Lunt Solar Systems LS100THa/DSII User manual

LS100THa/DSII Manual
Congratulations and thank you on your purchase of a Lunt Solar Systems DSII Module! The Lunt Solar Systems are a new
generation of solar viewing instruments utilizing the most current technologies to provide the highest uality contrast and
resolution in their class.
If you are new to solar observing you may want to access our web page or Lunt Solar on Yahoo Groups to get information
from more experienced users as to the subtleties of improved performance for each type of instrument.
Warning
There are inherent dangers when looking at the Sun thru any instrument. Lunt Solar Systems has taken your
safety very seriously in the design of our systems. With safety being the highest priority we ask that you read
and understand the operation of your telescope or filter system prior to use. NEVER attempt to disassemble
the system. Do NOT use your system if it is in someway compromised due to mishandling or damage. Please
contact the factory with ANY uestions or concerns regarding the safe use of your instrument.
Never look at the Sun with your naked eye or with a telescope that is not specifically designed to do so.
Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.
Check that all filters are installed correctly and are free of any surface contamination that may compromise
performance and/or potentially damage the surface of the optic when exposed to the Sun. i.e.:
fingerprints. Perform a routine safety check before each viewing session.
Never leave the solar telescope unsupervised while pointed at the Sun. People who are not familiar with the
correct operating procedures of the system may inadvertently replace the diagonal or remove the filter itself not
being aware of the integrated safety features of each.
The Lunt Solar filter/telescopes are NOT interchangeable with competitor products.
Always be aware that you are viewing in direct sunlight. Take necessary precautions to protect yourself from
sunburn and heat exposure.
Handling
A Lunt Solar Systems solar filter or telescope houses many optical elements that are all pre-aligned and fixed at the
factory. There are no user serviceable parts inside the scope. The telescope or filter should NEVER be taken apart. This
will not only void your warranty leading to costly repairs, it can only serve to further damage the instrument and
compromise its safety.
Most Lunt Solar Systems filters and telescopes house a delicate optical element referred to as an Etalon. These etalons
are suspended in the filter housing in an effort to both protect it and isolate it from outside influences, which could de-tune
the etalon filter. Extensive research has been done to assure the best performance of what is essentially the "heart" of the
system while protecting it from the day-to-day bumps, jarring, and vibrations of normal use.
However, the instrument should NEVER be subjected to shock due to being dropped. Mis-handling of the filters system will
cause the etalon to de-contact (not covered under warranty) and will render the instrument useless until repaired.
The instrument should be stored in its original packaging. As with any precision optical instrument it should be kept in as
low a humidity area as possible.
With proper handling and care the filter should last a lifetime.
Cleaning
As with most telescopes and e uipment there will be a buildup of dust and debris on the lens and mechanical components
after sitting out all day.
For those who are familiar with cleaning telescopes we recommend you use the same techni ues.
For those who are new to the care of these instruments we can offer the following guidelines.
Blow off loose dust and dirt using a clean dry air source at low volume. Do NOT use shop compressed air, which
contains oil and will further contaminate the instrument.
Stubborn particulates can be brushed from the surface with a static free lens brush. Use gentle sweeping motions.
Fingerprints and smudges can be removed using lens tissue or a Kleenex type tissue product. Fold the tissue or
cloth to make a "pad", apply a cleaning product to the end of the pad dampening it evenly (do not apply solution to
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the lens), wipe in circular motion starting at the center and working around the edge and off in one complete
motion. Be firm, but do NOT rub. Blow lightly to help remove residual solution before it "spots" the surface.
Residual dust from the cloth can be blown off.
Consult your local dealer or call Lunt Solar Systems with any uestions or concerns.
Do NOT use Acetone or strong degreaser type products, household cleaning agents, paper towels, tissues with
added scent or color (plain tissues only), or bleach or acidic products which will damage the anodized surfaces.
What am I looking at?
The Sun is active on a daily basis. During solar maximum the Sun will put on awe inspiring displays that include x-class
flares, prominences, surface filaments, etc…
Here is a brief overview of those terms, which will help the observer explain what they have seen.
Prominences: These look like eruptions from the disk (edge) of the Sun. Prominences can be small spiky
looking details, or large cloud like detail with fine feather like internal features. They are, in fact, Ionized
hydrogen emissions being projected from the limb. Prominences are anchored to the Sun's surface in the
mesosphere, and extend outwards into the Sun's troposphere.
Filaments: These are string like features on the surface of the Sun. At high resolution they take on a 3D effect
due to the cooler aspect of the filament contrasted against the bright, hotter, Sun. They are actually
prominences being viewed against the surface.
Spicules: A spicule is a dynamic jet of about 500km diameter on the Sun. It moves upwards at about 20 km/s
from the photosphere. Father Angelo Secchi of the Vatican Observatory in Rome discovered them in 1877. The
chromosphere is entirely composed of spicules. These features can be seen as "fur" around the edge of the
disk.
Plage: This is a bright region in the chromosphere of the Sun, typically found in regions of the chromosphere
near sunspots. The plage regions map closely to the faculae in the photosphere below, but the latter have
much smaller spatial scales. Accordingly plage occurs most visibly near a sunspot region. Faculae have a
strong influence on the solar constant, and the more readily detectable because chromospheric plage areas
traditionally are used to monitor this influence. In this context "active network" consists of plage-like brightening
extending away from active regions, as their magnetism appears to diffuse into the uiet Sun, but constrained
to follow the network boundaries.
Solar Flares: A solar flare is a violent explosion in the Sun's atmosphere. Solar flares take place in the solar
corona and chromospheres, heating plasma to tens of millions of Kelvin and accelerating electron, protons,
and heavier ions to near the speed of light. They produce electromagnetic radiation across the electromagnetic
spectrum at all wavelengths from long-wave radio to the shortest wavelength gamma rays. Most flares occur in
active regions around sunspots, where intense magnetic fields emerge from the Sun's surface into the corona.
Flares are powered by the sudden (timescales of minutes to tens of minutes) release of magnetic energy
stored in the corona.
Chromosphere: The chromosphere is a thin layer of the Sun's atmosphere just above the photosphere, roughly
10,000 kilometers deep (approximating to, if a little less than, the diameter of the Earth). The chromosphere is
more visually transparent than the photosphere. The name comes from the fact that it has a reddish color, as
the visual spectrum of the chromosphere is dominated by the deep red H-alpha spectral line of hydrogen.
A few more definition
 Hydrogen-alpha: The wavelength of light in the spectrum that these scopes allow you to look at. Centered at
656.28nm.
 Bandpass: The width of light at a given wavelength that is allowed to pass. The LS60THa is <0.8 Angstroms.
As bandpass is reduced more surface detail of the Sun can be resolved. This can be accomplished thru
double-stacking.
Angstrom: The unit of measurement for light. 1 Angstrom = 0.1nm.
Etalon: A resonating cavity produced thru the fabrication of highly precise optical surfaces.
Lunt Solar Systems * 2520 N. Coyote Dr. #111 Tucson, AZ 857 5 * (520) 3 -73 8
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Overview of the DSII Hydrogen-alpha Pre ure Tuned Module
The LS100T/DSII is an upgrade to the standard LS100T Solar Telescope. The DSII contains a specially designed re-
collimating and refocus lens set that will only work in the LS100T. The DSII contains a precisely tuned narrowband
interference filter in a sealed cavity. This filter will reduce the band pass of the LS100T to approx. 0.5 Angstroms. The DSII
utilizes our advanced pressure tune technology, allowing for easy tuning of the finest details.
The LS100T/DSII module is designed to provide enhanced surface detail, allowing for higher contrast views of the filaments
and active regions. Some dimming of the prominence (edge) details will be noted due to the narrowing of the band pass
and the dimming of these features.
What i delivered with the y tem?
A DSII pressure tuneable module.
6 aluminum thumbscrews for easy installation and removal.
Shipping box with die cut foam insert.
A warranty card. Please fill out and return to activate your warranty.
Instruction manual.
What acce orie are recommended?
Eyepieces. Simple eyepieces with narrow field of view are recommended. (25mm thru 8mm)
A second focuser for the DSII if the user intends to view in single and double stack mode often.
Sun block, a Lunt Solar hat, and a nice comfortable light colored chair.
Warning:
The DSII can only be used as a secondary filter system for the LS100THa/PT scope. The DSII contains NO filtering of the
IR or UV wavelengths, and relies on the safety features of the main LS100THa/PT to do this task.
NEVER attempt to u e the DSII in any other tele cope .
Okay let' get tarted...
Safety Fir t!
· Alway check any tele cope or filter before u e. Do not u e any tele cope or filter that appear to be
damaged. Verify that all gla and filter are in place. Contact Lunt Solar with any que tion before u e!
· The Blocking Filter diagonal mu t ALWAYS be u ed with the Lunt Tele cope or Filter. Lunt Filter and
Blocking Filter are NOT interchangeable with product from other vendor .
So you have your LS100THa/PT setup on a tripod or mount. Let's take a look!
Place a 21mm eyepiece in the focus end so you have the largest field of view to look at.
Pull the diagonal slide tube out about 25mm.
Put the focus tube at about 50% of travel.
Align the Sol Searcher.
If you do not have a Sol Searcher you can use the shadow cast by the Sun on the front objective cell against
the clamshell. Center one on the other and you should be close.
Look thru the eyepiece. Do you see a fuzzy red ball? If not, make sure you have removed the dust cap from
the front. Try to re-align the Sol Searcher and look again. After some trial and error the Sun should appear in
the eyepiece. Once the Sun is centered now is a good time to adjust that Sol Searcher.
Focus: I am amazed how many people walk up to a solar telescope and take a uick look thru without ever
focusing. Course focus is achieved by moving the diagonal drawtube in and out. Medium focus is achieved
using the larger silver knobs on either side of the focuser assembly. Fine focus is achieved with the 10:1
reduction (smaller black knob). The fine focus is often too fine for visual use, but comes in very handy if you
are imaging. Focus so that the edge of the Sun is as sharp as possible.
Tuning: On the side of the scope is a large black cylinder. This cylinder is the tuning system for the
LS100THaPT. We will explain how it works later, but for now we will simply describe how to bring 656.28nm
wavelength on band. The black handle of the cylinder system has a 4 start thread attaching it to the brass
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cylinder body. Unscrew the black handle completely from the brass body. Simply removing the black handle
from the brass cylinder resets the system. No other disassembly is re uired. There may be some resistance
and a faint pop as the air enters the cylinder. This is normal. This has reset the system for your altitude.
Carefully re-thread the handle onto the body and engage the threads about one turn. While looking thru the
eyepiece gently turn the black handle onto the cylinder body. There will be little resistance at first, but as the
pressure in the cylinder builds the resistance will increase slightly. As you turn the cylinder you should see
features come into view thru the eyepiece. Continued turning will result in the wavelength shifting thru
656.28nm and detail will begin to disappear. Fine-tune the cylinder for the best view.
A few details regarding the pressure tune system. The amount of pressure being supplied to the etalon cavity is
minimal. It is the e uivalent of going from -500ft below sea level to about 10,000ft. Or a few PSI. There is NO
risk of explosion. We are dealing with only a fraction of 1 atmosphere. When not in use we recommend that
you release the pressure by simply backing off the black handle from the cylinder body. If the system unthreads
completely, simply thread it back on 1 turn. It may not necessary to re-set the system every time it is used. Re-
setting may only be re uired if the system has been sitting for a long period of time.
Re-Focus. When you feel you have tuned effectively, re-focus the telescope. The finer details should come into
view. Try to relax the eye while observing and let the details come to you.
Note where the LS100THa/PT has tuned on the brass cylinder. I general count the remaining treads or
measure the remaining gap.
The installation of the DSII module is accomplished by first removing the focuser and extension tube from the
back of the OTA. This can be done by removing the 3 allen head screws that are recessed in the rear cone
assembly. The allen wrench was provided with the DSII. Make sure you have a firm grip on the focuser when
loosening the screws. These screws can be replaced with the 3 thumbscrews provided with the DSII.
The DSII can be placed into the rear of the LS100T OTA. The user may rotate the DSII into any position. Snug
the silver thumbscrews onto the module and fix in place.
If the user does not have an addition focuser for the DSII the focuser that was removed from the LS100THa/PT
can be used.
Re-install the blocking filter and eyepiece.
Refocus the system. The user may need to pull the blocking filter out of the focuser approx. 50mm to achieve
focus.
Tuning of the DSII is accomplished by first re-setting the PT cylinder as described above. The user will note
that the image will appear very dim when the DSII is not on band. Turn the PT cylinder on the DSII in while
looking thru the scope, the user should see the image brighten as the system comes on band. Adjust the DSII
pressure tuner for the best view of surface detail.
The user may now adjust the pressure tuner on the LS100THa/PT for maximum contrast.
The DSII utilizes a uni ue optical design that works to narrow the band pass while also removing the back-ghosting that
would normally occur with 2 highly reflective etalons sitting in such close proximity to one another. This ghost removal would
typically be done by tilting one of the etalons with respect to the other. The optical design works to move the “ghost” images
to an area outside the normal field of view. However, users who have low magnification eyepieces (~25mm), or eyepieces
with a wide field of view may notice this “halo”. Increasing the magnification or using an eyepiece with a narrower field of
view will reduce this effect. While we strive to provide perfect anti-reflection coatings at the Hydrogen-alpha line the residual
reflections are reduced to 0.1%. Therefore, not all back scatter can be totally removed. Less than perfect seeing conditions
will work to increase the background haze of the system in DS mode.
The DSII is designed to provide an enhanced, narrowband, higher contrast view of the Sun’s surface. The user will note a
dimming of the edge detail while using the scope in the DS mode.
Visit our website at www.luntsolarsystems.com for tips and insight on how you can get more out of your Solar Telescope.
Topics that will soon be covered include:
Imaging: Just how does one go about taking a picture?
Double-stacking: You'll hear a lot about the advantages of double-stacking your system.
Contrast Enhancement: Tips on how to fine tune your system for maximum contrast and resolution.
Future Accessories and Upgrades.
Lunt Solar Systems * 2520 N. Coyote Dr. #111 Tucson, AZ 857 5 * (520) 3 -73 8
www.luntsolarsystems.com