Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017, August 21 - Tellico Plains, Tennessee

"Whenever we want to watch an eclipse of the Sun 

we set out basins filled with oil or pitch, 

because the heavy liquid is not easily disturbed 

and so preserves the images it receives."

-- Seneca (Roman, 1st century AD)

There are some some photos which I did before solar eclipse, just for testing,  Canon 60Da,  Celestron Nexstar 4SE, Coronado SolarMax II 60.

Waiting Total Solar Eclipse 2017 - Celestron Nexstar 4SE Canon 60Da

Cloudy Sun - Celestron Nexstar 4SE Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017

H Alpha Sun - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017

Single Sunspot Astrophotography - Celestron 4SE Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017

Perfect Sun without Sunspots - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017 

Coronado SolarMax II 60 NexImage5

Sun 2013-10-26
Coronado SolarMax II 60,
NexImage 5 ccd,
Nexstar 4SE mount,
Two Barlows 2x each (Total x4),
Registax, Photoshop
Two Colors

NexImage 5, Coronado SolarMax II 60, Nexstar 4SE

Solar prominences - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 40D

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

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.

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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).

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.

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:

• Testing Coronado SolarMax II 60 for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
• Great American Eclipse 2017 – Coronado SolarMax II 60 in Tennessee

Coronado SolarMax II 60 NexImage Registax Panoramic

Creating a full-disk solar panorama is not always straightforward when using a dedicated solar telescope and a CCD camera. With the Coronado SolarMax II 60 and NexImage CCD, the apparent solar disk can be too large to fit into a single frame at native resolution.

Instead of reducing magnification or sacrificing detail, I decided to apply a classical astrophotography solution: build a panoramic mosaic of the Sun.

The idea is simple in principle but requires careful planning in practice:

• Record multiple overlapping solar segments (in this case – three videos).
• Keep identical exposure, gain, and duration settings for each capture.
• Process all videos using the same stacking parameters in RegiStax.
• Export uniformly sharpened frames.
• Merge them using Photoshop → File → Automate → Photomerge.

Consistency is critical. If video duration, histogram levels, or wavelet sharpening differ between segments, the final mosaic will show visible seams. Proper overlap between frames is also essential to allow accurate alignment of solar features such as filaments and prominences.

This workflow is very similar to techniques used in:

• Nightscape panoramas (for example, multi-frame Milky Way images)
• Large-field “Rainbow Milky Way” mosaics
• Deep-sky mosaics when a single frame cannot capture the entire object

Solar mosaics require the same discipline — but with an additional challenge: the Sun evolves quickly. Prominences and surface detail can subtly change during capture, so recording segments efficiently is important.

The final result below demonstrates how three stacked segments were combined into a seamless panoramic solar image.

Coronado SolarMax II 60 NexImage, Registax, Final Panoramic 3 images, Astrophotography

This example shows that even with a compact solar setup, it is possible to produce high-resolution full-disk results by applying classical astrophotography mosaic techniques.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• NexImage 5 + Coronado SolarMax II 60
  High-resolution H-alpha solar imaging using Coronado SolarMax II 60 with NexImage 5 and RegiStax processing.
• Solar Prominences — Coronado SolarMax II 60 + Canon 40D
  H-alpha solar prominences captured with Coronado SolarMax II 60 and DSLR — comparison of imaging approaches.
• Celestron NexStar 4SE + Canon 40D — Live View Solar Astrophotography
  Solar photography using a compact 4-inch SCT setup and DSLR — demonstrating accessible daytime astrophotography.
• Saturn — Celestron NexStar 4SE + NexImage
  Planetary imaging workflow with small telescope and CCD camera — similar stacking and processing technique.
• Milky Way Casting Shadows — Atacama, Chile (Bortle Class 1)
  Example of panoramic astrophotography applied to extreme dark-sky nightscapes.

Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope

This post shows my first view of the Coronado SolarMax II 60 — a dedicated hydrogen-alpha solar telescope designed exclusively for safe daytime observation of the Sun. Here I focus only on the telescope itself, mounting options, and initial setup. Actual solar images and results are shown in separate posts.

Unlike regular telescopes that require external solar filters, the Coronado SolarMax II 60 includes a built-in H-alpha filter system. This allows direct observation of the Sun’s chromosphere, revealing prominences, filaments, and active regions when paired with a stable mount and camera.

For solar observation, a good mount is critical. The Sun moves quickly across the sky, and accurate tracking makes observation and imaging much easier. For my initial setup, I used a simple piggy-back configuration on a Celestron NexStar 4SE mount. This allowed me to take advantage of the GoTo system for easy solar tracking.

Coronado SolarMax II 60

Coronado SolarMax II 60

Below is the piggy-back configuration using a Celestron NexStar 4SE. This simple setup allowed me to quickly align and track the Sun using the GoTo mount. Later, this configuration was further modified and improved — those changes are described in follow-up posts.

Celestron 4SE and piggyback Coronado Solarmax 60

Coronado Solarmax 60 piggy-back

Celestron 4SE, Solarmax 60

Piggy-back Coronado 60 Celestron 4SE

Piggy-Back Mount for Celestron NexStar 4 (Item# BRKTPIG4)

This first setup proved that even a simple piggy-back mount can work well for solar observation. In later posts, I show the actual solar images captured with this setup, as well as further mount refinements.

Related Posts – Coronado SolarMax II 60

• Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope – First Solar Images
• Coronado SolarMax II 60 + NexImage – RegiStax Panoramic Processing
• Solar Prominences – Coronado SolarMax II 60 (Canon 40D)
• NexImage 5 Imaging with Coronado SolarMax II 60
• Coronado SolarMax II 60 + NexImage 5 – Color Comparison