Customer Reviews

Meade Personal Solar Telescope

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I just bought a Coronado PST a few weeks ago from Orion Telescopes via Amazon, and I love it! For years I've lusted after an H-alpha filter, but they were out of my discretionary budget. Not so with the PST. It's affordable, small, light and portable, well made and easy to use, so easy the only instructions are in a brochure.

The first sunny day after it arrived (had to wait 3 excruciating days), I anxiously set it up on a camera tripod. The PST has a threaded hole on the bottom that works with standard tripod mount screw. The built-in Sol Ranger sun finder made it safe and simple to locate the sun. I put my eye to the eyepiece, draped a dark towel over my head, adjusted the focus knob and saw an amazing arched solar prominence on the sun's limb, the biggest I've seen in the 3 weeks I've owned this scope. It was a great first view.

The supplied Kellner eyepiece works okay. I have better eyepieces from other telescopes, though, (have been a longtime night sky observer) and have enjoyed using the 18 mm most. I've also ordered a Cemax eyepiece, designed to work with Coronado solar scopes. I'm curious to see if there's much difference. It's backordered so I won't know for a few weeks.

Of note, there is a sweet spot looking through the eyepiece on the PST. It's where you get the best detail. Some people have a little trouble finding it at first. And if you have very poor eyesight, this scope probably isn't the best choice since it's the smallest in the Coronado line. However, though I'm "older" and wear strong reading glasses, I have no trouble seeing prominences and surface detail with the naked eye.

If solar photography is an interest, it will be more challenging with the PST than with a larger model. Nevertheless, browsing the Web you'll see it can be done and done well, especially if you enjoy technical tinkering and some digital image editing. There are amazing photos taken with the PST. I've tried some afocal (through the eyepiece) photography hand-holding my old Canon A85 4 MP camera. They turned out well enough to show some prominences. I was pleased to capture anything at all on the first try and using such crude technique.

I have other telescopes equipped with specially coated front-end solar filters for viewing sunspots in white light. In white light sunspots are black. In H-alpha they appear as super-intense focused regions of surface activity, and through an H-alpha filter everything is red. H-alpha shows prominences, gas jets and other solar phenomena not visible in white light. Each has its pluses, and the two complement one another.

In conclusion, the PST gives you value for your dollar. The views are unique, a thrill, and more than I would have imagined in a budget solar telescope. The sun is approaching maximum activity in its current cycle, and I can't wait for more days observing with this remarkable little gem.

UPDATE:
-After experimentation following some online tips, I've been able to capture surface detail with the digital camera.
-The Cemax 12 mm eyepiece arrived. It provides slightly better contrast, detail and a crisper view to my eyes. Now I'm waiting for the solar tracking tripod :-)

Anyone looking at this review has probably done quite a bit of googling on the PST already so I am only going to add a few notes to what is already out there.

First off, quit debating and just get the darn thing!

Then, when you do get it, set it up on a tripod that allows you to sit in a chair, find the sun in the finder, throw a blanket over your head (I have determined that this is key for great viewing) and get to viewing. Ignore the manual and adjust the tuner. This will really help you see the prominences.

Then, swap out the eyepiece for something with more zoom. So far my favorite views have been through my 13mm TeleVue Nagler type 6 w/ 2.5 Powermate. Did I mention the need for a blanket over your head for best viewing? BTW, I have seen reviews that suggest that the Naglers won't focus in the PST. For me anyway that has proven false. My 13mm has been great with and without the powermate.

I was going to get the double stack but went single to test the waters. Right now I am super happy with my decision because I have already spent the difference on items that I believe will add more value than the extra filter (an equatorial mount with motor and a Baader Hyperion 8-24mm zoom eyepiece). I'll update my review when those items show up.

EDIT------

So I just received a Baader Hyperion 8-24mm zoom MkIII and it has reconfirmed my choice in saving money by going single stack and spending the money on a new eyepiece. Combined with my 2.5 powermate the zoom eyepiece is AMAZING. I can zoom all the way in and really see the prominences in their full glory.

Clear skies!

Coronado PST 40mm H-alpha Solar telescope is small telescope but with impressive images of the nearest star to us
It's so small, so light in weight, well designed.

Align to see the sun it's no complicated, just have to see a little bright spot in a small pinhole. I have added an Orion equatorial table mount EQ1, and the follow step by step as the sun moves in the sky it's so easy.

The image in the ocular is red, it have to buttons (tunning mechanics) and (focus knob) to focus the finest image.
when it's done, the detail of sun image of impressive.

I can see prominences that change in dancing forms, shy sun spots , filaments, over a rugged sun surface.

I've owned this scope for a number of years now and am very pleased with the purchase. A very fun scope to take out on a decent sunny day and observe the sun with.

Generally speaking this scope is used to view such things as solar prominences and filaments. One can view sunspots too but they aren't as easy to see when compared to a "white light" scope.

Most hydrogen-alpha scopes are very expensive. For example a Coronado Solarmax 40 is about $1300.

If you are a complete newbie to using a telescope this one is very user friendly and setup is very easy. Aiming the scope is easy due to the built in sun finder. After proper focusing you need to adjust the tuner ring on the scope. This will adjust the bandwidth of light you are looking at. Because filaments, proms and other features give off light at a narrow bandwidth, it is important to get this right. It is pretty easy to do though, just look through the scope and turn the ring until you either see proms or you see surface details. Once you adjust the tuning ring you rarely have to adjust it again. Sometimes I do just to make sure it isn't out of tuning (temp allegedly will affect it).

My first time using the scope I thought it was broken because no matter what I did with the tuning I didn't see any detail. However after trying a couple of times I suddenly saw this beautiful looping prominence. It just jumps out as soon as you tune it correctly. After that it is like riding a bike.

There are some things you may want to purchase along with this scope such as a couple of good eyepieces and a sturdy mount (even a good camera tripod will work). Coronado sells their CEMax eyepieces that are supposed to show more detail... not sure if they do but I own their 12mm eyepiece and it works well enough.

Another thing you might want to purchase (or make) is a sun shield to block the sun from your face and scope as you look through the eyepiece. You can google online for one or just make one out of cardboard. Trust me it is a royal pain to look through the scope and be blinded by all the surrounding light. This isn't so bad if you are inside a house aiming the scope through a window (like during winter). Sometimes even a baseball cap is good enough.

When I bought this scope it was the only one in the sub $600 price range. Lunt now makes one a little cheaper and smaller than this one. I haven't looked through one so I cannot compare. Reviews are mixed where some prefer the PST and others like the Lunt. I don't think the Lunt has a double stacking filter (yet). The PST does which will give the user much more detail. That said, the double stack filter is as much as the telescope.

Pros:
Very sturdy. I think it is made of aircraft aluminum.
Easy to setup.

Cons: Photography can be done and some people are very successful with it (google for some results). That said, it isn't really "made" for photography compared to the more expensive scopes. That said, I've seen some nice PST pics that came out well.