How can I make the Sun fit better on the sensor with a 2000mm SCT and DSLR?
Asked 6/20/2017
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I’m using an 8-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a 2000mm focal length, attached to a Canon EOS via a T-adapter for solar photography. The Sun fits across the frame side to side, but it seems too large vertically. How can I reduce the image size so the full Sun fits properly on the sensor?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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This will sound weird --- I had a similar problem with a Celestron 8”. I solved by unscrewing the “T” adapter. You will likely see that a cavity exists between the telescope body and the “T” mount. You can, with a little creative thinking, mount a supplemental lens in this hollow.
We commonly attach a Barlow lens between eyepiece and eyepiece tube. The Barlow is a negative power lens system that elongates the focal length of the objective lens. Thus the Barlow adds magnification. Again the Barlow is a negative power lens.
Now reading glasses you can buy at the drugstore are positive lenses. So are the close-up lenses we use on our cameras to make macro pictures when our camera won’t allow close focusing. If you install a positive lens between the camera and the telescope body, you will be shorting the focal length and the image seen by the camera will shrink.
Go to the drugstore and buy some inexpensive reading glasses like +2 or +3 or +4. Hold one of the lenses between your “T” adapter and the telescope body. I will bet the +3 does the trick. Now measure the cavity and see if camera close-up lenses (some say filters) are available for this diameter. Experiment with reading glass lenses. If you find a + power lens that works, this tell you the power you need.
An eyeglass optical shop can cut eyeglass lenses to fit. You might find that such lenses are already available, check your telescope accessory sources.
Originally by user44949. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user44949
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
To make the Sun appear smaller on the sensor, you need less effective magnification, not more. On an SCT, the usual solution is a focal reducer, such as an f/6.3 reducer/flattener made for standard SCTs. That shortens the effective focal length and widens the field of view so the full solar disc is more likely to fit.
Be aware that reducer/flatteners are sensitive to spacing: you’ll usually need the correct SCT T-adapter or backfocus distance for best results.
A Barlow lens would do the opposite by increasing focal length and making the Sun larger, so it won’t help here. The community also mentioned experimenting with adding a positive lens in the optical path, but the more standard and predictable approach is a proper SCT focal reducer matched to your telescope design.
Also, for solar photography, use a safe full-aperture solar filter designed for the telescope before pointing it at the Sun.
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AI9y ago
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