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Coronado
Instruments Filters and telescopes for observing the sun's "surface" and prominences in the H-Alpha line of the spectrum Andreas Murner, a well known solar observer and photographer, is part of the Telescope-Service Team. |
Coronado H-Alpha Solar Filters at Telescope-Service.com
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Coronado
Instruments Filters and telescopes for observing the sun's "surface" and prominences in the H-Alpha line of the spectrum Andreas Murner, a well known solar observer and photographer, is part of the Telescope-Service Team. |
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Coronado is a well-known manufacturer of filters and telescopes for solar observing. Their primary focus is H-Alpha - that part of the sun's spectrum which is most active. At the very narrow region around 656nm the sun looks very different from what it does normally. Filaments and prominences can be seen as well as flares and other "surface" structures. Other than most objects we can see through a telescope the sun changes its shape within short periods of time, sometimes even minutes! No other wavelength displays the dynamics of our central star as well as H-Alpha. Warning: It's highly addictive! |
A Few Basics:
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For H-Alpha observations the mere aperture of a telescope is much less important than we are used to with telescopes for nighttime use. The atmospheric seeing of our own planet limits the possible resolution much more than a small aperture does. Instead, the bandwidth of a filter decides how many and which details you will be able to see. H-Alpha filters block the vast majority of the incoming sunlight, permitting only a very narrow bandwidth around the H-Alpha line. The H-Alpha spectral line is at 656.28 nanometers. To make a sufficiently small "window" possible complicated and delicate filters need to be made - a task that even with today's technology is quite difficult. As a result H-Alpha filters cannot be compared with standard neutral density filters - neither regarding the price, nor the experience when looking through them. Filters are made to last a long time. The left image was taken by Andreas Murner using his Solarmax 40 and a normal webcam. |
What Can You See With A Coronado H-Alpha Filter?
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Unlike the image seen with a regular solar filter the sun will not just be a bright disc with a few spots on it. Instead it will be ripe with surface detail invisible in other wavelengths. The image is a fiery red colour. |
Coronado Products
Just click on the images for details.
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Easy Payment: We offer our customers several easy and fast payment methods. You will receive exact payment details when ordering or on request! |
| Coronado Personal Solar Telescope (P.S.T.) Probably the most affordable H-alpha telescope currently available. |
Solarmax 40 H-Alpha Filter The smallest and most affordable of the Solarmax H-Alpha filters. |
Solarmax 60 H-Alpha Filter Coronado's medium sized Solarmax filter for even more detail and brighter images. |
| Solarmax 90 H-Alpha Filter The largest of the regular Solarmax filters. A very powerful filter for near-professional use. |
Coronado Maxscopes Complete H-Alpha telescopes. From 40mm to 90mm aperture. |
Coronado Cemax Eyepieces Eyepieces and a Barlow lens optimized for H-Alpha observations. |
Coronado Personal Solar Telescope - P.S.T.
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P.S.T. (Personal Solar Telescope) - A Dream Given Form Only a few years ago people would had laughed at the mere thought, now it has become reality: A really affordable H-Alpha telescope. The P.S.T. is a full grown H-Alpha telescope with a decent <1.0 Angstrom filter. This allows you to observe the prominences of the sun as well as many of its surface details. So what's the difference between the P.S.T. and the other, more expensive filters? First of all, the bandwidth. More expensive filters have a narrower bandwidth and therefore show more contrast and detail on the sun's surface. Also the P.S.T. has some production tolerances which are kept mainly at bay with the more expensive filters. But, make no mistake, the P.S.T. is still a supremely powerful H-Alpha telescope that will forever change the way you have looked at our sun! Like the Maxscopes the P.S.T. is a complete telescope, you only need a good camera tripod or mount for it. A special feature is the possibility to upgrade the P.S.T. with a second etalon filter for a much narrower bandwidth. To do that the P.S.T. has been made compatible with the standard Solarmax 40. |
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Specifications: . Aperture: 40 mm . Focal Length: 400 mm . Central Wavelength: 656.28 nm (H-alpha) . Bandwidth: <1.0A (usually 0.8 - 0.9A) . 1.25" eyepiece holder . Internal focus mechanism . Integrated solar finder (see left image) . Length: 380mm / Width: 76mm Special Feature: The tube is made to accept a Solarmax 40 filter later on. That way you can get the wavelength down to <0.6 Angstrom. |
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Please send requests or online orders to: sales@telescope-service.com
| The SolarMax 40 is the smallest of Coronado's SolarMax filters. It has a very good value for money. With an aperture of 40mm and a bandwidth <0.7 Angstrom it shows many details in the sun's prominences and on its surface. Recommended Telescope: The Solarmax 40 can be used on any telescope with a sufficiently short focal length. The RFT 805 is particularly suited for this filter. You can use the BF-5 blocking filter, thus keeping costs down. Further Information on the RFT
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Please send requests or online orders to: sales@telescope-service.com
| The Solarmax 60 is a semi-professional medium priced H-alpha filter. It has an aperture of 60mm and a bandwidth <0.7 Angstrom. You can use the filter with a 1.25" 90° blocking filter (BF-5, 10 or 15) or a straight-through 2" blocking filter (BF-30) for longer focal length telescopes. The Solarmax 60 can be adapted for nearly any telescope, no specific focal ratio is required. Just let us know which exact telescope you want to use the filter with and let us know the outside diameter of the dewcap. Both photographically and visually the Solarmax 60 tops its smaller sibling with additional details and brighter images.
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Please send requests or online orders to: sales@telescope-service.com
| The Coronado Solarmax 90 is a professional H-Alpha filter in the higher price range. It has an aperture of 90mm and a bandwidth <0.7 Angstrom. You can use the filter with a 1.25" 90° blocking filter (BF-5, 10 or 15) or a straight-through 2" blocking filter (BF-30) for longer focal length telescopes. The Solarmax 90 is readily adapted for 4" TeleVue Refractors. But it can also be adapted for nearly any telescope, no specific focal ratio is required. Just let us know which exact telescope you want to use the filter with and let us know the outside diameter of the dewcap. Both photographically and visually the Solarmax 90 tops its smaller siblings with additional details and brighter images.
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Please send requests or online orders to: sales@telescope-service.com
| These air-spaced doublet refractors were designed specifically for H-Alpha observations. They have been optimized for the H-Alpha line of the spectrum both in terms of correction and transmission. Most telescopes are corrected for the green part of the spectrum, where the eye is receptive at night. As a result correction in the distant red part of the spectrum suffers somewhat. The Maxscopes were made to eliminate that problem, resulting in a higher image contrast and sharpness. Each Maxscope comes with a fitting Solarmax filter and blocking filter.
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Please send requests or online orders to: sales@telescope-service.com
| H-Alpha optimized eyepieces for optimum contrast. They use a special coating with peak transmission at the H-Alpha wavelength. |
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Please send requests or online orders to: sales@telescope-service.com
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