Coronado Sol Ranger Sun Finder

Using a standard finderscope to locate the sun is extremely dangerous and can cause permanent eye damage or blindness. The Sol Ranger is specifically designed to project an image of the sun onto a screen, allowing you to align your telescope safely without ever looking directly at the solar disk.

The Sol Ranger is primarily designed for Coronado solar telescopes. While it may be possible to adapt it to other setups, it is optimized for the mounting systems found on Coronado equipment, so you may need additional hardware for non-Coronado telescopes.

The device acts as a pinhole camera. It captures sunlight through a small aperture and projects a small, safe image of the solar disk onto a rear white screen. When the sun is centered on that screen, your telescope is aligned.

No, the Sol Ranger is a standalone alignment tool that does not require additional filters. It is designed specifically for safe solar alignment and does not allow harmful light to reach your eye.

Calibration is straightforward. You align the Sol Ranger with your telescope during the day by centering the sun in your eyepiece first, then adjusting the Sol Ranger until the projected image matches that position. Once set, it remains accurate for your session.