How to capture AMAZING solar images (2024 update!)

I have taken thousands of solar images in both hydrogen alpha and white light with a variety of telescopes. I've also interviewed many of the world's top solar imagers to learn their tips and tricks to produce spectacular photos.
This video tutorial combines all of that experience to show you everything you need to capture your own amazing solar images. All hydrogen alpha photos were taken with my Lunt 100MT universal telescope. Broadband photos were taken with either the Lunt100MT or my TEC160FL with a herschel wedge.
I use a variety of solar cameras. More information on choosing a solar camera can be found at the link below.
If you found this video helpful, and are considering investing in a solar telescope or equipment, I would appreciate you using one of my affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase it will cost you nothing, but I will receive a small commission. Thanks!
Agena Astro: bit.ly/3qfWaZS
Highpoint Scientific: www.highpointscientific.com/?...
Lunt 100MT solar telescope: tidd.ly/3V5zPYC
#luntsolarsystems #telescope #solar #solarimaging #astrophotography #space #sun #star #astronomy
I put a lot of work into these tutorials. It really helps if you subscribe to my channel. Thanks.
Links Sun and Seeing conditions:
SDO: sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/
Astrospheric: www.astrospheric.com/
Meteoblue seeing: www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/... Goodtostargaze: www.goodtostargaze.com/
Clearskyscharts: www.cleardarksky.com/csk/
Software:
Sharpcap: www.sharpcap.co.uk/
Video links:
How to choose a solar camera: • How to Choose a Solar ...
How to make a solar animation: • How to make solar anim...
How to process AMAZING solar images: • How to process AMAZING...
Products used in this video:
Lunt100MT universal telescope: tidd.ly/3V5zPYC
Player One Photosphere 7.5nm bandpass filter: player-one-astronomy.com/prod...

[@Michaelkolb-hs6sl]

Thanks for having a wonderful channel. I dove in after watching. SolarMax iii on the way, so much knowledge thanks again

[@AZASTROGUY]

Thanks Michael!

[@MichaelJK]

You've distilled so much experience into 26 minutes. I can't thank you enough for producing these videos! I'm researching buying my first solar scope and this channel is such a valuable resource.

[@AZASTROGUY]

Glad it was helpful!

[@massimo541]

Gorgeous video. Many Thanks!!!

[@garypaulson5202]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing

[@lidarman2]

Great info for last minute eclipse planning. :)

[@stuartriley]

Amazing work and a lot of great information. I am a newbie on solar imaging and your content is very helpful.

[@MICKBUT]

great tutorial

[@user-ov4xr5hm4x]

Extraordinarily helpful and with all the specific detail I need to try to improve my own efforts! Thank you.

[@AZASTROGUY]

You're welcome!

[@billbirt3009]

Thank you so much. I just ordered the Flat filter from Daystar.

[@normhughes9777]

great information. thanks for sharing

[@AZASTROGUY]

Thanks Norm!

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Neat.

[@annadalassena5460]

Thabnks for the video. Question: Are you using the Hinode on an alt-Az mount ? I find that mine cannot even stay guiding when an EQ mount is too far off from north alignment

[@AZASTROGUY]

I use that guider on both a TTS160 Alt-Az and an equatorial mount.

[@craiglowery4427]

Perfect video. I'm an experienced planetary imager but just getting started in solar. Your comprehensive workflow is the best video I've seen so far. I still don't know how to best tune my double stacked Etalons

[@AZASTROGUY]

There still seems to be a lot of questions about this. I just spoke to Brian Stephens, the expert at Lunt to be sure I had this correct. For your initial tuning, start with both etalons off or very loose. Tighten the primary etalon (closest to the objective) until the surface shows maximum contrast. Look especially for filamentary detail (not necessarily proms). Then repeat the process for the second etalon. How far you have to screw in the etalon depends upon your altitude, so the guy in Key West will have a different setting than the guy in Denver. You also want to look for optical brightness uniformity across the disk. For visual, tune to show proms as well. For photography, I'd focus more on surface contrast, because you can pull the proms out later in post processing. You don't want one side (or the center) to be too 'hot'. As a final tip, the first etalon's tuning will shift slightly as the scope heats up. So after about 25 minutes, you should retune the first etalon for maximum contrast.

[@craiglowery4427]

@@AZASTROGUY Thank you

[@DenisineD2]

Did watch a few time your video and i love it! Question: I own a LS152THa double stacked, so i guess that i should do a maximum exposure of around 15- 20 secs (max) for spicules? since the scope is roughly 50% larger than a 100 mm?

[@AZASTROGUY]

What matters is your magnification. At F7 you can expose longer, but with a 4x barlow at F28 things can appear to move faster

[@hael8680]

Great video!! Do you have one on how to process the captured images?

[@AZASTROGUY]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6fLqaJthNplgrM

[@northernman22]

Great advice and info as always, thanks! Say, if you have time, it would be terrific to hear more detailed information on how you tune double stacked pressure tuners. It's really hard to get them both perfectly on band and even across the disk.

[@AZASTROGUY]

There still seems to be a lot of questions about this. I just spoke to Brian Stephens, the expert at Lunt to be sure I had this correct. For your initial tuning, start with both etalons off or very loose. Tighten the primary etalon (closest to the objective) until the surface shows maximum contrast. Look especially for filamentary detail (not necessarily proms). Then repeat the process for the second etalon. How far you have to screw in the etalon depends upon your altitude, so the guy in Key West will have a different setting than the guy in Denver. You also want to look for optical brightness uniformity across the disk. For visual, tune to show proms as well. For photography, I'd focus more on surface contrast, because you can pull the proms out later in post processing. You don't want one side (or the center) to be too 'hot'. As a final tip, the first etalon's tuning will shift slightly as the scope heats up. So after about 25 minutes, you should retune the first etalon for maximum contrast.

[@northernman22]

@@AZASTROGUY Thank you!

[@nn1982in]

What a comprehensive video! Awesome. Can you elaborate of having the filter would be of any help in a double stack H-alpha setup?

[@AZASTROGUY]

Which filter?

[@nn1982in]

@@AZASTROGUY the photosphere bandpass filter.

[@AZASTROGUY]

Double stack etalon is 0.05nm wide. Photosphere filter is 7.5nm wide so would be useless

[@MrKhagol]

great job mark...Q - does hinode tracker require alt-az mount approach or equatorial one?

[@AZASTROGUY]

It works with both my altaz TTS160 and my equatorial AM5

[@HeStoe]

super......greets from Europa

[@AZASTROGUY]

Greetings back…I’m in Germany at the moment

[@HeStoe]

@@AZASTROGUY super.....happy holydays

[@craiglowery4427]

Hi Mark. Could you do video on how you stitch together panels in Affinity Photos or PS

[@AZASTROGUY]

Look at time 31:15 at kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6fLqaJthNplgrM

[@geoffc1862]

Oops. Telescope, camera, laptop, software - you forgot the mount 😅 As usual good guidance.

[@geoffc1862]

What's the purpose of offset? - it's something I've never gotten my head around.

[@Bills_APCh]

Thank you Mark, excellent tutorial and so much information. I was wondering about the offset settings. I have never adjusted it. Does making adjustments to offset lead to permanent effect on your image or can that be changed in post processing ? How do you know the correct offset setting for your camera ?

[@AZASTROGUY]

I recommend Cuiv's video on offset for nighttime astronomy camera use: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3S8gqKMiNp4l6s Offset for solar imaging basically sets the minimum darkness. You'll have the blackest blacks with zero offset. However that can mean you will lose detail in the umbra of sunspots because they will be TOO black. So a small offset is useful to retain some contrast/detail inside sunspots.5 to 15 is a good number.

[@Bills_APCh]

@AZASTROGUY Thank you!

[@toddbarber3044]

I understand that each setting is unique to each person's setup, but I am blown away at the fact that you have 7.17ms exposures at a 100 Gain. I am using a QHY 5III 174MM on a Coronado Solar Max III 70 (single stack) and those settings would just be an overexposed white screen for me.

[@AZASTROGUY]

Double stack attenuates the signal. Single stack I'd have next to no gain at all.

[@toddbarber3044]

@@AZASTROGUY ahhhhh yes….I completely forgot about that. OK, that makes me feel better. Thanks!!

[@miertjestoer9525]

Hi, how the newer Lunt 100 mm performs in comparison with the older Lunt 100 models? Is the MT better or do you prefer some of the older models ? Thanks!

[@AZASTROGUY]

I haven’t tested every model, but the quality seems uniformly high to me. It all depends whether you want just Ha or a flexible design that can do Ha, white light and night time

[@miertjestoer9525]

@@AZASTROGUY thanks! Lunt 80 MT anyways 😊 ! I has to go with this one because it's the only one that is available in this range.

[@AZASTROGUY]

The 80 mm was my first Lunt scope. It’s great.

[@jeffratino5456]

This is awesome, thanks again. Question: do we always zoom when taking flats?

[@AZASTROGUY]

Great question. When you take flats, the entire surface of the camera sensor needs to be covered with the Sun. So if you are using a small pixel camera and can move the Sun so that it covers the entire screen that's fine. Generally though, I find a relatively featureless part of the Sun and zoom in so the entire screen is covered. Otherwise if part of the limb is visible that will screw up the flat because there is no light coming in from beyond the limb.

[@jeffratino5456]

@@AZASTROGUY Ty.

[@jeffratino5456]

@@AZASTROGUY Another question: In the "configure capture" I should be able use it to set up a plan for the eclipse, correct? Setting the interval to 3-5 mins for example

[@AZASTROGUY]

@@jeffratino5456 You need to look at the Sharpcap and cloudynights.com forums for discussions about 'scripts'. This is not an area I'm ready to demonstrate yet. It's complex and will be specific to your location, camera and telescope. Good luck!

[@jeffratino5456]

@@AZASTROGUY OK sounds good. I'm actually using other software, NINA, to control my mount. It's sunny today, so I'll try to configure to shoot at a set interval.

[@nightwaves3203]

Does adding an H-Alpha external filter to a regular telescope with an external solar filter give good results for seeing flares and surface of the sun turbulence?

[@AZASTROGUY]

You can NOT see Chromosphere details (prominences and filaments) using a 'nighttime' Ha filter. Two reasons. First, it is FAR too broad, typically 3-20 nm, whereas a solar Ha filter is 0.03-0.07nm. Second, night time Ha filters are not designed to withstand the heat and power of the Sun. You need to reduce the Sun's power by 100,000x. If you want to see the Chromosphere you must use either a dedicated Ha scope from Lunt or Coronado, or a mica based etalon like Quark or Solar Spectrum with a refractor.

[@nightwaves3203]

@@AZASTROGUY Was thinking it would be nice if there was a filter to combine behind a regular solar filter sticking it behind or in front of the regular solar filters. Thanks.

[@charlesowillford2474]

Mark, I'm trying to create a mosaic with the SC solar mosaic tool and cannot get Affinity Photo to stitch the images. At the 8:30 mark you indicate that you going to make a video. I sure need it. I cannot figure why the tif images won't stitch correctly. Thx

[@AZASTROGUY]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6fLqaJthNplgrM time stamp 30:58 Good luck!

[@charlesowillford2474]

@@AZASTROGUY Thanks, somehow I missed the end of that other video. I don't know how or why? That's exactly what I did; except my source files that came from AutoStakkert were generated from ser files that were created in Sharp Cap Pro using the "solar mosaic" routine that is in the sequencer tab? Did you have a tilter in your image train to fix Newton rings that produced these 6 files? I had the ZWO version attached to my ASI432.. Again, sorry for missing this in the other video!!!!!!!!

[@developercm]

Thanks for the tutorial. Got frustrated the other day trying to do Ha imaging through a Coronado 60mm scope. I don't think it is not designed for photography, as it uses a diagonal to direct the light to an eyepiece. The lock screws are plastic (not sure why they chose plastic), and I couldn't bring the camera into focus (I think I need to add a barlow or extension tube), which puts the camera further out, but makes the rig less stable. It's a double stacked Ha filter, and provides excellent visual images, but even getting a basic image with a camera is a frustrating experience. May need to buy a Lunt system, or a Quark System

[@AZASTROGUY]

The diagonal is likely the blocking filter. Your scope should work with a camera (which one are you using)? Did you try pushing the diagonal all the way in and pulling it all the way out and checking focus?

[@newbee1016]

Hi, I am having simular issues with my PST40 Coronado, double stacked. I can get nice sharp views through the eyepiece, but I cannot get the same sharp image with a camera. At the moment I am using a ZWO 120MC, I have shortened the eyepiece holder to get the camera closer -the prism,(it will screw apart. Its in 2 pieces) I still get focus with the eye piece with it out as far as it will go but I still cant get a sharp focus with the camera, I have tried moving it in and out to no avail. I am using SharpCap Pro and with it's seeing monitor it is down to 2.3- 2.6 on occasions it would go up to 5's, I have played with the exposure and the gain while moving the camera in and out also, I tried a 2x barlow, no difference. I have watched other videos of other solar imagers using the same scope come up with nice images of the sun, but when asked what they do, there is little or no reply. Cheers Robert Aust'

[@AZASTROGUY]

@@newbee1016 I have not used the PST40, but I suspect your issue is related to focal length. Is there any way to shorten the distance to the camera? You may have to all either Coronado or the seller for further help.

[@newbee1016]

@@AZASTROGUY As I mentioned in my first reply I screwed the eyepiece holder apart to make it shorter but that did not help. I watched a video of Dylan O'Donnell taking nice sharp images with the same model scope when asked what he did it was to long ago for him to remember. I will check that video again incase I missed something. I will give Coronado a try to see if they can help as you suggested. Thanks for getting back to me. Cheers Robert

[@AZASTROGUY]

No. The photosphere filter is 7.5nm wide. The double stacked etalon is 0.05nm wide so the photosphere filter would be useless in Ha

[@fiercemustache8974]

nanometer?

[@conorwoods2649]

Which lung do you have

[@AZASTROGUY]

I have the Lunt 100MT

[@Mark-ce9xh]

No sound

[@Oscaro9928]

You mention the flat is only valid for one capture area…but aren’t you looking at the entire field of view ?? You lost me a bit there. Please expand on this.

[@AZASTROGUY]

For any given camera, you can use the entire sensor area or a portion of it to speed up capture and reduce the area seen. If you change this (the Region of Interest or ROI) you to take new flats

[@lotus30com]

That was awesome! Thanks so much.

[@AZASTROGUY]

You're welcome!

[@AZASTROGUY]

No. The photosphere filter is 7.5nm wide. The double stacked etalon is 0.05nm wide so the photosphere filter would be useless in Ha