Astronomik SII CCD Filter

This SII-CCD Filter is suitable for imaging of SII-regions from observation sites with light pollution and from dark sites as well. The contrast between an object glowing at 672nm and the background is increased enormous!

Due to the combination of the narrow bandwidth and the high transmission of typically 96% the filter gives you an enormous contrast boost, as all unwanted light from other wavelengths than 672nm is blocked form UV up to the IR. This results in an extremly dark background.

The FWHM of 6nm is matched to give you optimal performance with CCD and CMOS sensors with a very low dark current! The 6nm filter is the best choice if you are observing from a heavily light polluted site or if you are imaging faint objects in starcrowded regions of the milkyway.

The FWHm of 12nm is optimized for typical DSLR cameras with CMOS sensors and CCD cameras with a normal/high dark current: With these cameras the background signal in images taken from heavily light polluted sites is dominated by the dark current of the sensor, not by flux coming from light pollution. In this case a further reduction of FWHM does not improve the image, as the background will not get darker. Compared to the 6nm filters you have more stars in the field of view which gives you more guiding stars when working with an integrated/dual guiding chip!

Due to the new MFR coating technique you may use one single filter on all instruments up to f/4 without a significant reduction in performance.

Imaging with Narrowband-Emissionline Filters
If you have to observe from light polluted sites (like most of us...), imaging with Narrowband-Emissionline filters is the best way to take great images, as all kind of light pollution can be blocked very effective! Normaly an H-alpha filter should be your first step into this amazing field of astrophotography! With an Narrowband H-alpha filter you will be able to take deep and contrasty images even wih very heavy light pollution or with the full moon high up in the sky!

If you look at other astrophotos, an H-alpha is the best choice for all nebulas glowing red! An OIII filters expands your imaging possibilities, as you are able to image all greenish/blueish structures. Planetary nebulas and star forming regions are great targets! The SII filters completes your HSO-set of filters. With these three filters you are able to process your images like the ones from the Hubble space telescope!

Operation of the filter:
The filter blocks all unwanted light from artifical light-pollution, natural airglow and moonlight. Especially light from High- and Low-Pressure Sodium and mercury lights and all lines of natural airglow are 100% blocked. The filter increases the contrast between the sky-background and objects glowing at the xx line at xy nm.

Tipps and Hints for more applications:
Using the Ha-CCD filter together with OIII-CCD and SII-CCD filters you make produce false-color emission line images (HSO) in the same way as the Hubble-Space telescope. This is possible even from heavyly light polluted sites!

Alternatives:
The lower priced 12nm filters are the right choice for you, if you own a typical DSLR or a CCD camera with a high dark current! The 12nm filters should be the fist choice for cameras with an integrated guiding sensor, as you will have about twice as much stars compared to the 6nm filter.

If want to image faint objects in starcrowded regions of the milkyway, propably using short focal lengths, the 6nm filter will be the better choice, as the number of stars is reduced by a factor of ~2. You should even take the 6m version if you have a camera with a low thermal current or if you have to observe from a really heavily light polluted site.