Eyepiece Selection:
Daystar Recommends Tele Vue Plossl series
eyepieces of 25mm, 32mm, and 40mm.
Remember t hat at F/30, a high powered eyepi ece
can exceed Dawes' limit. Observers will find best
results with an eyepiece which is 32mm or g reater
to avoid this. Eyepieces of higher power will result
in a fuzzy disk without the ability to focus well.
We have tested a number of eyepieces over the years. We performed a
comprehensive eyepiece comparison between various brand names and
eyepiece styles. Naglers, zooms, radians an d oth er "fa st" eye pieces
typically perform very badly on DayStar applications.
Other brands do offer Plossl eye pieces in 32-40mm and they can give a
respectable performance in lieu of a Tele Vue. We have al so found
some of the very old wide field
"Erfle" eyepieces aren't ba d for a n
experienced observer. I t sho uld be noted th at re peatedly i n side-by-
side tests, we found Tele Vue brand Plossl eyepieces to offer the highest
contrast, m ost even view and wid est exit pupil. In Solar Observing,
contrast is achieved by co ntrol of scattering. Tele Vue Plossl s stand out
in superior design. Furthermore, the adjustable eye cup offers additional
contrast by allowing the user to dark adapt during sunny days.
Eyepiece features we found to increase performance include:
- "Fully Multicoated" - Of those eyepieces which did better than others,
those marked "fully multicoated" offered better views from less internal
scattering.
- Blackened optical edges - Tele Vue and other eyepieces which
performed better all had blackened edges of their optical elements. This
also reduces internal scattering within the eyepiece.
Maximizing the viewing experience:
Daytime viewing re sults in stray light entering your eye that can make it
hard to see through the filter. We recommend a viewing hood or cloth be
placed ove r your he ad t o limit the stray light tha t enters yo ur eye,
allowing fainter prominences and more surface detail to be observed. A
comfortable chair also improves the experience, allowing the eye to stay
steady for l onger periods so a s to pi ck out mo re subtle detail s on the
surface of the Sun.
