Ok so i bought a Lumicon Ultra High Contrast filter for nebulas yesterday and was totally blown away by what i saw blue/green nebulas. Now this has peaked my interest in filters so what other filters would be worth while getting, I have a LPR but I have to figure out how it installs on my scope since it doesn't appear to be the standard screw mount. Also the binoviewer looks interesting what are your thoughts on that as well.

I thought the Celestron filter screwed in to the eyepiece same as the Lumicon. In any case they are very similar in performance so I'd only keep one. The Lumicon since you know it works for you.

You might find this article useful
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1520

Most users have a UHC type filter, exact name varies by brand. For the most help for the most nebula the UHC is the first one to get. Then you will likely want to add an OIII type filter for those nebula it is a bit better with than the UHC type. Unless money is burning a hole in your pocket I don't recomment the H-beta type as it helps only a very limited selection of nebula, Horsehead and California are two that come to mind. It can be interesting to view very bright nebula like M42 with both the H-beta and OIII as each singles out a different ionization level and element's distribution so the view does change quite a bit going from one to the other.

General light pollution filters I've found to be of little use. Most light pollution is too broad banded for their wide passband. Though since local sky conditions aren't the same everywhere I can't rule it out for your area since I'm unfamiliar with it. Still I'd be surprised if it was of much help. They never have been anyplace I've tried them. They are supposed to help galaxies and star clusters but I find going to a smaller exit pupil (higher powers) helps more than such filters.

The reason the nebula became blue-green is the UHC only passes a narrow portion of the spectrum and that is in the blue-green part of it. The color isn't diluted by other frequencies.

Rick

Thanks for the info that article is very helpful. So you can stack these filters. I never thought about that maybe once i get the OIII I will mess around with it just to see the results. The LPR filter looks like it would fit a 2" eyepiece but then i tried it on the 2" and it wouldn't work there either so i don't know exactly what i have yet. So many pieces its like a big puzzle trying to get it all to work together. ill post a picture of it later and im sure you can tell what it is. I also have a skylight filter which im assuming is close to the LPR filter. If i cant find a use for these ill sell them on ebay and put the money towards a good OIII filter. I think i am all set with eyepieces now.. All i have to do is start finding some objects in the sky..

My terminology was a bit poor. I meant add the OIII to your filter collection, not to stack it with your UHC.

Rick

hehe thats ok.. its not like i knew any better.. thanks to your help i found Saturn tonight without the computer and it was pretty clear i could see the rings separated from the planet. I still like the nebula with the filter that is my favorite so far. Are there any more nebula's that are just as easy to find with that filter. I am taking my son on our first dark sky outing this next weekend with our club here in vegas. I am a little worried i am going to feel out of place because we are so new at this but if we don't go we will never learn. Its also a good time to ask for some help with that goto computer and have someone show me how to properly align the scope.

While the H-Beta is probably one of the less-used nebula filters, the commonly expressed idea that it works only on a handful of objects is not really true. Here is a list of the more prominent objects that the H-Beta may be at least somewhat useful on (at least in a 10 inch aperture). Some may require larger apertures, but a few have been seen from a dark sky site by just holding the filter up to the unaided eye and looking at the sky). Some of these will also be helped by a narrow-band filter like the Lumicon UHC.

1. IC 434 (HORSEHEAD NEBULA)
2. NGC 1499 (CALIFORNIA NEBULA, naked eye and RFT)
3. M43 (part of the Great Orion Nebula)
4. IC 5146 (COCOON NEBULA in Cygnus)
5. M20 (TRIFID NEBULA, main section)
6. NGC 2327 (diffuse nebula in Monoceros)
7. IC 405 (the FLAMING STAR NEBULA in Auriga)
8. IC 417 (diffuse Nebula in Auriga)
9. IC 1283 (diffuse Nebula in Sagittarius)
10. IC 1318 GAMMA CYGNI NEBULA (diffuse nebula in Cygnus)
11. IC 2177: (Diffuse Nebula, Monoceros)
12. IC 5076 (diffuse nebula, Cygnus)
13. PK64+5.1 "CAMPBELL'S HYDROGEN STAR" Cygnus (PNG 64.7+5.0)
14. Sh2-235 (diffuse nebula in Auriga).
15. Sh2-276 "BARNARD'S LOOP" (diffuse nebula in Orion, naked eye)
16. IC 2162 (diffuse nebula in northern Orion)
17 Sh2-254 (diffuse nebula in northern Orion near IC 2162)
18. Sh2-256-7 (diffuse nebula in northern Orion near IC 2162)
19. vdB93 (Gum-1) (diffuse nebula in Monoceros near IC 2177)
20. Lambda Orionis nebular complex (very large, naked-eye)

In addition, a number of the brighter nebulae like NGC 7000 or M42 will respond to H-Beta use for revealing certain specific detail, although other filters may provide a somewhat better view overall. Clear skies to you.

__________________
David W. Knisely KA0CZC@navix.net
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/