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Meade / Coronado 40mm 0.5A PST - Double Stack H-Alpha Solar Telescope

4.8 (4 Reviews) Read Reviews Write Review
Brand Coronado
Part Number 0.5PST
Availability available

Product Info

Manufacturer Description

Coronado PST - Double-Stack chosen as a Sky and Telescope "25 HOT Products" for 2011!

Once a year, Sky and Telescope magazine reviews new product introductions and through its rigorous evaluation process, identifies 25 items worthy of its prestigious "HOT Product" award. Meade is proud to announce that their Coronado PST - Double Stack was chosen to receive this award in 2011. The fact that the PST was the only solar observation product chosen this year makes the award even more special. Sky and Telescope summarizes its review by stating that the double-stacked PST is "...in a class by it self..." Its optical performance is better than "... telescopes costing significantly more money".

"Since its introduction in 2004, Coronado's PST (short for Personal Solar Telescope) has been recognized as the most cost-effective way to view the Sun in hydrogen-alpha light. But the view gets even better when you "stack" a second etalon filter in front of the PST's objective, narrowing the passband to approximately 0.5 angstrom. The only H-alpha views we've seen that are better are with telescopes costing significantly more money. That puts the double-stack PST in a class by itself, and that, in our opinion, makes it a Hot Product."

 

The Personal Solar Telescope (PST) is a Coronado innovation. The world's most popular telescope to observe the Sun. This 40mm diameter highly portable dedicated solar telescope features completly internal non-removable and student safe solar filtering optics with a 0.5 angstrom hydrogen-alpha (Ha) bandpass for great surface detail. The PST will show you the dynamic, ever changing prominences at the edge of the Sun as well as filaments and other surface details in amazing detail, all in the brilliant and distinctive red color of hydrogen-alpha light.

Study of the solar disk is now within the reach of the amateur astronomer. The PST represents the same technology and quality that goes into a SolarMax series telescope available to the new solar astronomer at the cost of some single premium eyepieces.

Features a 40mm diameter dedicated Ha optical system with dual etalons combined in a double stack configuration (20mm internal, 40mm external) which provides a very narrow

Mounting options include use on a standard photo tripod (scope is threaded for a standard camera 1/4-20 mounting bolt), use of a Coronado Malta table top tripod (sold separately) or the Meade DSM mount (sold separately) with computerized Autostar and GoTo technology. Open up a whole new world of astronomy with the Coronado PST.

Features:

  • 40mm aperture
  • Dedicated Ha telescope with full aperture 40mm external tunable double stacked dual etalons
  • 20mm Kellner eyepiece
  • 400mm FL
  • 0.5A bandwidth

Product carries five year factory limited warranty (within US/Canada only).

Reviews

4.8 (Based on 4 Reviews) 100% of reviewers recommended this product.
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    1. Guest

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      Review by DAEWON K.
      1536657957
      Sep 11, 2018

      5.0 Movable solar telescope

      Pros:

      Cons:

      Comments:

      The details of the sun's surface look pretty

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    2. Guest

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      Review by Stephen L.
      1493039989
      Apr 24, 2017

      5.0 Solar Bliss

      Pros:

      Cons:

      Comments:

      Our astronomy club has 3 of these scopes and they offer wonderful views. That is what hooked me.
      I opted for the double-stack version to obtain more detailed views of the solar disc. Of all my astronomy gear, this is now my most used scope.
      We have been blessed to have a more active phase of the sun and this little scope provides magnificent views. A couple of our club members have $25K and $30K solar scopes. I was going to convert my AP Starfire 102 into a solar scope until I priced out all of the components. That made the Coronado PST Double-Stack seem cheap by comparison.
      I am thrilled with performance of this little scope. Yes, it would be nice to have more aperture, but this little guy is fast to set up and rewarding.
      I fabricated a 8" Vixen dovetail with 2) 2 inch pipe hangars lined with 3/32" neoprene rubber.. Wing nuts on the pipe hangars allow the scope to be positioned as needed. I use a Celestron AVX equatorial mount for Sun Parties and solar imaging. A heavy photo tripod (Monfrotto) is used for rapid viewing and casual observing. My alt/az go-to mount does not track worth a damn with lack of guide star coordinates during daylight hours.
      I have a viewing log book which I am filling with solar activity sketches. It is looking quite impressive. Will be imaging soon with Skyris 236M.

      To sum it up, this Coronado is worth every cent and is providing wonderful views for myself and the solar courteous.

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    3. Guest

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      Review by Steve L
      1491114062
      Apr 1, 2017

      4.0 Very Surprised

      Pros:

      Cons:

      Comments:

      I purchased the double stack version. This scope is a bit quirky to get to know, but once you use it and learn, it is very rewarding. Mine got 1st light this morning. I was shocked at the prominences at five locations around the solar limb with the stock PST. Working on tuning and focus the scope was giving very good detail with the stock eye piece. Mine was supplied with an 18mm. I have a few Televue Plosls and found they would almost come to focus at the extreme end. The Baader Hyperion 13mm gave very good views again near the end of the focus travel. Put in a Sirius 10mm Plosl and illumination was uniform with the entire disk visible. One has to move the sweet spot around to capture detail over the entire disk. Once the tuning was worked out I put on the Solar Max II. Viewing becomes more fussy but revealing vast amounts of detail. What a reward. I went back to stock configuration with 10mm and spent 5 hrs sketching the views. Quite a change over that time period.
      Tips: Using a lower power puts you in uneven illumination of the disk. Eyepieces of 10-12 mm give even coverage illumination. The scope still needs to be moved to get the proper area of the etalon(s) showing best detail.
      I would say this has been a good purchase. CN reviews suggest adding a IR/UV cut filter (or better) to prolong the life of the IFR filter in the etalon is a good idea. I wish mine to last a long time, so the filter is on its way.
      Yes, this scope is an entry level, but it is very rewarding. I have an Astro-Pysics which I was researching conversion to H-a and the cost was prohibitive by a factor of 4 or more, plus the longevity of the electronic filter posed some serious questions. A reviewer owned 8 with only 3 working over a 3 years ($1200 ea).

      Coronado PST has many shortfalls but it can supply reliably wonderful views. I am glad to have made the purchase.

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

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      Review by GrandPrixChris of Genesee County, MI.
      1386720000
      Dec 10, 2013

      5.0 Solar views are amazing through the PST!

      Pros:

      Accurate,Safe,Easy to Use,Useful For Educating,Compact,Great Resolution,Portable

      Cons:

      Comments:

      I have had the Meade Coronado PST with the SolarMax 40mm external Etalon (Double Stack) for just over two months. The Coronado PST is an excellent entry level solar telescope. The 20mm eyepiece that comes with the PST is okay but you will most likely want to use a better eyepiece you may have in your collection; I usually use a 6mm and a zoom (8mm to 24mm) eyepiece. You can slip in an imaging camera with the proper length 1.25" nose piece for imaging depending on what camera you use.
      I use the PST on a camera tripod most of the time because it is just easier to take with you but with the right L bracket you can put the PST on a NexStar side fork mount, if you would like the convenience of tracking. There is a small sight glass area on the top of the PST that projects a small white dot (which is light from the sun shining through its little window) that helps you get the sun centered in the field of view. However, the small sight glass window gets a little obstructed when you put the external Etalon on but you can still use it to get a somewhat decent aim.
      There is a "Richview" tuning ring (rubber ring) that is against the body of the PST that allows you to tune in just sunspots to plages to prominences to filaments just by turning the "Richview" ring; all of these at times can be seen at the same time but turning the ring gives you a more pronounced sweet spot for each it seems. Installing the external Etalon is easy but if you are using a camera tripod you will have to re-adjust the balance of the whole scope assembly since it adds a good bit of weight. Adding the Etalon gives you an enhanced view of the surface of the sun; plages are more pronounced as well as filaments and other structures. The external Etalon has its own "Richview" tuning ring and alternating adjustments between the scope's tuning ring and the external Etalon's will give you different views. The price of the external Etalon and the scope are close to the amount of a 60mm Coronado. You may want to consider just buying the scope by itself if you are thinking of going bigger in the future for imaging purposes; although you can image with the PST nicely, it just takes a little more finesse.
      I just love the incredible views I get and my wife (who is not an astronomy fan) is impressed with the structures she has seen on the sun. I have used the PST about as much as I have my night time scopes (maybe a little more). For the longest time, I thought that our sun was a boring ball for fire but after seeing other people's images, reports and viewing it with the PST I am totally hooked! Dealing with Agena is always a pleasure and I keep coming back because to the great service and products they provide!

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

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      Specifications

      Telescope Aperture 1.57" (40mm)
      Manufacturer Coronado
      Telescope Aperture Up to 80mm
      Telescope Series Coronado PST