as clear as day through the eyepiece as it whizzed passed the ‘adoring throngs‘!