Hot take: don't stack your telescope filters like I did

I thought I was being clever stacking a moon filter and a light pollution filter together to get a better look at Jupiter through my 8-inch dob in my backyard in Tucson. All I got was a blurry green blob that made me think something was wrong with my mirror. Turns out stacking filters on a planetary target just kills your contrast and sharpness. Learned this after 2 hours of frustration and a call to the guy at the local astronomy shop. He said one filter is plenty for viewing, and stacking them is only for specific astrophotography rigs. Has anyone else made this rookie mistake with their eyepieces?

3 comments

3 Comments

paige1665d agoTop Commenter

Swapped my stack for a single Baader Neodymium filter and it made a huge difference on Jupiter. That one filter cuts the blue glare and sharpens the bands without washing everything out. Also backed off the magnification a bit, kept it under 200x with my 10-inch dob.

kimw574d ago

Really glad to hear that filter worked out for you, @paige166. I struggled with blue glare from my 10-inch dob for months and it made Jupiter look like a blurry mess most nights. Dropping the magnification under 200x is something I learned the hard way too, it makes a World of difference with contrast on the gas giants. Might have to look into that Baader filter myself since my current setup still washes out the band details a bit in bad seeing.

the_miles4d ago

Tucson skies are usually solid, but stacking filters just turns planets into muddy soup. One good filter is all you need.