Does this qualify me as insane?

[Jonathan]

Well my family says this act is the "final act" and now
have taken to calling me downright insane...so do you think I am?

The "Final act" was buying some safety material to use with my
telescope to SAFELY view the sun They said I'd go blind.
Well I just got back inside from looking @ the sun and I must
say I don't think I'm krazy. LOL does staring @ the sun make me krazy?

[Andy]

I thought you were crazy long ago :P

[Buddha]

Might I interest you in a nice jacket?

Dinner Jacket

[HOSTropic]

Depends

It depends.
Which end of the telescope were you looking into?

[Jonathan]

Nice jacket, Budda. I assume you have all the colours right?
As for the scope end, it was through that dangerous eyepiece part
I tried on my larger scope, but alas I didn't cut it right (cell) and so the
majority of it rests over the secondary mirror, hence only saw half a sun

The first time I tried w/ the smaller scope though- I looked through in
time to see a bird fly seemingly right across the Sun, was really cool

BTW for anybody interested in viewing the sun, you CAN do it w/o the aid of
a telescope or binoculars and still see detail if there are any good sized
sunspots. But right now we're @ a solar minimum so there isn't a whole ton.

All you need is a piece of film. There are instructions, just skip the cylinder half:
http://www.agenaastro.com/Pages/Prod...baaderfilm.htm

[Grunfeld]

I think you might be half way there, when your typing goes down hill we will then assume you have slipped to the other side .....

[Jonathan]

Picture #1
Picture #2

Naaaah just means I like outside more.
EDIT: Fixed the URLs.

[Frank Hagan]

They sell solar filters that go on the end of the scope. Are you using mylar? Wasn't sure from the pics.

Just attended a Messier Marathon at the Riverside Astro Society site near our desert cabin ... we have a good, dark view of the sky out there with horizon to horizon viewing ... no mountains, trees or other obstructions. We went back to our cabin to teach my sis-in-law how to use her first scope (a 4 1/2" reflector, but a really cheap one ... made my Celestron First Scope 114mm look like a scientific instrument). Showed her Saturn, and later Jupiter. Really got her excited about it. I'm a fan of reflectors, and thinking of getting an 8" Dob ... I actually heard Dobson speak a year or so ago, fascinating guy, and the concept of a big Dob appeals to me.

[Jonathan]

They sell solar filters that go on the end of the scope. Are you using mylar? Wasn't sure from the pics.

Just attended a Messier Marathon at the Riverside Astro Society site near our desert cabin ... we have a good, dark view of the sky out there with horizon to horizon viewing ... no mountains, trees or other obstructions. We went back to our cabin to teach my sis-in-law how to use her first scope (a 4 1/2" reflector, but a really cheap one ... made my Celestron First Scope 114mm look like a scientific instrument). Showed her Saturn, and later Jupiter. Really got her excited about it. I'm a fan of reflectors, and thinking of getting an 8" Dob ... I actually heard Dobson speak a year or so ago, fascinating guy, and the concept of a big Dob appeals to me.

No, I'm using "Baader" solar film. Its not Mylar but I am unsure of what it
actually IS.. they aren't exactly letting the secret out. Sky & Telescope
called it the "new standard" in solar viewing, or something to that effect.
Did you bag many M's during the marathon? As for the dob, I've heard
nothing but A+++ for these ones called "Deep Space Hunter", by
Hardin Optical. Best deals on them are @ Telescopes.com. Were $299, but
two weeks prior to me having enough w/ S&H they rose it to $330

Orion's is also very good, but Synta-made (Chinese) while Hardin Optical's are
Guan Sheng Optics (GSO)-made (Taiwanese). Orion has a perfect CS track
record, I've yet to hear anything about Hardin Optical's. Another possibility
is to watch out for a used dob. That's how I got mine, a GSO-made 8" F/6.
http://astromart.com <-- classifieds are THE BEST ! Pratically everything
Astro I own, save for my Telrad, ETX, and SLR came from that place

If you want a pre-made filter, I think that Agena Astro sells them large
enough for your 114mm ~ if not, Thousand Oaks has some pretty good
quality pre-made ones: http://handsonoptics.com/slr_thousandoaks.html
But if your making your own, you have to go with Baader Solar Film

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=339336

I'm not sure if non-members can read the classified so here's the info:

Seller: Art Fritzson (two stars [each 5/5])
Price: $325 negotiale
Payment: Paypal, Check, M.O., Wire Transfer, Cash.

A well cared for workhorse, this XT8 has been well maintained and is in like new condition. This is an older Guan Sheng (pre-Synta) model with the super smooth focuser and very high quality optics. Comes with the standard 25mm plossl and a 9mm plossl along with an Antares 3x Barlow and an Orion EZ finder. Will also include a brand new Orion padded travel case for the XT8. At todays prices, this is $350 (scope) plus $70 (case) + $20 (barlow) = $440. I'll take $325 and will ship (at cost) anywhere in the US.

Or if you have a small car you may want a Truss instead; someone who
makes extremely high quality custom Truss scopes w/ Discovery Optics:

http://astrosky.homestead.com/AstroSkyTrussDobsonian.html

PS: Good Solar viewing FAQ, check under Section 2.02 for the difference
in solar glass and film: http://jeff.medkeff.com/astro/faq/

[Jonathan]

BTW, April the 8th there will be a partial solar eclipse if you haven't already heard
about it, Frank. FL is going to be able to see it I'd suggest grabbing either
a pre-made filter or some baader film so you can see it in your scope!

More info on S&T's site here: http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...cle_1445_1.asp
As a note, I ran Cartes du Ciel (excellent free program..google it up) and tracked
Sun on the 8th ~ it appeared the Moon was just starting to cross over @ 4.20pm