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Put the binoculars or the telescope on the tripod.It applies the same concept as a pinhole projector, but the Sun's image is projected through a magnifying lens instead of a pinhole. With a quickly assembled projector using binoculars or a telescope, it's easier to create bigger and sharper eclipse projections than with a simple pinhole projector. Because of this, astronomers and Sun-watching enthusiasts suggest using simple lenses such as the Huygens and Ramsden eyepieces when using telescopes and binoculars to project a solar eclipse. The heat can melt the cement and damage the lenses. While projection is the cheapest and one of the safest ways of viewing a solar eclipse, the direct heat of the Sun can potentially harm binocular and telescope eyepieces, particularly the more complex ones that use a specific kind of glue or cement to adhere multiple lenses and prisms together. Projecting the Sun through binoculars, a box projector, or simply 2 pieces of cardboard, is a safe and easy way to see a solar eclipse. You can seriously hurt your eyes and even go blind. Never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection. Business Date to Date (exclude holidays).Hi, you are viewing as a guest, You can only see this first post in this topic. Hope that provides some of you with a bit of inspiration. I've found that the top of the "cake" isn't flat so I may have to use blu-tak to hold things in placeĪnd here it is perched on the end of the scope: (edit 19:26 10 Mar) Here's the (almost) finished item. Whilst I was at it, in true Blue Peter fashion I made a couple of filters for my 10x50 binos out of card from a cereal packet: This assembly will be attached inside the lid (again with photo mounts) and 3 or 4 foam pads stuck around the inside to help keep the filter in place on the end of the scope. Photograph mounts are stuck to each ring (the right hand ring split, hence the masking tape):Ī square of film was cut just larger than the rings and sandwiched between them (having first removed the backing paper!) with excess film being trimmed using a sharp knife: This was repeated for the second disc so I had two black rings between which the solar film would be sandwiched: This is to give enough room for the photo mounts (the screwdriver bit is there just to support the cutter while I took the photo):
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If using a larger aperture scope I'd recommend no less than 5mm less than the radius. The disc was fixed to the board with screws and the radius cutter set to 10mm less than the radius of the disc. I then drew a 15mm diameter circle on an off-cut of fibreboard and positioned one of the discs over the top: Using the caliper I measured the diameter of the central hole in the protective discs. I'd already cut a hole on the "cake" lid to a mm or so less than the diameter of the scope's dew shield: It also makes disassembly easier should I ever need to replace the solar film. I chose to use photograph mounts in order to avoid the possibility of glue getting where it wasn't wanted (on the surface of the film). There's usually a black one at the bottom and a clear one at the top. This technique should suit any scope with an outside diameter of about 110mm The following pictures illustrate the stages of construction (though at the time of writing I haven't got a picture of the finished article as I'm waiting for paint to dry before final assembly. That's when I hit upon the idea of using a CD/DVD "cake". Articles describing home-made filters usually make use of card and, while that was a possibility, I wanted something a bit more robust. I could've bought one but one of the right size never seemed to be in stock. With the partial eclipse coming up on 20th March I thought I'd make a filter for my 'scope.