17.07.2025 [Almost] back to the fray!

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  Thursday 17th July. Following the demolition of my observatory. I have been trying out my Lunt LS60MT solar telescope. It has been steadfastly refusing to show any H-alpha detail. It seems the pressure tuned etalon was not tuning. So I ordered replacement O-rings from Bresser. They arrived yesterday to coincide with cloudy weather. 

 Having given up yesterday I set up the telescope again this morning. I am using my gimbal head on a Manfrotto CF tripod. Which is lightweight and steady enough except for the lack of tracking. The cloud is persistent. Streaming across from the north. Providing only glimpses of brightness. None from a clear blue sky. 

 I have the telescope sharply focused on a chain of sunspots. Using a Meade 4000 12.5mm Super Plossl Eyepiece in a Telescope Express 1.25" star diagonal. My 45º prism won't quite reach inward focus in the Lunt. So my rise and fall office chair provides a comfortable viewing height. Only now the sun has risen high enough to use the 90º star diagonal. There is no need for additional filtration with compete Lunt Solar Telescopes. Many are fitted with solar diagonals. I use a straight through blocking filter.

 Thanks to the cloud I have yet to see any sign of any H-alpha detail. It's more like a white light image with a red filter. The Lunt contains a red filter but the etalon has yet to earn its keep. If only the cloud would clear I could confirm the lack of tuning. Perhaps leading to a return of the telescope to Lunt in the USA. Not a result I had remotely wished for.  

 The cloud was so thick that I turned my attention to the prickly hedge. Requiring a chainsaw and heavy duty loppers. The trees beyond will block the sun at other times of the year. The boundary hedge can be usefully lowered for morning solar viewing in summer. The hedge is shared with an absent property investor. Nobody has lived there for years. Which means all the hedges have become rows of trees. 

 The afternoon was a little clearer but still irritating plates of cloud crossing. Still no H-alpha surface detail. 

 Time to contact the dealer. Though it is probably beyond the guarantee. Bought in August 2022 but not used for a long time after my wife died. I have contacted APM Telescopes Germany for their advice on how to proceed. 

 APM say I should return the telescope to Bresser Germany for proper assessment. I have now contacted Bresser for advice on sending the telescope to them.

 

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