9 replies to this topic

[starcruiser]

I’m becoming intrigued by HA but all the pics I see here are all stacked and highly processed. They’re not what a person would normally see at the eyepiece. Years ago, I looked thru a PST being demoed outside and I barely saw anything other than a red disk. I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt that it was a bad day and other factors. So… on a decent day what does the view really look like thru say a Lunt 50 single stack (for example)?. 

[Scuba2do]

I will have to say the time behind the eyepiece is more valuable than the shots I have posted.  I get splendid views of surface and corona on my Heliostar.  I don’t think a not processed shot will be equivalent to what you see sitting on the stool looking thru Baader zoom .   I am sure others will chime in.

 

 

Tony

Edited by Scuba2do, 23 June 2025 - 06:34 PM.

[BYoesle]

Commercial etalons can vary in their quality, but I put this together to show what a relatively good etalon system of very modest aperture will show.

 

Single stacked on the left, double stacked on the right:

 

Click for larger.

[Foc]

Your eye will deal with the brightness differences of faint and bright features far better than a camera but as with other types of imaging the sun will look much larger though less vital on a screen image.

Without excusing any excesses (including my own!) in processing, a camera image of the sun unless tarted up a bit, will not capture or even suggest the glowing impact of a typical eyepiece live view.

Edited by Foc, 23 June 2025 - 10:35 PM.

[TOMDEY]

I agree with you regarding over processing. The most common telltale is when the image looks like a plate of spaghetti, with virtually all of the "structure" is at the exact same spatial frequency, which is actually just ~punch through~ of the sharpening kernel. In that sense, the image is 10% on the sun and 90% processing artefact. Admittedly, it can look quite dramatic... but time to back off.    Tom

[starcruiser]

Commercial etalons can vary in their quality, but I put this together to show what a relatively good etalon system of very modest aperture will show.

 

Single stacked on the left, double stacked on the right:

 

Single vs Double stack Ha sim 2.jpg

Click for larger.

Wow.. Thank you!

[bigdob24]

Here is an image that my friend Ken took through my scope. When he processed the image he was done a several minutes total. He says he likes to use minimal processing and besides the color it’s an excellent depiction of what I see through my scope. Better seeing and higher magnification shows more to the eye. Imagine a great day where you can crank the magnification up to around 200X and the FOV only shows about 1/3 of the disk and all that detail and resolution , that’s a good day for me.
It’s kinda the same story , aperture rules. PST, 40mm, 50mm 60mm 80mm,100mm on up, each little increase in aperture brings a bit more detail and resolution to your eye. Visually you learn to observe thru the seeing and turbulence just like the processing choses the best frames out of however many images and then the  operator does whatever to make the image pleasing to his taste.

You have to learn to observe and see detail. Nothing over done there , just pure detail.  Not unlike night time observing your eyes need to adjust to the image in the binos

Only then will you start to see detail no matter what size scope.Magnification is determined by the conditions. Learn to observe thru what ever you have and adjust.

Binos make observing so much more comfortable .

I don’t like to look at over processed and out of tune images either, just like observing it’s a learning process.

 

Attached Thumbnails

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[melix]

Here you have a couple captures I did this morning, these are unprocessed images (only geometry correction applied), using MLAstro's SHG700 and using JSol'Ex :

 

 

You didn't ask for it but here's Ca II (K):

 

 

Contrast of SHGs is unbeatable.

Edited by melix, 24 June 2025 - 03:22 AM.

[BYoesle]

 

They’re not what a person would normally see at the eyepiece... So… on a decent day what does the view really look like thru say a Lunt 50 single stack (for example)?.

Hi Melix,

 

The OP wanted a pic of the visual appearance through something like a 50 mm telescope, and unless I've missed something, you can't see anything like what you posted with a SHG... especially the CaK, which few people can see very well visually with any telescope to begin with.

Edited by BYoesle, 24 June 2025 - 06:01 AM.

[rigel123]

Bob's image is a pretty good representation although it is an image, so things like the proms on the limb are always sharper visually than in any image I've ever seen.  Also, I feel that the plage areas are brighter visually than typically what is depicted in the image.  Really, there is no comparison to visual, once you have practiced and have protection for stray light like a hood or good eye cups.