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Features of the Sun in Hydrogen Alpha:

 

 
By  observing  the  sun 
with 

narrow 

bandpass  filter  tuned 
to  6562.8Å,  we  can 
observe  the  behavior 
of 

the 

Sun's 

Chromosphere.  The 
chromosphere  is  like  a  shell  of  gas  around  the  Sun's  photosphere, 
always  moving  and  changing.  The  chromosphere's  structure  behaves 
differently in active regions than quiet areas, where magnetic field 
lines  are  stronger.  Thought  to  be  tied  to  the  photosphere,  the 
chromosphere is governed by magnetic forces and, yet it still has its own 
IntraNetwork (IN) of material oscillating every 5 minutes. 
 
On  the  limb,  even  a 
rather wide filter of 1Å 
or more will show 
prominences

detail 

of 

the 

chromosphere 
projected  against  the 
dark  black  contrast  of 
space.  To  observe  the  details  of  chromosphere  on  the  face  of  the  sun, 
we  need  a  narrower  filter  to  eliminate  more  off-band  light  of  the 
photosphere  and  continuum.  We  need  a  filter  less  than  1.0Å.  The 
narrower  the  filter's  bandpass,  the  more  contrast  we  will  see  -  down  to 
0.4Å,  where  prominence  structure  is  reduced  due  to  high  velocity  and 
subsequent wing shift. 
 
Filaments  
appear  as 
large,  dark  eyebrows 
across  the  surface  of 
the Sun. 
With  a  brightness  of 
about 10% of the disk 
due 

to 

scattering, 

they appear 
dark  on  the  surface,  but  on  the  limb,  show  as  a  prominence.  Active 
Region  Filaments  (ARF)  differ from  Quiescent  Region  Filaments  (QRF). 
ARF  are  darker,  smaller  and  have  more  coherent  fibril  structure  along 
their axis. A sheared magnetic field runs parallel to this axis, permitting a 
sizeable flare. QRF may produce a big Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). An 
ARF may erupt and reform several times. 
 

Summary of Contents for SOLAR SCOUT

Page 1: ...f the telescope and insert an eyepiece or camera in the diagonal Turn the tuning knob to point straight away from the LED light When the light turns green in about 5 10 minutes your viewing experience can begin Align the telescope to the Sun by observing the white screen on the rear of the bullet finder Twist the large red focus grip multiple revolutions to achieve sharpest focus For assistance Ca...

Page 2: ...e properly affixed and that no pieces have been opened tampered with or removed Owners must also use caution when the telescope is being assembled and dismantled to assure the telescope is never pointing at the sun without the solar filter unit properly installed Responsible owners will be prudent to inform guest or novice observers of the special nature of the telescope configuration so not to im...

Page 3: ...gin Knob tuning If the image lacks contrast you may need to adjust the center wavelength of the filter A knob is provided to adjust the center wavelength of the filter Turn the knob counter clockwise to lower the wavelength towards the blue by up to 0 5Å Turn clockwise to raise the wavelength towards the red by up to 0 5Å Each click of the knob is 0 1Å Heavy accessories or a loose connection can c...

Page 4: ...ith the addition of optional 1 25 or 2 snouts part SZ12 not included it can be used on other refractors in the F 4 F 9 focal ratio range Note that the Scout 60mm filter unit has a 16mm clear aperture slightly smaller than a standard Quark and therefore offers a slightly smaller field of view on other telescopes than a standard Quark In this application the Quark should usually be placed after the ...

Page 5: ...hey are easily scratched A few specks of dust will have no effect on the quality of the image and may be gently blown off with a squeeze bulb Do NOT use compressed air cans to blow dust off any optical surfaces Small amounts of residual film will not affect visual performance Fingerprints smudges and smears must be cleaned off Preferred cleaning method is to return the telescope to the DayStar Fil...

Page 6: ...eces aren t bad for an experienced observer It should be noted that repeatedly in side by side tests we found Tele Vue brand Plossl eyepieces to offer the highest contrast most even view and widest exit pupil In Solar Observing contrast is achieved by control of scattering Tele Vue Plossls stand out in superior design DayStar uses these same designs Furthermore the adjustable eye cup offers additi...

Page 7: ...seeing conditions even on a clear day DayStar Filters are high power viewing platforms and this high resolution can be susceptible to seeing issues Solar Observers using high powered high resolution telescopes and DayStar filters should heed daytime seeing While many of these conditions are beyond our control observing in an area with ideal conditions without pavement in the direction of viewing a...

Page 8: ...n 4 pixels detect red light The other 3 sensors only detect blue and green because the pixels are actually permanently covered with a colored dye for each corresponding color So a color CCD chip in a DSLR or a CCD camera will only offer 1 4 the sensitivity and 1 2 the resolution of a monochrome chip Another effect present in CCD imaging of monochrome light of Hydrogen Alpha is the interference pat...

Page 9: ...tness range from bright solar flares to faint eruptive or floating prominences quite a distance from the solar limb In order to capture all these features we recommend the use of 12 bit or 16 bit cameras Normal 8 bit cameras can be used but will typically only be able to image either the surface or prominences necessitating multiple bracketed exposures and subsequent recombination in a computer 12...

Page 10: ... contrast of space To observe the details of chromosphere on the face of the sun we need a narrower filter to eliminate more off band light of the photosphere and continuum We need a filter less than 1 0Å The narrower the filter s bandpass the more contrast we will see down to 0 4Å where prominence structure is reduced due to high velocity and subsequent wing shift Filaments appear as large dark e...

Page 11: ... several types of features contained in a close area Field Transition Arches FTA s connect P and F spots elements of opposite polarity Inside an active region where sunspots are originally linked by a FTA a shear boundary forms Field Transition Arches are different from filaments in that they are thin and not very dark The FTA usually has plage or granular structure underneath Plages Most of the a...

Page 12: ...otion Stresses in lines of force build up slowly and are released in flares They occur most frequently at neutral lines where a filament is supported by horizontal sheared field lines This event can only take place along a magnetic inversion line When many lines of force are involved two ribbons of emission appear brightening simultaneously Emerging Flux Regions An area on the Sun where a magnetic...

Page 13: ...oved Yellow LED indication Your filter is adjusting to the wavelength chosen by the knob Wait approximately 5 10 minutes for the temperature to adjust and then light should turn green indicating that the filter has settled to its required temperature and is on band for viewing Yellow never goes green LED indication If after 20 minutes of the same knob position setting the LED has not turned green ...

Page 14: ...rotect eyepiece Optional 2 and SCT accessories available Diagonal recommended to achieve focus Mounting Reversible Vixen style dovetail foot with 20 tripod mounting holes Power USB power 5v 1 5amp female Micro B connector Power is required for proper operation Wall adapter 90 240VAC wall adapter includes US UK Euro and Australian plugs Opt battery Optional 8 hour battery pack available LED indicat...

Page 15: ...y safe recycling Business users should contact their supplier and check the terms and conditions of the purchase contract Household users should contact either the retailer where they for disposal Copyright This manual copyright DayStar Filters 2017 all rights reserved This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rul...

Page 16: ...s warranty at any time while this warranty is in effect warrantor will repair the defect and return it to you without charge for parts service or any cost incurred by the warrantor in connection with the performance of this warranty THE FIVE YEAR WARRANTY SET FORTH ABOVE IS THE SOLE AND ENTIRE WARRANTY PERTAINING TO THE PRODUCT AND IS IN LIEU OF AND EXCLUDES ALL OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY NATURE WHAT...

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