…”two students on tour with associate IFA director Mike Maberry looking on. This is from the 1st observatory built on Haleakala in 1957, the Baker-Nunn. Here’s a photo alone on top of a 10,000ft volcano”….

We are very pleased with the feedback we are getting about the Lunt 152mm Solar Telescope. This scope has certainly re-invigorated my appreciation for Solar observing, and not just daily testing. I have been very pleased with the performance of this system even under less than ideal conditions.. It is making me re-think the current convention that 4″ apertures and over suffer badly with seeing conditions..

….” took the LS152 to the summit and it seemed to perform the same as on my deck at 1600 ft.  When the seeing at altitude was good, very fine details could be seen though seeing was not good enough for magnification over 200X  (that’s a 4mm eyepiece ;). It was also a fortunate thing that I was up w/ the LS152 as we had a group of students on tour of the observatories.  When kids come up they only get to look at large telescopes and see the observatories BUT having the scope set up and on the sun they actually got to look thru a telescope and see something..”.

They will be attaching a camera to the system very soon. We are all looking forward to seeing some first light images thru the scope..

It’s been a while since my last post. We have been very busy with the NEAF event, and it looks like we will be very busy as a result of the NEAF event. The show was a huge success for Lunt Solar… We thank all those who worked so hard to put on such a great show.

The benefit of attending these events, meeting the customers, the other manufacturers, and the vendors cannot be understated. The ability to meet, talk, and discuss face to face are of great importance. Leaders of the industry standing by their products ready to answer questions.. even the hard ones ;) A customer can talk with a sales person at anytime at any of the many dealer stores. Customers certainly appreciate that they can discuss equipment and the technology directly with the “boss”.

One of the recurring discussion this year was ” The Future of Astronomy..” Just how do we get more people interested in astronomy?

It is not surprising that the telescope and astronomy equipment market is shrinking. There are many factors “in my opinion” as to why. A value of the market near 200M per year is not surprising, but the estimate on how much this shrinks per year was. I am willing to bet that the entry level market has shrunk by quite a bit. Has the fascination with Space been lost or forgotten? Is astronomy headed to a black hole?

In a meeting I attended there were discussions of how we can get more people involved.. Education and Outreach were the major points of discussion. Getting the word out thru media, and getting more people to recognize astronomy as a fun hobby.. Showing a kid the Moon or the rings of Saturn will be something they will never forget. (I probably should have spoken up at that point.) Showing a kid these things is GREAT! don’t get me wrong, but are they really going to go out and buy a “cheap” little telescope, go out in their back yard and take a look for themselves? Probably not, they have already seen it, and I can pretty much state at this point that the look they get thru that scope will not inspire them into the lifetime passion of astronomy. My first attempt at nighttime astronomy a few years ago left me somewhat puzzled. I ended up having much more fun chasing satellites and watching planes land at the nearby airport. (Do they make a tracking mount for that?) I do admit that I did try several more times and found that attaching a Hyperstar to my scope with a camera that “binned” on the fly at the touch of a button, and looking at the stars thru my VR glasses was quite a treat. I have never found a kid yet that is NOT willing to put a pair of VR glasses on, regardless of what they are going to look at… They’re just cool.

I make telescopes. I am fully aware of the challenges faced by manufacturers when it comes to converting a casual curiosity to a sale. And while I did not stand up and say “Show them the Sun!”  No-one else mentioned it either :(    More on this later..

The hay day of astronomy was probably during the space race, the race for the Moon, the flights of the space shuttle (when was the last time anyone watched that?), the Hubble telescope (don’t all cringe), Star Trek (the old one). While the technology was advancing toward the thrill of space travel, astronomy equipment itself was also evolving. There must have been a very heightened awareness of Space. Buying a telescope, stepping outside and peering into the heavens was probably an experience to remember, and each night was a night of new discovery. Why? Because that was the ONLY way you were going to see it. People who experienced that period of exploration and adventure are the astronomers of today.

Mass Media… Light Pollution.. The Internet…. AMAZING SPACE IMAGES!…

Lets face it.. We have all seen the amazing Space images taken by the Hubble. We have all seen the amazing images taken by astronomers for astronomy magazines, we have all seen the rendered images of Planets and Galaxies on the Science Channels. Mass media and the Internet allow anyone and everyone to view the most stunning images of our Universe from the comfort of a chair. The digital age has provided us with easy access to a lifetime supply of high resolution, colorful images.

So lets say I decide to experience the wonder of astronomy myself…

…I simply go down to the nearest Astronomy Store and buy a nice inexpensive telescope. I recognize the images on the outside of the box (you know what I’m talking about). Images of Nebulas and swirling Galaxies.. AWESOME!!.. (I can’t wait!). And at a couple hundred dollars (the price of an XBox 360) I am on my way. I am taking my first step into the wonderful world of astronomy..  Hit the brakes!!!

Don’t get me wrong, the ability to manufacture an inexpensive telescope will certainly result in it being affordable to the mass market. However, if the intent is to endear the hobby, it will fall far short. Not only do you have to bridge the gap between curiosity and that first look to an actual commitment, but you also have to ensure that the future astronomer recognizes the limitations of the entry level equipment, and will learn to grow into the hobby thru additional purchases..

Just how much money does it cost to take those wonderful pictures?. I am not talking about 10′s of thousands, but it does take a few thousands? You get what you pay for..

Mass media has certainly had the effect of eliminating the need to go out and do it yourself…. Or has it?

One of my avid hobbies is Scuba. Over the years I have watches many hours of underwater footage. I have watched documentaries of people diving with sharks and stingrays. I have seen people dive in areas that I currently only dream about. So how did I get into the hobby? I went to a place that taught me how to dive. I had people who experts in the hobby show me the way, teach and recommend equipment that will match your expectations and budget. After that, you’re off on your own to experience the Universe of the Ocean for yourself.. The difference was the intial education not only to the Ocean but also to the equipment. This is where I believe that Education and Outreach are crutial to re-envigoration of astronomy.

I had a thought last night that astronomy would be a completely different hobby if something in the Universe actually moved.

Outreach…

There has always been outreach. As I have said, I think that outreach is an excellent way to get people to the eyepiece. People who do outreach generally have equipment and knowledge that allow the viewer to have a “hands on” and “personal” experience. A first hand guide to the Universe. Who wouldn’t want that? People who generally do outreach are not trying to sell you something. Hmmmm. But they are there to answer questions, advise, and share.

It’s interesting to see a group of people talk about astronomy. Especially when some are avid outreach enthusiasts, and the others are manufacturers. One group is telling you to buy their equipment so you can experience astronomy for yourself.. The others are inviting you to take a look thru their equipment and learn from their experience..

The difference between night and day.. (I had to get to the point eventually)

If the intent is to introduce people (kids) to the wonderful world of astronomy.. get them off the couch from in front of their TV, and outside, there is no better tool than the Solar Telescope.

The answer to the question of how we get more kids involved into the hobby. (and we all agree that we need the kids of today to be the astronomers of tomorrow). One of the answers was cetainly Education and Outreach.

Schools and Educational Facilities..

Astronomy is an important part of the eductional process. Learning where we are in the Universe, where we have come from as a Planet, and where we are going.. Lets also talk about what keeps us where we are, and what that giant mass of “burning” gass is at the center of our own system..

The Heavens are filled with Stars.. Many many many (there’s a lot). To understand them, you simply need to look toward the center of our own Solar System. We have our very own Star. And it’s a good one!

We have access to this Star during the day. A period of time when kids and some adults are in school. Primed to learn. Available. Not in front of a TV, not on the internet, not downloading music. A period of time when they are… well, simply available.

Whats to learn? Just as the Space Race was the fueling factor to the fascination with space a few decades ago, Environmental issues have become a fuel for everything Solar.. Green energy, Solar panel, Global warming, etc… The Sun has an effect on our everyday lives. Both Adults and Children are being educated from many directions about the value of Solar everything.

The Sun as an educational tool can teach science from the ~1st grader thru the university student. Warmth of the Sun thru IR radiation, plant growth thru UV, not to mention sunburn. Light, from the simple rainbow that teaches the spectrum, to the emmission lines of gasses that make up the fuel of the Sun itself. Coming up over the next few years we can realize and discuss the effects of increased radiation and ionized particles on our orbiting satellites, and our atmosphere as the Sun enters it’s new Solar Maximum. How will our Mass Media be effected by the Mass Ejections that are not an IF but a WHEN? Exciting isn’t it? And that is just a sample of the educational resources that the Sun can provide on a daily basis (during school hours :)

The evolution of the Solar telescope was an evolution in Astronomy. The ability to take astronomy into the daylight hours should have been embraced by the community. However, daytime observing remains a niche market… Interesting. The Solar Telescope is a modification to the standard nighttime telescope, to the point where you can simply buy a filter and use a night scope for the day. Solar Filters transform an inexpensive night scope into a Solar telescope that rivals the most avanced equipment available… The knobs are the same (we do have a few more, but that make it more fun), the physics of the lenses are basically the same (we do have a few more lenses to make it more fun), the mounts are basically the same (we only track one Star so we have made it VERY simple to use), if you didn’t know any better you probably wouldn’t notice the difference between the night scope and the day scope.. Well other than the fact that it’s being used during the day, and you can actually see it. No issues with red lights.

A quick story.. A few years ago I was attending a Star Party. People saw me setting up the scopes and wandered over for a look. There was some reasonable activity on the Sun which moved and tranformed during the day bringing people back every now and again for an update.. Some of the night guys asked if I would be interesting in looking thru their scopes later that night. I agreed. They pointed over to where they were setup. After many hours of viewing I left to get something to eat. I was told to wait unit it got dark and people would start the night viewing. Upon return the the Star Party at about 10Pm I came to the complete realization that it was pitch black. I parked my truck (I knew to keep my lights off while driving) and opened my door. Unfortunately, at that time the rear bed light came on.. That light was met with some annoyed comments.. It was going to be hard to find the Stars if I couldn’t even find the Telescopes. I came to the conclusion that Star Parties are for the avid astronomer and not for the curious bystander. I now understand why the public were not allowed into the event.

Something different every”day”.. Guaranteed.

The Sun is  a Star. It is Dynamic. The Sun is ever changing and unpredictable, Pavlov would have loved this hobby.. You never know what is going to happen next.. The Sun’s features are huge, moving at many thousands of miles per hour, yet appearing to move in slow motion when looked at from Earth. If you’ve read previous blogs you know about cause and effect.. See it happen on the Sun, and possibly feel it’s effects on Earth. Short of a meteorite, there is nothing else that comes close.

So, we have the kids in school and we are teaching astronomy AND science. We are talking to the engineers and the scientists of tomorrow. We can make the connection between everything Solar and astronomy as both a science and a hobby. We can invite them to walk outside (I used to love going on field trips)  and allow them to look thru a Solar Telescope. We don’t need permission slips. Someone who does outreach may be on hand to educate the kids, talk about the scopes, the way the scopes are made, and what they are looking at. Depending on the age, we can talk about Flames, Volcano Erruptions, Worms, and Fur, or Prominences, Filaments, and Spicules. Schools may wish to purchase a Filter for a standard scope, and have it on hand for those times when the Sunis erupting.

The financial advantages of day observing are significant.

Unlike night observing, the Sun has MORE light that we know what to do with. In fact we reduce the amount of light in all scopes to just a fraction of what the lens gathers. Nightime observing of many features requires large apertures. Finding those features requires software and tracking. Imaging those features (I’m talking about the images you see on that box) often requires hours of time, and a decent camera. The Sun can be viewed thru relatively small apertures.

The Sun is easy to see thru the eyepiece. And funny enough, kids adapt to the seeing faster than adults probably due to the fact that kids these days are visually stimulated thru mass media on a constant basis. Features on the Sun can been seen thru a reasonably inexpensive telescope on a non-tracking mount. Although to initially find the Sun you may think about buying a $30 Sun Tracker ;)

Seeing is certainly easier than imaging.. The eye can see the finest details of the Sun’s surface. Imaging the Sun is where the casual view becomes the hobby. The best imaging devices are typically low sensitivity webcams and cameras. They’re inexpensive and easy to use. Some even plug directly into a monitor so you don’t even have to use a computer or software. Most telescope mounts with go-to technology now offer the Sun as an object. Thanks!

People will never tire of viewing the ever changing face of this Star. And they will certainly make a point of viewing thru a Solar Telescope when there is a mass erruption going on.. A dynamic Star….. Life giving, potentially dangerous, and highly educational.. There’s alot more out there, and I would not be surprised to hear that many people who purchase a Solar Telescope gain an interest in astronomy as a whole, and will make the effort when a night scope is offered, to step up to the eyepiece with confidence and take a look.

If Outreach and Learning are some of the answers to an expansion of astronomy as a hobby, there is NO better place than the classroom. Educating the kids of today thru Science. They will eventually put the game console away, and have the seed of astronomy been planted, may seek to answer some of the questions of the Universe for themselves.

I’m going to leave off here. I will continue this blog in another post..

I certainly look forward to your feedback. Lunt Solar has begun it’s educational website developement, please check back for more details soon.

Lunt Solar Systems will be attending NEAF again this year.  NEAF is the premier astronomy event of the year, and we invite you to come on out.

As usual, Lunt Solar will be setting up Solar Telescopes and Solar Filters in the outdoor lawn area. This is a great opportunity to look thru every type of Solar Scope currently available. Take a look thru the popular LS60T/Pressure Tune, or step up to the LS152T. The largest production Solar Telescope made. You won’t be disappointed at the view. Truly a scope that brings the Sun closer than ever before.

Lunt is sponsoring the imaging workshop with Erika Rix. We will be providing a few LS35T’s for viewing the Sun, while Erika will be running the sketching workshop. Should be a lot of fun!!

This year we also invite you to bring your Lunt scope by the booth for an inspection and a cleaning. I will be available to take a quick look thru your scopes and make any “tweaks” to improve performance. I have been know to re-contact a few etalons while sitting at the booth.. :)

More to come.. 10 days to go.. Check back, or visit the NEAF website for more information..

Here is a quick review from France of a recently delivered LS35T Solar Telscope.

…”Hello,
This is a quick report of the LS35DX.

Only 35 mm of diameter and what a view!
My first glance through the little Lunt was the first of April and that will
remain engrave in my memories.

After having center the sun in the eyepiece, i turned the helical focuser and I saw one of the most spendid spectacle that our companion star could give us : a huge arch of hydrogen. I was stuck behind the little Lunt and filled with wonder.
After a timeless while, my mind was back and i realised that there is a little wheel recessed into the filter. I moved the wheel carefully and the proms appeared most vivid with more details, that’s laces of Hamper.

It was sumptuous, I saw another big prom and 4 littles proms the same day.
My first rendez-vous with the sun was sucessfull and thanks to Lunt to made such good Halpha instrument for a fair price.

Hervé…”

We’re certainly very please at all the very positive respnses and feedback we are getting. The LS35T solar filtering system was not without it’s technical issues along the way. The main issue being the ability to get a working unit thru UPS and into the customers hands. It’s one thing to build a great scope, test it here and package and ship it. Only to find that it has been destroyed in shipping…

Other issues included our inability to get good etalon and IR coatings. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to deal with vendors who claim to do perfect work, send parts well out of spec without so much as a word.  (more on that in another blog).

The production at Lunt is almost fully ramped up. Just in time!! The Sun is putting on a great show….

About Lunt Solar Systems LLC…

Lunt Solar Systems is a manufacturing and sales facility located in Tucson, Arizona. Lunt Solar design, fabricate, assemble, and test solar telescopes and solar filters. Whether you are looking for a dedicated solar telescope or a solar filter for attachment to you own astronomy telescope, we can help. Solar telescopes models start at $499 for an LS35T (telescope) or the only slightly more expensive LS50F (filter), all the way thru the 152T and the 160F. Solar observing is both fun and educational. Don’t miss out on Solar Maximum. Feel free to contact us with question or comments and we’d be happy to help.