Baffle Placement for a Refractor

Minimum Baffle Method

by Scott Berfield and adapted by Andrés Esteban de la Plaza
http://www.berfield.com/baffles.html

Baffle placement and its diameter are easily calculated with these graphical methods.

First, draft out a scale drawing (full size is better) of your proposed scope. Include all items that limit the
light path such as the focuser draw tube and the objective cell. Make sure to account for the focuser
tube's extension into the tube when the image is at focus. Also, do not forget the star diagonal if it will
be used.

Select a desired size for the illuminated field “d” and draw it at the focal plane. Draw the light cone
by drawing a line from each edge to the respective edge of the objective.

1- First baffle position and diameter:

Draw a line 1-2 (red, below) from the bottom edge of the field spot (point #1) to the tube wall at the
back edge of the objective (point #2). The point where this red line 1-2 crosses the light cone is the
first baffle position (point #b1).

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2- Second baffle position and diameter:
a) Now draw a line 3-b1 (green in the illustration below) from the bottom of the objective (point #3)
to the first baffle position (point #b1) and extend it to the tube wall (point #4).

b) With point #4 on the tube wall previously set in (a), now draw a line 1-4 (red) from the bottom of
the field spot (point #1) to the place where the previous green line 3-4 hits the tube wall (point #4).
Where this new red line 1-4 intersects the light cone is the position of the second baffle (point #b2).

3- Third baffle position and diameter:

a) Draw a line 3-b2 (green in the illustration below) from the bottom of the objective (point #3) to the
second baffle position (point #b2) and extend it to the tube wall (point #5).

b) Now draw a line 1-5 (red) from the bottom of the field spot (point #1) to the place where the
previous green line 3-5 hits the tube wall (point #5). Where this new red line 1-5 intersects the light
cone is the position of the third baffle (point #b3).

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4- Following baffles:
Do the same thing repeatedly until you run out of room or reach the focuser body. In most small
refractors, two or three baffles will be all that is needed. In several refractors, only two were used
because the focuser tube acts as the third one.

NOTE 1: Using this method makes portions of the tube wall visible to the field spot, but only those
portions shaded by the nearest baffle. Thus, flat black paint is necessary.

NOTE 2: If you want to make sure that no tube wall is visible, at the expense of perhaps using more
baffles, skip the green lines from the objective and draw the red lines from the bottom of the field spot
(point #1) to the place where each baffle meets the tube wall (points #3, #4, #5). Thus the intersection
between line 1-3 and the light cone determines 2º baffle position and diameter (point #b2). The
intersection between line 1-4 and the light cone determines 3º baffle position and diameter (point #b3)
and so on.

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Mathematical Approach:
The following figure shows the layout and formula for baffling a refractor.

Measure the back aperture of the lens in its cell and call that "DL". Measure the back focal length "BFL",
and decide on the diameter of the fully illuminated field at focus "d". In a refractor BFL is the focal
length of the telescope. Then decide on where you want to put baffles along the tube. Let the distance
from the back of the lens to each baffle plate be "X", and use the formula on the drawing to calculate the
corresponding aperture "DB" of the baffle plate at that position

This formula neglects the sag of the lens rear surface. The last radius is usually long if not actually flat,
though, so the error is small.

If the tube interior were perfectly absorbing right down to extreme grazing angles, baffling would not be
needed. But that's not the case for real materials, and a small amount of light still reflects from the tube
I.D. and fogs the focus with stray light. The point of internal baffling is to block these stray light
reflections from reaching the focal plane.

I've built two refractors, using a dusting of Krylon Ultra-Flat Black paint on the inside of the tube.
Looking at the exit pupil, I found that one baffle halfway between lens and focus was sufficient. Some
folks like two baffles, equally spaced in thirds, or one baffle at the midpoint and another between that
baffle and the lens. It didn't look like it needed but just one to me.

DB = baffle hole diameter is the diameter of the light cone; the actual baffle diameter should be
about 4 mm larger (2mm per radius).

Desired field size at focus BFL for different eyepieces sizes:

d = 17mm diameter for 0.965” eyepieces

d = 27mm diameter for 1.25” eyepieces

d = 46mm diameter for 2” eyepieces

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Another approach when the telescope tube has a diameter closer to the
objective lens diameter.

1st baffle position is determined using the dew cap tube. The fist ray starts at the outmost dew cap border
passes through the innermost border of the objective support ring. Following baffles are determined using
the first method (green rays from objective).