Post #4308190

In the spirit of “any ship can be a submarine/minesweeper … once”, it's easy to store stuff. Just harder to find it again. I've had a solar filter for my telescope for quite a few years. Here's its last serious/successful use for the transit of Mercury in 2016: https://edavies.me.uk/2016/05/transit-of-mercury/ I probably used it a few times after that. In May 2024 I used it to look at some sunspots. When I was finished I took it off the telescope but fumbled and dropped it punching a small hole in it. In March 2025 I bought some more solar film and made up a new filter ready for the partial solar eclipse at the end of the month, but there was thick cloud and rain. A few days later I added some safety tie wraps for more-convenient extra connection to the telescope (you really really don't want it to fall off mid observation - particularly if you're looking through the eyepiece rather than just taking photographs) but just as I was tightening the last one it pinged back and punched a hole in the new filter. I had enough film to do another one but decided to put that off till I was feeling less clumsy and was thinking it would be a good early project if I got a 3D printer to print a filter housing to fit directly on to the telescope. I carefully stored away the remaining film in a place where it would be safe and kept flat. It seemed very sensible at the time. Now, with the upcoming partial solar eclipse (August 12th) I have, of course, no idea where that was.