.JeffPo's Filters Page
Last update: 09/02/19
Sometimes you need more than just the telescope and an eyepiece. If you want to observe the sun for example, you'll need a way to cut the light way down to avoid damaging your eyes. Even the moon can be too bright at times. While it won't damage your eyes, it can be uncomfortably bright which might make it hard to see details. Below you'll see the various filters I use with my telescopes and eyepieces.
Moon Filter
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This is an Orion moon filter. It's basically a neutral density filter to cut down on the brightness and glare of the moon, so you can more comfortably observe it. Have you ever walked from the sunshine into a dark room, and couldn't see thing? That can happen sometimes when you observe the moon. The moon has a ton of details. Don't just look at the craters, look at the edges and central peak. Look at the nooks and crannies. Using a moon filter to cut down on the brightness can really help you see these details.
Color Filters
Here you see my Orion color filters. Color filters are mainly used for observing the planets. I have learned over the years that planetary viewing takes skill if you want to see the more subtle details. You gain this skill by putting in your time at the eyepiece, and being patient. Sure, you can glance at Jupiter and see the two main cloud belts. But if you really put in the effort, you'll see more cloud bands, festoons, detail around the Great Red Spot, etc. The same applies to Mars. A quick glance shows an orange disk, and maybe a polar cap. But there are dark albedo features to be seen. The use of color filters can help see these details by improving contrast between the objects. The use of an orange or red filter on Mars can really bring out the albedo features.
Nebula Filters
This is an Ultra High Contrast filter for nebulas. It's a narrowband filter that only allows certain wavelengths of light through. It's great for blocking light pollution. There are some nebulas, such as the Rosette Nebula, that can hardly been seen if you have to deal with light pollution. This filter helps to cut through that muck so that you can see the nebula, and see more detail inside the nebula.
Solar Filters
This is a glass solar filter from Thousand Oaks Optical. It's made to fit my Vixen 80mm refractor. The sun can damage your eyes in an instant if you don't filter the light. Solar filters cut the light by 99.999%. Solar filters allow you to safely observe the sun, seeing such features as sunspots and granulation of the surface. I used this filter to take images of the Aug. 21, 2017 total solar eclipse.
This a homemade solar filter that I made for my Vixen 80mm refractor (before I bought the glass filter). I've use it for many years. I used it to take images of the Venus transit of June 5, 2012. The solar film is from Baader. Do note that this film is a genuine and safe solar filter material, and is NOT the stuff mylar balloons are made of. It has served me well and I might still use it on my Orion Shorttube 80mm refractor.
These are some homemade binocular solar filters, using Thousand Oaks black polymer film. I made them for my binoculars to use during the solar eclipse. While they worked just fine, I actually found that I didn't use them that much. I much preferred either a non magnified view of the partially eclipsed sun, or the view through the telescope because I could see the sunspots better.
This a homemade solar filter that I call a "Solar Window". It's made from Thousand Oaks black polymer film, and about the size of a sheet of paper. The viewing window is about 2" x 6". I got this idea from something similar I made back in the early 1990s using #14 welder's glass. Very easy to use. You just hold it up and look through the window at the sun. It's works great because the relatively large board surrounding the window helps block out the glare of the sun. When used it at the Aug. 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, it was the hit of the party for those around me. Everyone loved using it, and even used it to take pictures with.
This is a part of eclipse glasses or eclipse shades. It's probably the cheapest alternative to viewing the sun, only costing a few dollars. They're made out of cardboard, with solar filter material for the lenses. I have several pairs of them and handed them out to folks. They are very common and you'll see most casual observers at eclipses with them. While they are safe to use, and allow you to view the sun, I don't particularly like them. The main problem is that the glare of the sun is still all over your face, so it causes you to squint from the brightness, thus making it harder to view the sun in detail. While they are better than nothing, my Solar Window is a much better solution because it puts your whole face in shadow, thus no squinting. One of the reasons I had so many visitors at my site for the Aug. 21, 2017 total solar eclipse was because my Solar Window gave a better view than the solar shades most folks had.