Astronomik CLS Filter
The Astronomik CLS is a budget filter for visual observation, Black & White photography and CCD photographs of nebulae, galaxies and star clusters with astronomical instruments of any size.
We have re-desgined all of our photographic filters. Since the end of 2008 we are shipping our new "Halo-Free" filters.
The Astronomik CLS blocks the light of the spectral lines of mercury and sodium-vapor lamps and lets the largest part of the visible light and H-alpha emissions pass. All the important emission lines, as well as the spectral region that the very well dark adapted eye can see, can pass through the filter.
Main use
The filters are optimized for use with aperture ratios from 1:3 to 1:15. Transmission losses and chromatic distortions, which are problems with other filters, only appear with Astronomik filters when extremely bright aperture ratios of 1:2 and more are used. The CLS filter is suitable for use with telescopes of all aperture sizes.
A bit of help with your selection:
- As a first filter, we recommend the Astronomik CLS filter. This filter suppresses artificial light pollution and natural airglow. By using this filter you get a dark-sky background and can therefore use much longer exposure times to make fainter objects visible. The filter is optimised in such a way that objects are reproduced in their natural colours. Important: the simple CLS filter has no built-in IR-blocking. Therefore you will need the CLS-CCD filter for an astro-modified camera!
- A good choice for working in locations with really heavy light pollution is the Astronomik UHC filter. The transmission curve of this filter only allows the light of the H-beta, OIII, H-alpha and SII lines to pass through. The background suppression is significantly stronger than with the CLS, however this filter works only for gas nebulae! Star clusters and galaxies are largely filtered out.
- For a more in-depth introduction to astrophotography, we recommend the OIII, H-alpha and SII emission lines filters, available with full width at half maximum of 6nm or 12nm. With these filters you can create detailed images of faint objects even from locations with extreme light pollution and a full Moon high above in the sky. Images in these narrow emission lines are not naturally coloured.
- For the owners of astro-modified cameras we offer the Astronomik OWB filter: OWB stands for "original white balance". The filter corrects the displaced colour reproduction of a converted camera so that it can also be used for normal every-day photography, without having to revise every image on the computer.
