Mike Harvey
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/01/04
Loc: Orlando, FL.
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ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
#4016748 - 08/31/10 12:44 AM
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Mike Zammit (Starstructure Telescopes) has been experimenting with this filter and the results he's shown on NSN are amazing.
BUT....I'm convinced by home skies are even worse than his!
Tonight ZNL = mag. 2.8 and progressively worse anywhere but directly overhead.
Ex. M-17 barely visible in 100mm binoculars!
I live 2 miles from Universal Studios and Orlando's International Drive (Florida's equivalent to the Las Vegas Strip!) and my skies have progressively deteriorated to the point where I never even bother with anything other than the moon and planets.
I've tried a number of LPR's over the years but none of them proved very useful. Then, again, I hadn't tried one with the Mallincam.
OK - CUT TO THE CHASE!
With the 10" Meade LX200 ACF and Mallincam...withOUT the filter:
M-27, 17, 8 and 20 were all visible with 14" iterations but barely. They were washed out by the skyglow which painted the background red and pretty much overwhelmed the nebulae.
WITH the filter: OMG! I was simply stunned by the difference!
All of the aforementioned were suddenly gorgeous and highly detailed.
The images were 90% of what I expect at our dark site (Chiefland Astronomy Village)!
I attempted to grab some frames but my recorder was acting up. I think I did get a decent M-8 and I'll post it in images.
This particular Sky Glow filter is designed specifically for imaging (and they're not kidding).
While it does show a bit of improvement visually...the affect on the Mallincam is simply amazing.
If you Mallincam from a light-polluted site, one of these filters may be the best $100 you'll ever spend.
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Sky Captain
Metal Whisperer
Reged: 11/07/04
Loc: Loc: Loc:
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: Mike Harvey]
#4016806 - 08/31/10 01:13 AM
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Thanks for the tip and great report Mike. 
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Chris Schroeder
Postmaster
Reged: 12/11/04
Loc: N.E. WI Sky Glow
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: Sky Captain]
#4017180 - 08/31/10 08:06 AM
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Yes Thanks Mike.
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Sky Captain
Metal Whisperer
Reged: 11/07/04
Loc: Loc: Loc:
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: Chris Schroeder]
#4017395 - 08/31/10 10:58 AM
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For those interested here is a direct LINK.
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FrankG
super member
Reged: 07/13/04
Loc: Richmond, Va.
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: Mike Harvey]
#4017428 - 08/31/10 11:24 AM
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Just ordered one, Mike. Thanks!
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: FrankG]
#4017911 - 08/31/10 03:12 PM
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Very nice! I was a bit confused though, this looks like the imaging skyglow filter that they've always sold, I didn't see any mention of this being an updated version of the filter. I have the original Orion imaging sky glow filter, so I was curious about this being described as a Skyglow II imaging filter.
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Mike Harvey
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/01/04
Loc: Orlando, FL.
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: jgraham]
#4018144 - 08/31/10 04:42 PM
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Quote:
Very nice! I was a bit confused though, this looks like the imaging skyglow filter that they've always sold, I didn't see any mention of this being an updated version of the filter. I have the original Orion imaging sky glow filter, so I was curious about this being described as a Skyglow II imaging filter.
Hey John...
Actually, It might be the same. I saw a promo-piece that called it the Skyglow II. That could have been ad-hype or a typo.
For sure it is the "imaging" version, not the "visual".
Mike
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: Mike Harvey]
#4018252 - 08/31/10 05:48 PM
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Ahah! Regardless, this is a really nice filter. Without it color imaging from my back yard was an exercise in frustration.
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scout72
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/12/08
Loc: SF Bay Area
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: jgraham]
#4018604 - 08/31/10 08:46 PM
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There is a Skyglow BROADBAND filter and a Skyglow IMAGING filter.
You want the IMAGING one.
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Snaproll
Postmaster
Reged: 02/20/04
Loc: Green Bay
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: scout72]
#4018980 - 09/01/10 12:17 AM
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I'm curious which would be better, an IDAS (what I use) or this filter from Orion. The only way to really know is to do a side by side comparison. Not easy using a Hyperstar since it is a real pain to change out the filters once the gear is in place. Any feedback or comparisons on these two filters? If you click my link below, the first page is filled with Mallincam images, single screen grabs that I've taken. Any feedback on a filter comparison?
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: Snaproll]
#4019274 - 09/01/10 07:42 AM
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I have and use both the Orion imaging skyglow and Hutech IDAS LPS2 filters. I use the Orion on my color camera and the Hutech on my monochrome camera. Just based on the transmission spectra supplied with the two filters the Hutech looks a little 'better', that is the absorption lines look a bit sharper so the filter may pass a bit more light (which is why I use it on my most sensitive camera) but to be honest I don't see much difference between them.
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: jgraham]
#4019745 - 09/01/10 12:41 PM
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Has the imaging filter been tried in visual use?
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Mike Harvey
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/01/04
Loc: Orlando, FL.
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: square_peg]
#4020286 - 09/01/10 04:36 PM
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Quote:
Has the imaging filter been tried in visual use?
I tried the Orion Imaging filter visually and found that it did very little to improve the view.
With the Mallincam, however, the difference is DRAMATIC!
Mike
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: Mike Harvey]
#4020994 - 09/01/10 10:21 PM
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I use mine quite a bit for visual and I like it. It's not a specialty filter like an O-III/H-beta filter so some objects like nebula don't show as high a contrast, but it does a great job knocking down light pollution while at the same time passing as much light as possible. I much prefer my Orion imaging filter to my Orion broadband or ultrablock filters.
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ensign
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/16/08
Loc: Southwestern Ontario
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: jgraham]
#4021836 - 09/02/10 10:59 AM
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I picked one of these up yesterday based on the results described in this thread. I live under "white zone" skies in Southern Ontario and routinely drag my Mallincam setup out to dark sites.
I managed to check it out briefly last night before the clouds blew in. Preliminary results look really good! Thanks to Mike for the heads up.
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StarStuff1
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/01/07
Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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Re: ORION SkyGlow II Imaging Filter - First Light
[Re: ensign]
#4025099 - 09/03/10 10:07 PM
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Anyone have an IIE and one of these filters? Would love to hear reports, pro or con.
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