The Sun-Geometer Sun Finder for Telescopes is a unique, purpose-built accessory to mount on your telescope to help view the Sun. It is designed to be esthetically pleasing as well as functional.
The Sun-Geometer Sun Finder for Telescopes was created by Bob Schalck, an optical research engineer who, for over 30 years, was one of the instructors at the Chabot Telescope Makers Workshop and a judge at RTMC. In his spare time, he offers practical astronomy accessories like the TELMAT (Telescope Mirror Alignment Tool) collimation tool.
As Schalck notes, “With the upcoming solar eclipses in October and April 2024 and the strong interest in observing the solar max activity, we designed a simple, easy to use, sun finder to mount on your solar telescope. It could also be used for solar panels or stove. It’s called the Sun-Geometer offered in a laser cut kit. The front face has a whimsical art image of the sun with a projection cross and target.”
The Sun-Geometer Sun finder offers a unique auto-cross feature. After the finder is mounted and adjusted to the field of view (FOV) of the telescope, the projected image is displayed on the target face. If the image is left or right horizontally of the circle, a horizontal line is visible. If the image is up or down vertically, a vertical line is visible.
As the telescope is adjusted and the image is positioned closer to the circle the cross appears, then move the telescope until the cross is superposed on the target. The target is a standard alignment cross for easy positioning of the image to the center circle. The face and target have mounting wings (mouse ears) to fit a wide range of surfaces, curved and flat. The finder’s dimensions are 85 X 40 X 50 mm.
The Sun-Geometer Sun finder kit contains the following: front face, target, mounting /spacer dowel bar and two brass screws for the assembly. The easy-to-follow instructions will show how to complete the kit assembly and align the face to the target. The parts are made of precision laser cut birch plywood and a pre-drilled dowel spacer with a 5 mm hole for screw mounting. Rubber bands could also be used. The target back is flat for solar panels or stove mounting.
The cost is $19.95 each with free shipping in the US. To learn more about the Sun-Geometer Sun Finder for Telescopes you can email oceaniclaserworks@gmail.com.
The Sun is more active than it’s been in years and if that’s not enough, we have the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023 and the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024! If you’d like to learn more about the technology behind solar observing, solar imaging and more, you can check out our free publication, “The Definitive Guide to Viewing and Imaging the Sun”. You don’t have to sign up or provide any information, simply click here and enjoy reading!
And to make it easier for you to get the most extensive news, articles and reviews that are only available in the magazine pages of Astronomy Technology Today, we are offering a 1-year magazine subscription for only $6! Or, for an even better deal, we are offering 2 years for only $9. Click here to get these deals which only will be available for a very limited time. You can also check out a free sample issue here.