Brightwell Dawnline light pollution filter 2 in, observatory grade

Specifications

Description

The Dawnline light pollution filter 2 in is a broadband filter in a 2 in threaded cell. It reduces transmission of the strongest emission lines from older street lighting, including the sodium line near 589 nm, while passing a wide portion of the visible spectrum. Stars and deep-sky objects keep a close approximation of their natural color, with a moderate loss of overall brightness.

Sky glow from artificial lighting does not always come from narrow lines, so the effect of this filter depends on the type of lamp near your observing site. It gives the greatest improvement under low-pressure sodium and mercury-vapor lighting. Under modern white LED lighting, whose spectrum is broad and continuous, the improvement is smaller. By reducing the background glow, the filter raises contrast, so the nebula itself does not become brighter. Under suburban skies, faint galaxy arms and the outer edges of large nebulae can become easier to trace.

Good targets include the Andromeda Galaxy, the Pleiades, the Double Cluster, and the Orion Nebula. Emission nebulae respond more strongly to narrowband filters such as UHC or OIII, which block more of the background, so this filter suits broadband targets. The filter dims the view, and it is most useful in telescopes of 6 in aperture and larger under moderately light-polluted skies.

The filter threads into 2 in eyepieces, 2 in diagonals, and 2 in filter adapters with M48 x 0.75 threads. Handle the glass by the cell edges and store it in its case when not in use, since contact with other optics can scratch the coatings.

About this configuration

All configurations of the Brightwell Dawnline light pollution filter 2 in share the same filter glass design; the options change the grade, the coating, and the case. The observatory grade comes with a measured transmission curve for the individual filter in the box. Observatory grade glass has the tightest flatness tolerance in the Dawnline line, which suits imaging with long focal lengths. The hard-sputtered coating resists scratches and humidity, so the filter tolerates cleaning better over the years.

The aluminum case protects the filter from crushing in a crowded accessory box. This is the 2024 edition, which revised the cell knurling and the case insert of the Dawnline line. The transmission figures in the specifications apply to every configuration of the Dawnline line.

What's in the box

• Light pollution filter in 2 in threaded cell
• Plastic storage case
• Test report with measured transmission curve
• Aluminum storage case

Compatibility notes

• Threads into 2 in eyepieces, diagonals, and filter adapters (M48 x 0.75).
• Most effective in telescopes of 6 in aperture and larger under light-polluted skies.