Solar prominences captured with the Coronado SolarMax II 60 using a Canon 40D DSLR on a Celestron NexStar 4SE computerized mount.
Equipment:
Coronado SolarMax II 60 (H-alpha solar telescope)
Celestron NexStar 4SE mount
Canon EOS 40D
2× Barlow lens
Date: October 20, 2013
Exposure details:
ISO 200 · 1/6 second
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| Solar prominences - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 40D |
This image shows solar prominences only. The inner disk of the Sun is intentionally blocked (black area) so the exposure can be optimized for the faint outer prominences extending beyond the solar limb.
Compared to my earlier images taken with a NexImage planetary camera, this session used a DSLR mainly to compare imaging approaches rather than image quality itself. CCD planetary cameras and DSLR cameras each have their own advantages and limitations.
Planetary CCD cameras allow very fast frame rates and are less sensitive to mount stability, but require more time-consuming video stacking and post-processing. DSLR cameras capture single high-resolution frames, which makes post-processing much simpler, but they require a more stable mount and precise tracking.
When both imaging methods are used correctly, the final image quality depends primarily on the optical performance of the Coronado SolarMax II 60, not on the camera itself.
To simplify the setup, I switched from a piggy-back configuration to a direct mounting solution by using the Coronado Dovetail Mounting Plate for PST and SolarMax (Item #MEAD414-1).
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| Coronado Dovetail Mounting Plate for PST and SolarMax Item# MEAD414-1 and Coronado SolarMax II 60 |
With this mounting plate, the Coronado SolarMax II 60 can be attached directly to the GoTo mount, greatly simplifying alignment and tracking.
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| Coronado SolarMax II 60 and Celestron 4SE Computerized Mount |
This configuration made it possible to use even a heavier camera like the Canon 40D while maintaining accurate solar tracking.
In later posts, I show additional solar images captured with this setup and further refinements to the mounting and imaging process.
Related Posts – Coronado SolarMax II 60
- Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope - First View
- Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope – First Solar Images
- Coronado SolarMax II 60 + NexImage – RegiStax Panoramic Processing
- NexImage 5 Imaging with Coronado SolarMax II 60
- Coronado SolarMax II 60 + NexImage 5 – Color Comparison
Coronado SolarMax II 60 during the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse:
