Daystar Sol 60mm Dedicated Solar Telescope

The Sol 60mm is a Hydrogen-Alpha telescope that reveals the Sun's chromosphere. You can see dynamic features like prominences erupting from the Sun's edge, dark filaments stretching across the surface, bright plage surrounding active regions, and the fine, hair-like jets known as spicules.

The Sol 60mm is a completely integrated and dedicated solar telescope. All necessary filters, including the etalon and blocking filter, are built-in and permanently aligned. Used as directed, these solar filters are perfectly safe for observing the Sun, so no additional solar filter is needed. Never disassemble the telescope or remove any part: this could result in unfiltered light which can cause blindness.

This is the Chromosphere model, which has a narrow bandwidth of 0.5Å FWHM or less. This provides higher contrast on surface details like filaments and active regions. The Prominence model has a wider bandwidth (more than 0.5Å FWHM), which makes prominences on the limb of the Sun appear brighter and bolder, at the expense of some surface contrast.

The telescope requires 5V, 1.5A USB power. For field use, you can use a portable USB battery pack. It is critical that the battery pack is rated to supply at least 2 amps at 5 volts. Computer USB ports and cell phone chargers do not normally support this much power.

The tuning knob allows you to "wing shift" off the central H-alpha line by up to ±0.5Å. This is useful for observing Doppler-shifted phenomena. For example, if you are viewing an eruptive prominence, you can tune slightly to the blue wing (counter-clockwise) to better see material moving towards you, or to the red wing (clockwise) to see material moving away.

The telescope weighs only 2.1 kg (4.7 lb) and includes a Vixen-style dovetail. It is compatible with most light- to medium-duty astronomical mounts that accept a Vixen dovetail. A stable alt-azimuth mount is often sufficient for visual observation. It also has a 1/4-20 threaded hole for use on a heavy-duty photo tripod.

Due to the long 930mm effective focal length, capturing the entire solar disk in a single frame depends on your camera's sensor size. Small sensors (1/2" and below) capture only a fraction of the solar disk at a long effective focal length, and a focal reducer between the telescope and camera gives a wider field. Daystar's focal reducers are sold separately.

This is almost always caused by "seeing," which is atmospheric turbulence caused by daytime heating of the ground and air. Observing over grass instead of pavement can help. Conditions often change throughout the day, so if the view is poor, try again later. It is not a fault of the telescope's optics.

Plössl eyepieces of 25mm, 32mm and 40mm are recommended, and an eyepiece of 32mm or greater gives the best results because a high-powered eyepiece can exceed Dawes' limit at long focal ratios. Simpler optical designs with fully multi-coated surfaces and blackened lens edges tend to provide the best contrast for solar observing.

A yellow light means the filter is heating and settling to its target temperature; it should turn green in 5-10 minutes. A red light indicates a fault such as low voltage. Ensure you are using the included AC adapter or a USB battery bank rated for at least 2A at 5V.

The telescope includes an integrated solar finder in the carry handle. Simply adjust the telescope's pointing until the bright dot of light is centered on the white target screen on the back of the handle. This provides a safe and easy way to align the telescope without looking along the tube.