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LUMICON Nebula Filters
The Deep Sky ,
Hydrogen-Beta , Oxygen III , and Ultra High Contrast Filters are the result of 20 years of steady design
improvements, and continue to deliver the highest performance of all anti-light pollution filters
obtainable today. The following information recommends which filter to use on which celestial objects, and
explains how filter transmissions differ.
Objects |
Examples |
Best Filter for Viewing |
Best Filter for Photography |
Stars & Star Clusters |
M13, M11 |
None |
Deep Sky |
Diffuse Nebulae |
Lagoon, Swan |
OIII (light polluted sky) Deep Sky, UHC (dark sky) |
Deep Sky |
Planetary Nebulae |
Dumbbell, Ring |
OIII (light polluted sky) Deep Sky, UHC (dark sky) |
Deep Sky |
Faint Planetary Nebulae |
NGC 7293, Abell 33, Jones 1 |
OIII |
Deep Sky |
Reflection Nebulae |
Pleiades, Trifid |
Deep Sky |
Deep Sky |
Spiral Galaxies |
M33, M101 |
None |
Deep Sky |
Faint Nebulae |
Veil, Rosette, N. American |
OIII (light polluted sky) Deep Sky, UHC (dark sky) |
Deep Sky |
Extremely Faint Nebulae |
California, Horsehead |
H-Beta |
Night-Sky H-Alpha
Deep Sky |
Deep Sky Filter
- Intended for viewing nebulae from light-polluted skies.
- Blocks all mercury vapor and high & low pressure sodium vapor lamp light, neon lights and
airglow, while transmitting the rest of the visible spectrum.
- The best all-around visual light pollution filter for use in urban skies.
- This filter also provides high-contrast views of the Martian polar caps
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Ultra High Contrast Filter
- Narrow band pass filter (24nm) isolates the two doubly ionized oxygen lines (496 and 501nm) and
the hydrogen-beta line (486nm) emitted by planetary and most emission nebulae.
- Provides superb views of the Orion, Lagoon, Swan and other extended nebulae.
- The best all-around dark-sky nebular filter available.
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Oxygen III Filter
- Narrow band pass filter (11nm) isolates just the two doubly ionized oxygen lines (496nm and
501nm) emitted by planetary and extremely faint nebulae.
- Produces near-photographic views of the Veil, Ring, Dumbbell, Orion, plus many other nebula.
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Hydrogen-Beta Filter
- Extremely narrow bandpass filter isolating the hydrogen-beta line alone (486nm).
- Excellent for viewing the Horsehead, Cocoon and California Nebulae.
- Often the only way to view certain nebulae.
- It is best used under clear skies with large aperture.
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Comet Filter
- Designed to enhance the cyanogen (CN) frequency found in comet tails.
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Exit Pupil Specifications:
The exit pupil of a telescope is a measure of
specific magnification, which differs from absolute magnification, and which determines the surface
brightness of an extended object image. Exit pupil diameter may be expressed as the quotient of eyepiece
focal length divided by the telescope's focal ratio. For example, a 32mm eyepiece used on an f/10 telescope will
have a 3.2mm exit pupil. Each Lumicon filter has an optimum eyepiece exit pupil range shown below.
Filter Type |
Deep Sky |
UHC |
OIII |
H-Beta |
Bandpass |
90nm |
22-26nm |
10-12nm |
8-10nm |
Optimum Exit Pupil
(Light-polluted sky) |
0.5-2mm |
1-4mm |
2-5mm |
3-7mm |
Optimum Exit Pupil
(Dark sky) |
1-4mm |
2-6mm |
3-7mm |
4-7mm |
Notice:
As filter bandpass decreases, optimum exit pupil size
tends to increase. To determine the best eyepiece focal length to use with a given filter, simply multiply the
Exit Pupil value shown above by your telescope's focal ratio. For example, if you are using the Lumicon H-Beta
filter at a dark site and your telescope has an f/6 focal ratio, the best range of eyepiece focal lengths to
use with this filter is [(4 to 7) x 6] = 24mm to 42mm.
Filter Construction:
Lumicon nebula filters are made using thin-film
dielectric coatings on optically flat glass. These exclusively designed dielectric coatings consist of over
30 alternating layers of several different materials. Each layer is about a wavelength of light thick and has
a thickness accurate to 2 - 3 angstroms. Lumicon nebula filters include anti-reflection coatings on both sides
to prevent ghosting and increase light transmittance. They also have a hard, electron-beam deposited coating
for mechanical protection. While still delicate, Lumicon filters may be carefully cleaned with isopropyl alcohol,
or Lumicon’s Advanced Cleaning Kit.
Mechanical Design:
These filters thread directly into most eyepieces and
telescope accessories. Threads are standard for 1.25" filters. 48mm filters are standard for 2" O.D.
eyepieces.
Bandpass:
These Lumicon filters reject man-made and natural
light pollution. Mercury light pollution occurs at 365, 405, 436, 546, 577, and 617nm. High-pressure sodium
streetlights emit at 570, 583, 600, and 617nm. Natural airglow occurs at 558 and more weakly at 630nm. There is
a window of greatly reduced light pollution from 440nm (blue) to 540nm (green). The Lumicon Deep Sky Filter has
a wide 90-100nm bandpass for most of this range (441-535nm) to yield maximum transmission of light from
stars and galaxies. The UHC Filter has a narrow 22nm bandpass through 484-506nm. The OIII Filter has a very
narrow 11nm bandpass for 495-501nm, and the H-beta Filter has the narrowest bandpass of all - only 8nm
centered at 486nm. The narrower the bandpass, the higher the rejection of light pollution and the blacker the
skies. However, a narrower bandpass also means fainter star images. Nevertheless, the Deep Sky Filter has high
transmission for the photographic red nebula emission lines.
Nebula Emission Lines:
The main visible radiation from emission nebulae
consists of doubly ionized oxygen near the wavelength of 500nm. There is also weaker emission due to
hydrogen-beta at 486nm. The invisible but photographically important emission of red
hydrogen-alpha and ionized nitrogen occur near 657nm.
LUMICON Color and Neutral Density Filters
The Lumicon Color and Neutral Density Filters are
made from renowned Schott and Hoya optical glass and allow for maximum contrast on viewing planetary and
lunar detail. Individually precision ground, highly polished with maximum light transmission coatings on
both sides, these filters are 100% guaranteed for life.
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#8 Light Yellow
Moon: Feature Contrast
Mars: Maria
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Orange-Red Zonal
Uranus: Dusky Detail
Neptune: Dusky Detail
#11 Yellow-Green
Mars: Maria
Jupiter: Clouds
Jupiter: Red/Blue Contrast
Saturn: Clouds
Saturn: Cassini Division
Saturn: Red/Blue Contrast
#12 Yellow
Moon: Feature Contrast
Mars: Blue-Green Areas
Jupiter: Red-Orange Features
Saturn: Clouds
Saturn: Red-Orange Features
#15 Dark Yellow
Moon: Feature Contrast
Mars: Clouds
Mars: Polar Caps
Jupiter: Belts
Saturn: Belts
Uranus: Dusky Detail
Neptune: Dusky
Detail #21 Orange
Mars: Maria
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Polar Regions
Saturn: Belts
Saturn: Polar Regions
#23A Light Red
Mercury: Planet/Sky Contrast
Mars: Maria
Mars: Blue-Green Areas
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Polar Regions
Saturn: Belts
Saturn: Polar Regions
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#25 Red
Mercury: Features
Venus: Planet/Sky Contrast
Venus: Terminator
Mars: Maria
Mars: Polar Caps
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Galilean Moon Transits
Saturn: Clouds
#29 Dark Red
Mercury: Features
Venus: Planet/Sky Contrast
Venus: Terminator
Mars: Maria
Mars: Polar Caps
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Galilean Moon Transits
Saturn: Clouds
#38A Dark Blue
Venus: Clouds
Mars: Dust Storms
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Great Red Spot
Jupiter: Disc
Saturn: Belts
#47 Violet
Venus: Clouds
Mars: Polar Caps
Saturn: Rings
#56 Light Green
Moon: Detail
Mars: Dust Storms
Mars: Polar Caps
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Atmosphere
Jupiter: Red/Blue/Light Contrast
#58 Green
Venus: Clouds
Mars: Polar Caps
Jupiter: Red/Blue/Light Contrast
Saturn: Belts
Saturn: Polar Regions
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#80A Blue
Moon: Feature Contrast
Jupiter: Belts
Jupiter: Rilles
Jupiter: Festoons
Jupiter: Great Red Spot
Saturn: Belts
Saturn: Polar Regions
#82A Light Blue
Moon: Low-Contrast Features
Mars: Low-Contrast Features
Jupiter: Low-Contrast Features
Saturn: Low-Contrast Features
ND13 Neutral Density
13% Transmission
Moon: Glare Reduction
Double Stars: Bright Primary
ND25 Neutral Density
25% Transmission
ND50 Neutral Density
50% Transmission
Single Polarizing Filter
Rotating Polarizing Filter
Moon: Glare Reduction or Variable Transmission
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Object |
Features |
Recommended Filter |
Mercury |
Planet/Sky Contrast |
#23A Light Red
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Features |
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red |
Venus |
Clouds |
#38A Deep Blue
#47 Violet
#58 Green |
Planet/Sky Contrast |
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red |
Terminator |
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red |
Moon |
Detail |
#56 Light Green |
Feature Contrast |
#8 Light Yellow
#12 Yellow
#15 Deep Yellow
#80A Blue |
Low Contrast Features |
#82A Light Blue |
Glare Reduction |
ND13 Neutral Density |
Mars |
Clouds |
#15 Deep Yellow |
Maria |
#8 Light Yellow
#15 Deep Yellow
#11 Yellow-Green
#21 Orange
#23A Light Red
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red |
Blue-Green Areas |
#12 Yellow
#23A Light Red |
Dust Storms |
#38A Deep Blue
#56 Light Green |
Polar Caps |
#15 Deep Yellow
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red BR>#47 Violet
#56 Light Green
#58 Green
Deep Sky Filter |
Low Contrast Features |
#82A Light Blue |
Jupiter |
Clouds |
#11 Yellow-Green |
Belts |
#8 Light Yellow
#15 Deep Yellow
#21 Orange
#23A Light Red
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red
#38A Deep Blue
#56 Light Green
#80A Blue |
Rilles |
#80A Blue |
Festoons |
#80A Blue |
Atmosphere |
#56 Light Green |
Red-Orange Features |
#12 Yellow |
Orange-Red Zonal |
#8 Light Yellow |
Red/Blue Contrast |
#11 Yellow-Green |
Blue/Light Contrast |
#25 Red |
Great Red Spot |
#38A Deep Blue
#80A Blue |
Galilean Moon Transits |
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red |
Red/Blue/Light Contrast |
#56 Light Green
#58 Green |
Polar Regions |
#21 Orange
#23A Light Red |
Disc |
#38A Deep Blue |
Low Contrast Features |
#82A Light Blue |
Saturn |
Clouds |
#11 Yellow-Green
#12 Yellow
#25 Red
#29 Deep Red |
Belts |
#15 Deep Yellow
#21 Orange
#23A Light Red
#38A Deep Blue
#58 Green
#80A Blue |
Polar regions |
#21 Orange
#23A Light Red
#58 Green
#80A Blue |
Rings |
#47 Violet |
Cassini Division |
#11 Yellow-Green |
Red/Blue Contrast |
#11 Yellow-Green |
Red/Orange Features |
#12 Yellow |
Low Contrast Features |
#82A Light Blue |
Uranus |
Dusky detail |
#8 Light Yellow
#15 Deep Yellow |
Neptune |
Dusky detail |
#8 Light Yellow
#15 Deep Yellow |
Double Stars |
Bright Primary |
ND13 Neutral Density |
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