What Does A Moon Filter Do? Do You Need One For A Telescope?
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I remember the first time I looked at the full moon through my small telescope, it looked so much brighter than I had expected. I wasn’t really sure if that’s a good thing because I knew there were so many surface details that I wasn’t able to see properly because of the harsh brightness.
That is when I was first introduced to the moon filters.
But, what does a moon filter do?
Moon filter is an accessory that screws into the bottom of the telescope’s eyepiece. A moon filter partially cuts down the Moon’s bright glare that is being captured by the lens of your telescope, improving contrast and increasing the level of finer surface details that you can see.
So basically a moon filter will enhance your moon viewing experience and make it much more enjoyable and rewarding as you see more detail on the moon’s surface than you ever have before.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at what moon filters are and when you should use one with your telescope. Later in this article, I will also give you my top recommendations for the best moon filters for your telescope.
Table Of Contents
- 1 What is a Moon Filter & What does it do for a telescope?
- 2 How do you use a moon filter on a telescope?
- 3 Is it safe to look at the moon without a moon filter?
- 4 How does a moon filter affect the viewing experience?
- 5 Type of Moon Filters
- 6 When should you use a moon filter with your telescope?
- 7 Best Moon Filters For Your Telescope
- 8 Conclusion
What is a Moon Filter & What does it do for a telescope?
Our Moon is the most popular object to observe with a telescope. It’s an obvious target that’s easy to locate and full of exciting geographical features to explore.
The Moon typically reflects about 12% of the sunlight that falls upon it. This is why if you look at a thickening gibbous moon through even a moderately-sized telescope, it can appear uncomfortably bright, especially to the dark-adapted eye.
This is where a moon filter comes in!
A moon filter reduces the bright glare of the moon, increases contrast through selective filtration, increases definition and resolution which ultimately helps you see Moon’s finer surface details.
Most moon filters are neutral density filters meaning they do not affect the color during viewing. This is because moonlight is mainly white.
There are colored filters for telescopes, but they are mostly used to view more colored objects in space, such as different stars and certain planets.
Another advantage of using a moon filter is that it helps in lessening eye fatigue that comes with looking at a bright object for too long.
A moon filter attaches to the bottom of the telescope’s eyepiece.
A moon filter is essentially like sunglasses for your telescope because it provides a more comfortable view and reduces eye fatigue.
Moon filters will cut down glare and bring out much more surface detail and give you better contrast and resolution.
How do you use a moon filter on a telescope?
Using a moon filter on a telescope is fairly simple. Almost all telescope eyepieces are threaded at the bottom and a moon filter screws onto that. All you need to know is whether you have a 2” or 1.25” eyepiece and make sure you get a moon filter of the same size.
Moon filters are quite useful for scopes of as little as 80mm aperture, and they are essential for 100mm scopes or larger.
Fortunately, moon filters are simpler than light-pollution filters or narrow-band filters, and they are much more affordable.
Also, like other types of astronomy filters, moon filters come in threaded cells of 1.25” and 2” sizes that easily attach to an eyepiece barrel or diagonal.
Is it safe to look at the moon without a moon filter?
It is completely safe to look at the moon without a moon filter. You do not need a filter to look at the Moon. It is safe for your eyes to observe it without one, even during a full moon when it’s at its brightest.
That being said, there are times when using a filter can improve your viewing experience and give you more detail in the image.
Moon filters are designed to cut down on that bright light, which in turn will increase contrast bringing out the finer details of the moon during a viewing.
How does a moon filter affect the viewing experience?
To better understand the difference in viewing experience with and without a moon filter, let’s compare the two images side by side.
The image shows how a moon filter cuts down the bright light of the moon, which in turn increases contrast bringing out the finer details of the moon.
Pay close attention to the picture above. If you look carefully, you’ll notice how many more craters appear in the image with the filter on, and how clearly the depth and size of these rocky formations can be seen.
Since the moon filter helps the image gain a lot more contrast, the shadows are more clearly defined.
Also, most details that are not seen in the first image because they were lost to the brightness can be seen and appreciated in the second image which was taken with the moon filter on.
Type of Moon Filters
There are two main types of moon filters:
- Fixed Transmission Filters
- Variable Moon Filters
Fixed transmission moon filters allow a specific fixed amount of light through the filter at any given time. This is usually denoted as a percentage of light that it is designed to let through.
For example, a 13% filter only lets through 13% of the light which hits the lens or mirror of your telescope; a 25% filter will let through 25% of the light.
Variable moon filters, on the other hand, can be adjusted to allow for different amounts of light to shine through depending on the state of the moon during viewing.
A variable moon filter consists of two pieces of polarised glass that change how much light comes through when turned relative to each other.
A variable moon filter is a great choice if you want to have views of the moon during its various phases because you can increase the amount of light when the moon is in its crescent phase and then decrease the light when it’s in its gibbous phase.
When should you use a moon filter with your telescope?
A moon filter is one of the least expensive accessories that you can buy for your telescope. So even if you don’t feel the need to use a moon filter, I can assure you that it will be value for your money if you do decide to buy one, even more so if you intend to use your telescope mainly to look at the moon.
I have reviewed a few moon filters in the next section of this article, don’t forget to have a look at them and see which one fits your needs.
Here are a few situations that I can think of where it might be a good idea for you to have a moon filter in your arsenal.
1. If you have a telescope with an aperture size of 4” or more.
With smaller entry-level telescopes of aperture size from 3”- 4”, getting a moon filter won’t make much sense as they don’t collect that much light, to begin with.
On the other hand, telescopes with an aperture size of 4” or 100mm and above tend to collect a lot more light, and looking at the moon through such telescopes without a moon filter can be an unpleasant experience.
Not only will you miss out on observing many of the moon’s finer surface details, but your eyes may get fatigued too because of the harsh brightness of the moon.
2. If you intend to start your viewing session by looking at the moon first.
Most observers either don’t look at the moon when it’s full or leave it till the end of the observing session so that its night vision destroying brightness is of little consequence to trying to see faint fuzzies, as they have already seen them.
If you look at the moon at the beginning of your session before looking at the much fainter sky objects, the brightness of the Moon will definitely reduce your night vision temporarily because your eyes have to adapt to it.
So for the objects you try to observe afterward, your vision might take some time to adapt and you might not be able to distinguish as much detail in them.
3. If you want to see the moon’s finer surface details.
If you want to see the moon in all its glory and want to appreciate the topography of the Moon, with all its details, and locate the important craters and mountains, then a filter is almost a necessity as it will help you get the required level of detail.
Using a moon filter is useful, not just when it comes to helping you better see the moon’s details but also to make your viewing more comfortable – the moon is bright and therefore can be painful to look at sometimes.
Best Moon Filters For Your Telescope
Now that you know what a moon filter is and how it can enhance your lunar viewing experience, it’s time to discover the best moon filter for you.
1. Celestron 1.25″ Neutral Density Moon Filter
- Reduces brightness and cuts glare, increasing clarity of the moon, Venus, and bright double stars
- 13% light transmission
- Provides a true Color image
- Threads on to any Celestron 1.25” eyepiece
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The Celestron 1.25″ Neutral Density Moon Filter is a basic universal moon filter. It is a standard circular 1.25” neutral density filter that will be able to fit most eyepieces.
This filter allows 13% light transmission, which is a darker filter than some. This is the most common filter level for moon viewing and is ideal for the light of a full moon.
2. Celestron 1.25″ Variable Polarizing Filter
- A customizable way to reduce brightness and glare on the brightest celestial objects like the moon, Venus, and bright double stars
- Adjust the level of light transmission from 1-40% for the best possible view for your specific target and current viewing conditions
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The Celestron 1.25″ Variable Polarizing Filter is a more versatile option as it has a variable transmission range of 1% to 40%. This is a very large range that can shut out almost all light for very bright viewings or let in about half-light for dimmer viewings that still require a filter.
This would be a great moon filter for viewing all of the different phases of the moon as the brightness fluctuates, so can the filter.
3. Orion 1.25” 13% Transmission Moon Filter
- The Orion 1.25 inch 13 percent Transmission Moon Filter reduces glare so you can see more lunar detail and surface features with your telescope
- Metal filter cell threads directly into the 1.25 inch barrel of your telescope eyepiece
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The Orion 1.25 inch transmission moon filter helps considerably in decreasing the glare and improving contrast. It improves the image quality by fitting directly to the 1.25-inch eyepiece of the telescope. It helps in canceling out almost 87 percent of light gathered by the telescope, providing a clearer view with higher contrast.
4. Orion 1.25” Variable Polarizing Filter
- The Orion Variable Polarizing eyepiece filter acts like a dimmer switch for your telescope
- Finer control of the image brightness compared to a standard fixed-transmission telescope eyepiece filter for optimal performance
- Adjust the amount of light transmission from 1% to 40% by rotating the eyepiece filter housing
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
This Orion 1.25” Variable Polarizing Filter has two rings of polarized glass, which can be turned to change the amount of lunar light they let through. The scale of transmission is from a full-moon-dimming 1%, all the way up to a ‘day-2 crescent’ 40%.
Although showing the 1.25″ model here, it is also available in a 2″ size, and both sizes come with their own storage case.
Conclusion
So we have learned that a moon filter is a telescope accessory that is threaded on the eyepiece of your telescope, which makes you capable of viewing the moon in more detail.
Moon filters are of two types – fixed transmission and variable transmission moon filters, and they come in two common filter sizes i.e. 1.25” and 2”.
All telescopes have eyepieces and almost all eyepieces are threaded so that filters can fit on them.
Moon filters cut down glare and by doing that they enhance the details of the moon’s surface.
They also help in increasing contrast by decreasing brightness as they can transmit only some of the light hitting the eyepiece. Using a moon filter can change your entire moon-viewing experience.
Further Reading:
- What Is A Computerized GoTo Telescope? Are They Worth The Price?
- What Is A Red Dot Finder On A Telescope? How To Use It?
- How To See Venus Through A Telescope: 5-Minute Read
- How To See Mars Through A Telescope (Easy Steps)
- How To Use An iPhone With A Telescope To Take Pictures
- How To Increase The Magnification Of A Telescope; 5-Minute Read
- Can Telescopes See Through Light Pollution
