Astrosolar Filter Material Baader Planetarium

IMPORTANT: AstroSolar Safety Film is NOT authorized to be used for naked eye solar observation or production of solar viewers or eclipse glasses. For direct solar viewing without a telesope, binocular or camera optics, look for eclipse glasses with the following certification: ISO 12312-2:2015.

Our Take

This loose sheet solar film can be cut to specific sizes to match any of your optical gear. When placed entirely over a front aperture, it transforms your scope into a sun-safe viewing instrument. The film produces a white light image, allowing the view of the surface disk and any sunspots. The two different size options (A4 and 1/2 square meter) provide the versatility to outfit many different viewing instruments.

This is a great way to get the gear you are already familiar with ready to safely view the entire Great American Eclipse on August 21st. Cut out the correct size based on the aperture you need, and glue the film in between 2 layers of cardboard, and you’re all set.

Description

Who Should Order AstroSolar® Safety Film??

Everyone in the continental U.S., Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and parts of Alaska, Canada and South America will experience partial phases of the eclipse. If you plan to use a telescope, binoculars or your camera, you must use a proper solar filter on the front of your objective lens to protect your eyes. DO NOT use an eyepiece filter since it is likely to crack under intense heat from the sun, which can cause damage to your eyes. .

AstroSolar® Safety Film 5.0 Optical Density (OD) is a very cost-effective and very high quality material to make your own solar filter. Be sure to order early for the best pricing and availability so that you can safely enjoy watching the partial phases as the moon covers the sun.

Optical Quality

Astro-Physics is synonymous with optical quality so you know we are very particular about the solar filters that we recommend. AstroSolar® Safety film from Baader Planetarium produces the highest contrast and sharpness possible in your visual or photographic image, thus preserving the performance of your telescope. As you observe the partial phases before and after totality, you will see sunspots and surface granulation in fine detail.

The solar image is a very pleasing natural white without false blue or orange color. Other films and most glass filters produce a blurry bluish or reddish solar image, thereby cutting part of the spectrum. Especially with a falsely-colored orange sun, it is difficult to see faculae regions which are visible predominantly in the blue region of the spectrum.

Due to its neutral color balance, AstroSolar enables the use of various color or interference filters, which allow the observer to concentrate on certain spectral passbands for investigations of different layers within the solar “atmosphere”.

Eye Safety

AstroSolar® is essentially free of pinholes. The patented, high-density coatings are deposited on both sides. As a result, the chance of two pinholes overlapping each other is extremely low. Baader AstroSolar® safety film has been approved by the National Bureau of Standards for eye safety in Germany and is CE tested and approved. All processes connected to this product have been thoroughly tested. Coatings are inspected constantly for consistency to ensure your eye safety!

Important note: AstroSolar® 5.0 is NOT designed to work as an “eclipse shade” or handheld solar filter and is NOT suitable for naked eye solar observation.

AstroSolar® film was designed to serve as a precision optical window for telescopic and photographic solar observation without deteriorating the optical wavefront. AstroSolar film must be used in front of the optical element of an astronomical telescope, telephoto lens or binocular. For visual observation, you must view through an eyepiece. Do not make a handheld solar filter and hold it directly in front of your eyes.

History and Goal of AstroSolar®

The development of AstroSolar® was only possible due to the incredible demand during the 1999 eclipse in Europe. Dozens of miles of film were destroyed during tests to produce the tooling and process techniques necessary to develop an absolutely uniform molecular structure for the substrate. Not to mention the related treatments, annealing and dual side coating that the film undergoes until it has attained the desired properties. The goal was to provide an inexpensive filter material that would preserve the optical quality of telescopes and binoculars throughout Europe. Since that time, observers around the world have used AstroSolar® for daily solar viewing as well as special events like solar eclipses and the Venus Transit in 2012.

Order Information

AstroSolar™ is available in sheet form in two sizes: 200 x 290mm (7.9″ x 11.4″) or 500 x 1000mm (19.7″ x 39.4″) so that you can make your own filters very inexpensively.

• BAADER AstroSolar™ Density 5 – Visual
• #AS50A4 A4 size , 200 x 290mm (7.9″ x 11.4″)
• #AS50HM 1/2 meter size, 500 x 1000mm (19.7″ x 39.4″)

Each order will come with these instructions:
“How To Build Your Own Solar Filter for Telescopes, Binoculars and Cameras”
“Constructing a Solar Filter for Binoculars with Baader AstroSolar® Film”
“Baader Planetarium – Technical and Safety Information”