NexImage 5 Coronado SolarMax II 60

Sun – October 26, 2013

This session was captured using a Coronado SolarMax II 60 hydrogen-alpha solar telescope paired with a NexImage 5 CCD planetary camera on a Celestron NexStar 4SE computerized mount.

Equipment:
Coronado SolarMax II 60 (H-alpha)
NexImage 5 CCD camera
Celestron NexStar 4SE mount
2× Barlow lens
Processing: RegiStax stacking + Photoshop false color

Coronado SolarMax II 60 NexImage 5

The NexImage 5 CCD camera records high-frame-rate video, allowing multiple frames to be stacked in RegiStax. Stacking improves signal-to-noise ratio and enhances fine chromospheric detail, including filaments, plages, and active regions.

After stacking, the image was processed in Photoshop and converted to false color to emphasize structure and contrast. Although H-alpha light is monochromatic, false coloring helps visually separate surface detail and prominence structures.

Telescope Coronado SolarMax II 60, Celestron NexStar 4SE Computerized Mount and NexImage5

This configuration combines the precision tracking of the NexStar 4SE GoTo mount with the high-frame-rate capabilities of a CCD planetary camera. When properly processed, the final image quality depends primarily on the optical performance of the Coronado SolarMax II 60.

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