| This Orion 1.25" luminance and UV (ultraviolet)/IR (infrared) cutoff filter sharpens up long exposure deep space monochrome, one-shot color, and tri-color CCD images of stars that are strong UV and /or IR emitters.
The ultraviolet and infrared regions are beyond the normal range of the human eye when the stars are observed visually with the unaided eye or through binoculars or a telescope. However, the sensitive imaging chips of many CCDs and webcams can be overloaded by the stars’ UV and IR output and bloat unnaturally in CCD images. This filter cuts off the UV radiation below 390 nanometers and the IR radiation above 700 nanometers, but passes between 90 and 95% of the visible and photographically-important light between these extremes, so that CCD images record the stars essentially as they appear to the human eye. This makes this Orion filter an excellent choice for a luminance filter in LRGB imaging. Its IR cutoff likewise makes it very useful with monochrome cameras that do not have a built-in IR filter.
The Orion filter also works to sharpen surface details in planetary CCD images. It is particularly effective at improving the contrast of Martian features. While the eye can’t see the IR radiation of sun-illuminated planetary surfaces, the sensitive imaging chips of many CCDs and webcams can be overloaded by the planet’s IR glow, blurring surface and cloud detail. This filter sharpens planetary detail by blocking the invisible IR portion of the spectrum before it can overload the imaging chip.
The filter uses high quality multi-layer ion-deposited dichroic interference coatings on an optical glass substrate. The filter is mounted in a standard 1.25" threaded cell and will fit any CCD camera or filter wheel that accepts 1.25" filters. The filter comes in a hard plastic protective case. | 
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