Solar Telescopes

Yes, when used as supplied and as described on the product page. Every telescope in this collection has its solar filtering built into the optical path by design, with an internal etalon and a blocking filter that removes the dangerous energy before it reaches the eyepiece. That is fundamentally different from an accessory filter you add to an ordinary telescope.

What is never safe is pointing an unfiltered telescope, binocular, or camera lens at the Sun, or using an eyepiece-end filter, sunglasses, or exposed film. Damage is immediate and permanent. If a listing says "OTA only", the required blocking filter is not included and the telescope must not be used on the Sun until one is fitted.

Hydrogen-alpha is a specific red wavelength of light, 656.28 nanometres, emitted by hydrogen in the Sun's chromosphere. A hydrogen-alpha telescope uses an etalon, a precisely spaced optical cavity, to pass only an extremely narrow slice of light around that wavelength and reject everything else.

The effect is dramatic. Instead of a blank white disc, you see the chromosphere: dark filaments snaking across the surface, bright active regions, granular texture, and prominences arcing thousands of miles off the limb. All of it changes over hours, so no two sessions look the same.

White light solar viewing filters the whole visible spectrum down to a safe level and shows the photosphere, the Sun's visible surface. You get sunspots, their penumbral structure, and faculae near the limb. It is the cheaper route and works with a telescope you already own using a full-aperture front filter or a white light wedge.

Hydrogen-alpha isolates one wavelength and shows a completely different layer, the chromosphere above the surface, where prominences and filaments live. Sunspots look different in H-alpha too. Most people who observe seriously end up wanting both, but if you only do one, hydrogen-alpha is the one that produces the "I did not know it looked like that" reaction.

The number after the B is the clear aperture of the blocking filter in microns. B600 suits visual observing and small-sensor imaging on 50mm and 60mm telescopes. B1200 covers visual use at larger apertures and most modern camera sensors. B1800 and B3400 are for full-disc imaging on large sensors and for the biggest apertures, where the solar image at the focal plane is physically larger.

Buying more blocking filter than you need is money spent on nothing. Buying less means vignetting on your camera. If you tell us your camera or your intended use, we will tell you which one fits. Contact us or call (855) 501-0541.

Double stacking adds a second etalon in front of the first, which narrows the passband from roughly 0.7 angstroms to around 0.5 angstroms. The practical result is a noticeable jump in surface contrast: filaments darken, active regions stand out, and fine detail on the disc becomes far easier to see.

The trade is brightness and cost. Prominences at the limb often look better single stacked because they are brighter. The LS230THa ships double stacked, and several other telescopes can be double stacked later with a double stack module.

The MT series can, and that is the whole point of it. The LS60MT, LS100MT, and LS130MT are genuine apochromatic refractors with a removable hydrogen-alpha module. Take the module off and you have a well-corrected night telescope for the Moon, planets, and deep sky.

The dedicated THa telescopes, the LS50THa, LS152THa, and LS230THa, are built for the Sun and are not intended as night-sky instruments. If you want one telescope for both, choose an MT or one of the Solar Ready kits built around an MT tube.

The Solar Ready kits include a matched mount or tripod, so nothing extra is needed. The telescopes sold as an optical tube need a mount rated for the weight, and for solar work a smooth altazimuth or a tracking mount makes a real difference because the Sun drifts out of a high-power field quickly.

Our mounts and stands collection covers the smaller tubes. For the 130mm and larger instruments, talk to us first so the mount is genuinely rated for the load.

Standard 1.25 inch astronomical eyepieces work, and there is no such thing as a "solar safe" eyepiece, because the filtering happens ahead of it in the telescope. That said, eyepieces designed for solar use handle the narrow-band red image well and often give better contrast.

Lunt makes a dedicated solar eyepiece range in 8, 12, 16, 19, and 27mm, plus a 7-21mm zoom that is genuinely useful because you can chase the seeing without swapping glass. Both are in our eyepieces collection.

Unlike night-sky observing, solar work is rarely limited by light. It is limited by resolution and by atmospheric seeing. A 50mm or 60mm telescope shows the full disc, clear prominences, and obvious filaments, and it is the right answer for most first-time buyers.

Going to 100mm roughly doubles the fine detail you can resolve, which matters most if you plan to image. Above that, at 130mm, 152mm, and 230mm, the atmosphere becomes the limiting factor on all but the steadiest days, so those instruments make most sense for dedicated observers, imagers, and institutions.

For white light, yes. A full-aperture front filter or a white light wedge fitted correctly turns most refractors into a safe sunspot instrument for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated telescope. Our solar filters collection has both.

For hydrogen-alpha, partly. Lunt makes full-aperture H-alpha etalon filter sets in 50mm, 60mm, and 100mm that mount on the front of a suitable refractor, and they need a matching blocking filter behind. The result is excellent, but the filter sets are not inexpensive, so compare the total against a dedicated telescope before committing.

Far less time than a night telescope. There is no dark adaptation, no polar alignment needed for visual use, and no waiting for astronomical twilight. A 50mm or 60mm on a photo tripod is observing within a couple of minutes of walking outside.

Allow a few minutes for the telescope to reach ambient temperature and for you to tune the etalon, which is a small adjustment that shifts the passband slightly to bring out either surface detail or prominences.

Every solar telescope on this page ships free within the continental United States, with no minimum order. Larger instruments ship freight and we will confirm the delivery arrangements with you before dispatch.

If you find the same model and configuration advertised for less by an authorised dealer, tell us. Our price match guarantee covers it. You can also reach us at our contact page or on (855) 501-0541.