We now in our summer season. The weather is warm and pleasant, the days are long and the Sun is high in the sky, and Solar observing is a popular astronomical activity. To observe or image the Sun without proper safety equipment can cause permanent blindness and/or damage to photographic equipment.
Baader Planetarium offer a range of Solar film and ready made Solar filters for viewing and imaging the Sun. One of their most popular and inexpensive products is their visual/photographic ND5.0 AstroSolar sheets which comes in an ECO 140mmx155mm size (ideal for small telescopes or camera lenses) or in an ~A4 size (20x29cm) sheet for larger instruments. An A4 sheet is also available in ND3.8 version but this is purely for photographic use only.
Baader AstroSolar ECO-size Safety Film ND 5.0, 140x155mm
Baader A4-sized AstroSolar® Safety Film
A fun part of buying one of these AstroSolar sheets is being able to make your own filter holder for your telescope, camera lens or binoculars. Baader Planetarium have published some useful guides on how to make such a filter holder you may find useful.
For those wanting to make a Solar filter for their telescope or a camera lens click here.
AstroSolar Filter Holder for Telescopes
For making a Solar filter for binoculars click here.
AstroSolar Filter Holder for Binoculars
As a final but important note it is important to review the safety aspects with Solar observation – you can read more here.
The AstroSolar A4 filters are available to purchase direct from ourselves or from one of our Baader Planetarium dealers.
