EQUIPMENT REVIEW

Nebula filters cut sky glow and let you see more with less.
/// BY PHIL HARRINGTON
Secret weapons
How filters work
Can we actually flter out light pollution?
Yes, because many outdoor lighting sources
do not shine evenly across the visible
spectrum. Instead, they emit radiation at
only a few distinct wavelengths. For
instance, the common high-pressure
sodium-vapor streetlight used throughout
North America radiates principally in
yellow wavelengths. Mercury-vapor lamps
radiate green and blue wavelengths. LPR
flters suppress those light wavelengths,
while allowing others through.
Nebula flters have a diferent mission.
Tey are designed for the sole purpose of
observing emission and planetary nebulae.
Fluorescence causes ionized atoms in these
objects to glow.
Because these nebulae are composed
largely of hydrogen, most of their visible-
light emissions occur in the far-red and
blue ends of the visible spectrum, but they
emit greenish light from doubly
ionized oxygen as well.
Most nebula flters muf e
all wavelengths except
those associated with
ionized hydrogen and
doubly ionized oxygen.
Because they block all but a
small part of the spectrum, these
flters are more correctly called narrow-
band flters.
Other nebula flters suppress all visible
light except for a specifc wavelength, or
line, that they allow to pass through. Line
flters come in two varieties: Oxygen III
(abbreviated OIII) and Hydrogen-beta
(H). As we will see, some narrowband and
line flters are more appropriate for certain
objects than others.
All three flter types are made essentially
the same way: Within a vacuum chamber, a
machine deposits precise, ultra-thin layers
of inorganic coatings with known optical
characteristics on thin glass blanks. When
certain light wavelengths strike specifc
layers, the layers refect the light rather than
passing it through.
Setting the record straight
Tere are misconceptions about these
flters. Some people mistakenly believe LPR
flters reduce all forms of light pollution.
Tis seems like a natural assumption given
the flters name, but its just not the case.
LPR flters block certain wavelengths,
but they do little to reduce the
impact of car headlights, lights
directed onto buildings, and
other fxtures using incandes-
cent bulbs, which (unfortu-
nately for the astronomer) shine
at all visible wavelengths.
Rather than the term light-
pollution reduction flter, it would be
better to use their proper name: broad-
band flter. Tats because they flter out a
wide range of wavelengths. Similarly,
nebula flters should be referred to as either
narrowband or line flters.
Another common fallacy is that these
flters make deep-sky objects look brighter.
Not so. Filters decrease all light at all
wavelengths, but they transmit more of the
desireable wavelengths. As a result, the
background sky and feld stars darken more
than the target. Tis boosts the contrast,
making objects easier to spot.
It seems inevitable. No sooner do you
get a new telescope than you begin to wonder what to buy
next. Maybe some filters? Sounds like a good idea, but which
ones? Amateurs use many different filters, but the most
intriguing and least understood are light-pollution
reduction (LPR) filters and nebula filters.
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8z s1voorv uous1 o
2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form
without permission from the publisher. www.Astronomy.com
HOW FILTERS WORK ON SELECTED OBJECTS
Company Type B33 NGC 2371-2 M76 NGC 1514 M42 M1 M37 M81
No filter 0 2 3 0 3 3 4 3
Astronomik
CLS B 0 2 4 1 3 2 5 4
UHC N 0 3 4 2 5 4 3 2
O-III O 1 3 4 3 5 4 3 2
H-Beta H 2 1 1 1 4 2 2 1
Baader
UHC-S N 0 3 4 1 4 4 3 2
OIII O 1 3 5 3 4 4 3 2
Neodymium B 0 2 3 2 3 3 4 3
Celestron
UHC-LPR N 0 3 4 1 4 4 3 2
DGM Optics
VHT B 0 2 4 1 4 4 4 3
NPB N 1 4 5 3 5 5 3 2
IDAS
LPS-P B 0 2 3 1 3 3 3 3
Lumicon
Deep Sky B 0 2 3 1 3 3 4 4
UHC N 0 3 4 3 5 3 3 2
O-III O 0 4 5 2 5 4 2 2
H-Beta H 2 1 1 0 5 1 1 1
Meade
908B B 0 3 3 2 3 3 4 4
908N N 0 3 4 3 4 4 3 2
908X O 0 4 5 3 5 4 3 2
Orion
SkyGlow B 0 2 3 2 4 4 4 4
UltraBlock N 0 4 4 3 5 4 2 2
Tele Vue
Nebustar N 0 3 4 3 4 5 3 2
O-III O 0 4 5 3 5 4 2 2
Thousand Oaks
LP-1 B 0 2 3 1 4 4 4 4
LP-2 N 0 3 4 2 4 3 3 2
LP-3 O 0 4 5 3 5 4 3 1
LP-4 H 2 1 1 0 4 2 1 1
I rated the view of each object on a 05 scale adapted from my book Star Watch as follows: 0 object invisible; 1 visible only with great
difficulty; 2 visible with moderate difficulty; 3 visible with little difficulty; 4 visible easily; and 5 wow!
B = Broadband; H = H ; N = Narrowband; O = OIII
Phil Harrington is the author of the observing
guidebook Star Watch, published by John Wiley
& Sons.
Some amateurs believe these flters dim
the view so much they cant be used with
small telescopes. Tats not true. Any
telescope can beneft from these flters. I
even have used identical flters taped to
the eyepieces of binoculars to detect
faint celestial objects that were
invisible otherwise.
Finally, theres the myth that
flters are only for urban and
suburban observing that
theyre not needed for
observing out in the
country. Although
broadband flters make
their biggest impact
under severe light
pollution, narrowband
and line flters enhance the
view of emission and planetary
nebulae no matter where you are.
Testing
To fnd out just how well todays most
popular flters perform, I gathered more
than two dozen broadband, narrowband,
and line flters. Although many manufac-
turers make both 1 " and 2" sizes, I
restricted my tests to 1 " models only to
include all manufacturers.
A visual examination showed
all the flters were made to high
optical standards. Coatings
appeared uniform, and the
machined metal housings were
either anodized or painted. Each
was labeled for easy identifcation
under dim lighting, and each screwed into
my threaded eyepiece barrels smoothly.
Most were black, which could make them
dif cult to fnd at night if misplaced. Only
the four Tousand Oaks flters were
anodized with diferent colors.
Te winter constellations were riding
high during these tests, which gave me a
great choice of deep-sky
objects to observe. All
observing sessions
were conducted from
my light-polluted
backyard, where I
typically can see
magnitude 5 stars with
my naked eyes. Sky glow is
severe in some directions, but I
still get a good view overhead.
Tese conditions let me see
how well the flters work against
moderate light pollution.
I tried each flter on showpiece
objects like the Orion Nebula (M42) and
the Crab Nebula (M1), as well as on some
dif cult targets, including the Horsehead
Nebula (B33). I also checked several
planetary nebulae as well as a few open
clusters and galaxies.
To judge how well the flters performed,
I laid them on a table, mixing up their
order so I couldnt recognize one from
another during the test. Only afer I
observed an object through a flter did I
turn on a red light to identify the flter and
write down my results.
Filtering through the results
Not surprisingly, the broadband flters did
best against objects such as star clusters and
galaxies, which radiate a wide range of
wavelengths. While a flter seldom showed
more detail than an unfltered view or
revealed an otherwise invisible target,
broadband flters improved the visual
aesthetics by darkening the background.
Of the seven broadband flters I tested,
the Orion SkyGlow delivered the best
results. It added just enough contrast to
make an object stand out nicely without
sacrifcing too much image brightness. I
also judged the DGM Optics Very High
Troughput (VHT), Meade 908B, and
Tousand Oaks LP-1 flters efective.
Images remained bright and clear through
all three test telescopes: my 4-inch refrac-
tor, and 8- and 18-inch refectors.
Te VHT did better on nebulae, while
the others were better on star clusters and
galaxies. Rounding out the pack were the
Astronomik CLS, followed by the Baader
Neodymium and Lumicon Deep Sky flters
in a tie, and fnally the IDAS LPS-P.
Of the nine narrowband flters, I judged
DGM Optics Narrow Pass Band (NPB)
flter the best on emission and planetary
nebulae. What sold me were the views I had
of the Crab Nebula, the Little Dumbbell
(M76), NGC 1514, and especially M42.
8 s1voorv uous1 o
Te faint tendrils of M42 looked as
though they were stretching outward like
fngers grasping at nearby stars. I also was
impressed with the images delivered by
Orions UltraBlock and Tele Vues Nebustar
Bandmate flters.
Views through Meades 908N, Lumicons
UHC, and the Astronomik UHC flters also
were pleasing although not quite as
contrasty as the others. Readers looking for
a narrowband flter would be satisfed with
any of these. I found the Baader UHC-S,
the Celestron UHC-LPR, and Tousand
Oaks LP-2 less efective, however.
Results were exceptionally close in the
OIII round of testing. I wasnt disappointed
with any contender, but found the views
through the Meade 908X were the best. I
enjoyed the details revealed in M42, as well
as some otherwise invisible features in
several planetary nebulae. Likewise, the
Astronomik, Baader, Tele Vue, and
Tousand Oaks flters each showed some
subtleties in objects that eluded detection
in the other flters, save for the 908X (and,
in some cases, the DGM NPB). Te
Lumicon flter darkened the feld of view
more than the rest.
Finally, I tested three H flters. Tey
produce positive results with only a handful
of emission nebulae. Here, the Astronomik
H flter rose above the others, but only by
the narrowest measure. Trough my 18-
inch refector, all three H flters revealed
the dim silhouette of the Horsehead Nebula
against the subtle backdrop glow of IC 434
when there wasnt a hint of this object
through the others. All three also showed
fner structure in M43 the tiny append-
age hanging of the northern edge of the
Orion Nebula than any of the OIII or
narrowband flters, and even added new
dimensions to M42 itself.
All tested flters increased contrast
between deep-sky objects and the back-
ground sky. If you live under a dome of
light pollution, consider adding a broad-
band flter to your equipment arsenal. If
you enjoy searching for tough planetaries
or challenging emission nebulae, then
either a narrowband or OIII flter is a must-
have. For us deep-sky diehards who already
own the others, an H flter will prove
handy, even though it likely will see less
starlight than other flters.
Once you start using flters, youll be
amazed at what youve been missing. Its the
same pleasant experi-
ence as putting on
your shades on a
sunny day. X
Astronomik
c/o astro-shop
Eiffestrae 426
D-20537 Hamburg,
Germany
[t] 49.40511.4348
[w] www.astronomik.com
Baader Planetarium
Zur Sternwarte
D-82291 Mammendorf,
Germany
[t] 49.8145.8802
[w] www.baader-
planetarium.de
Celestron International
2835 Columbia Street
Torrance, CA 90503
[t] 310.328.9560
[w] www.celestron.com
DGM Optics
P.O. Box 120
Westminster, MA 01473
[t] 978.874.2985
[w] www.dgmoptics.com
IDAS
c/o Hutech Corporation
23505 Crenshaw Blvd. #225
Torrance, CA 90505
[t] 877.289.2674
[w] www.sciencecenter.net/
hutech
Lumicon
750 Easy Street
Simi Valley, CA 93065
[t] 805.520.0047
[w] www.lumicon.com
Meade Instruments
6001 Oak Canyon
Irvine, CA 92620
[t] 800.626.3233
[w] www.meade.com
Orion Telescopes and
Binoculars
P.O. Box 1815
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
[t] 800.447.1001
[w] www.telescope.com
Tele Vue Optics
32 Elkay Dr.
Chester, NY 10918
[t] 845.469.4551
[w] www.televue.com
Thousand Oaks Optical
P. O. Box 4813
Thousand Oaks, CA 91359
[t] 805.491.3642
[w] www.thousandoaks
optical.com
.s1voorv.cor 8
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