Observing the Sun with Coronado Telescopes

Personal Solar Telescope.- MaxScope 90.- Other Coronado Solar Telescopes.- Imaging.- Alternative Products.- Untried Products.- Summary.- The Physics of the Sun.- Coronado Price List.

The Sun provides amateur astronomers with one of the few opportunities for daytime observation. Observing the major features of our nearest star requires the use of special telescopes that have a very narrow visible bandwidth, as narrow as 1 × 10 -10 m (1 Angstrom) and centered on the absorption line of neutral hydrogen. This makes visible many major features of the Sun s chromosphere. Such narrow-band filters were too expensive for amateur use until the introduction of the Coronado range of solar telescopes. The entry-level Coronado telescope, the PST (Personal Solar Telescope) costs under $500. In this book, a team of contributors show just how much solar observation work can be accomplished with Coronado telescopes, and explain how to get the best from these marvellous instruments. The book shows that Solar prominences, filaments, flares, sunspots, plage and active regions are all visible and can be imaged to produce spectacular solar photographs.

From the reviews:

From the reviews:



"Observing the Sun is becoming more and more popular these days ... . there's a whole range of Coronado solar telescopes on offer. This book aims to clarify the differences between them and give you solid advice on what each one can do. ... The chapters are well written and comprehensive. ... this is actually a very useful resource if you're interested in pursuing solar observing or imaging - not just if you have a scope made by Coronado in your garage. ... it's highly recommended." (Pete Lawrence, BBC Sky at Night, April, 2008)

"Philip Pugh's new book, which includes contributions from several expert coauthors, covers more ground than its title suggests - including gear from other manufacturers. ... I think it serves as a valuable reference and a worthwhile review of the current state of the art of daytime amateur astronomy." (Rick Fienberg, Sky and Telescope, July, 2008)

"This book does exactly what it says on the cover and more. It covers the whole gambit of solar observation in both red hydrogen light (hydrogen-alpha) and violet calcium light (CaK) and is profusely illustrated with telescopes, accessories and innumerable solar images. ... The text is upbeat ... . this is an excellent book and essential reading for all interested in this fascinating area of observation - no less in that it occurs at sociable daylight hours!" (Maurice Gavin, Astronomy Now, June, 2008)

"This book provides a wealth of useful information on choosing the right telescope, what accessories work best with those instruments, the use of cameras and CCD detectors, and the post-processing of their images. There are copious illustrations of both the instrumentation and the results ... . I have no hesitation in recommending this book. For potential buyers of such telescopes this book is well worth ... . Philip Pugh and his co-authors are to be congratulated on a very useful guide." (Steve Bell, The Observatory, Vol.128