I tried the Neodymium last evening on limited Mars, that's a great performer, very good filter. I would like to try the others someday, the Semi APO, Contrast booster and Fringer Killer against the Neodymium.

The #11 Yellow/Green is on my list of things to try on Mars.

In my Den I talk about my latest filter tests on Mars... a work in progress.

 

Add another to that list? You could look for a Sirius Optics CE-1. Not sure they're still available. But if you find one *Used* anywhere, scoop it!

Of the Baader-3 you listed above, the Contrast Booster is my favorite. But that's using my eyes. My violet-laser agrees though. It blocks the laser completely. Not so the other Baader-choices.

 

The CE-1 is still available from Telescope House, although I don't know if they still make them.



https://www.telescopehouse.com/accessories/filters/special-purpose/contrast-enhancement-1-25.html

 

£63.- !? Geeze! I also saw them available through a dealer in Australia. But less ££'s.

I did notice you had one some time ago. What do you think of it?

 

Not sure why they're a tad expensive here. Mine's OK, but it's difficult to clean properly.

 

I've never had to use anything more than my Giotti's Rocket-Blower and my ultra-fine brush. I'm very careful and protective towards my filters.

 

Sirius recommend canned air, although I thought that could deposit things onto the surface of the filter.

 

There is nothing wrong with using canned air as long as you use it properly.
Keep the nozzle at least 1 foot away from the optics, do not shake the can and use it in short "puffs" so you are only using the gas and not getting down to the liquid.
There is canned air that is specifically designed to use with optics.
https://www.edmundoptics.com/f/dust-offreg-compressed-air/12230/

 

Oh right cheers Gabby. I am not sure whether I can get that EO stuff here though.

 

There are other products available, that was just a example.
Canon used to sell some that had the added feature of giving the optic a temporary dust repellent for reassembling optics dust free.

 

OK I'll have to investigate.

 

To 'back-pedal' briefly for a moment on "Canned Air:" It's not 'air.' It's a fluoro-chloro-carbon 'propellant' which can leave a spot, and does punch a hole through our ozone-layer. That nobody needs whatsoever.

Dave aka Environmental-Chemist since 1972

 

???

 

I like the canned air to blow out the particles outside of my Newtonian tube when the primary is removed. But I have some fear to use it on the mirrors, even in the right position, often liquid will get out of the can anyway.

 

@Pleiades so have you tried your new color filters?

 

The weather-shift we've been hearing about up here is rapidly descending. Mars was only faintly visible last night - trying to punch holes through the increasing clouds. And the temperatures are dropping abruptly. Looks like the predictions were right.

I hope it moves off just as abruptly when it's through, but we do need the rain that was promised too. We sure don't need any wildfires here this Summer. I feel very sorry for our neighbor's to the West. I hope people learn not to build their homes where natural wildfires are a regular occurance. I know one small (by comparison to the East Coast) city on the shore (and flood-plain) of the Mississippi River in present-day Iowa. The settlers' built it there, and it was soon flooded and a large portion of this city was washed away. So they re-built it on the same spot! Guess what happened? Yup - they had to rebuild it again. And....Again. And...

I hold little hope for the burned houses out West. I'm sure the new ones will look lovely among the new-growth of the 'Fire-Weeds' that will soon grow around them!

 

I have found that the cans made for optical use have better valving than a can used for cleaning a computer and such.
It is usually more expensive than what a shop like Staples would sell.
I used to order it from Teleskop-Service or APM for cleaning camera equipment and telescope optics.

 

Good to know - if I ever break-down and decide to contribute to destroying my planet!

I'm sticking with my Giotto's Rocket-Blower - for now...

I also have a plenty of super-fine brushes, and LensPens for field-use. As an organic-chemist, my hands are highly dexterious from handling extremely dangerous chemicals, never managing to launch myself into the Ionosphere, or leaving Novichuk laying about like a brainless dullard. So it's a rare day I manage to get a smudge, or such, on my optics of any & all descriptions.

Exception being that Brandon #30 Magenta Filter. It's so highly polished that it literally has just flown out of my grasp - despite resorting to handling it with my wool work-gloves on. Ergo - I've had to resort to a LensPen several times now. In this same time period, I've had no cause to do more than a few 'puffs' from the Giotto's and a gentle one-way swipe of a ultra-fine brush on all the rest of my optics combined.

I hope you're listening, Vernonscope/Brandon.

Thanks' for the inspiration, Gabby! You're a real gem!!

 

Look what's crawled out of the past - a TeleVue® BandMate Mars-Filter, and at a price-point that would cause me to rip my hair out in clumps as Moe would do to Larry from The Three Stooges!

https://telescopes.net/store/telesc...ers/bmb-0125-bandmate-mars-type-b-filter.html

This out of Woodland Hills in California

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They say it looks to be like a #21 Orange Filter. Which is what I'd think I'll be staying with. Even a 'Filter-Nut' like me has their limits!

 

Wow, that is a blast from the past.