Did I just see a white light solar flare? 3/12/14 midday

[Moonshane]

I have just observed the sun and done my usual sketches but when I started on the main large sunspot and group, I noticed a pale spot just below and left of centre (refractor view) of the main umbra - just on the joint between the umbra and penumbra. I have made a sketch which I will upload later but am interested to see if any imagers concur with my observation.

[Pete Presland]

it will be intersting to see the sketch and any further images! have you looked on Helioviewer?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Cannot see anything here, alas.

[Moonshane]

this is a bit rubbish as it's off my phone but the suspected flare is the oval section where the umbra/penumbra join

[Qualia]

That's not rubbish at all, Shane! And personally, I feel you may have identified something curious occurring on the Sun. I won't have time to go out today, but yesterday, where you say the flare is (where the umbra/penumbra join), I too saw a small bright white stream. The sketch doesn't exhibit the fact too prominently, but it may go some way of confirming your suspicions

[Montana]

There are no X-class flares today, just hovering around very small C-class flares, check here by clicking GOES X-rays http://www.solarmonitor.org/

So I think not a WL flare, however what I think it is, is a 'penumbral grain' which are bright points on the edge between the penumbral filaments and the umbra. This can last for just a short time and be quite bright. A WL flare is usually associated with a massive X-class.

An excellent sketch though :)

Alexandra

[Luke]

Good spot, Shane. I thought there might be a white light flare when I was imaging it, hope to process it tonight, maybe someone can beat me to it?

That spot is wonderful, can't recall many like it

[Moonshane]

cheers all

no matter what it's an interesting thing. I have to say that the seeing was quite superb in patches today despite the low elevation of the sun.

[Floater]

Yup! Affirm all the above. Great spot and reasonable viewing today although wispy high cloud and I have to dodge tree branches 'cos he's so low just now. (Roll on 22nd and beyond!)

Couldn't say I picked up on any flare, Shane, but that's not to say you're wrong. Excellent sketch.

[Davey-T]

All this interesting stuff happens when it's cloudy here, keep looking at Helioviewer to see what I'm missing, weather says brilliant blue sky (and frost) for Saturday, mind it said sunny periods for today but I haven't seen any yet

Dave

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Can you send some of that blue sky over here

[Montana]

You need to read this paper http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asna.200811036/pdf

Is this what you saw?

If so, Steve Ward has seen a few and I have seen it once, although mine was in an irregular place and baffled the scientist

Alexandra

[Moonshane]

Hi Alexandra yes that is just as I saw it thank you. I will read the paper when on laptop later

[Jim Steele]

Have you checked out the solar dynamics observatory website? There is alot of activity in the region you mention

[Iainp]

Hi, by an amazing coincidence I was filming the sun from 11.58 to 12.08 so will post the video up here asap 

[Iainp]

I took 10 sets from 11.58, each lasting around half a minute. Here are the vids, compressed into just under 2 minutes.  I don't see any bright activity in the area you mention though.  

This was a couple of hours earlier though. Is this bright loop in the umbra a flare perhaps?

[Iainp]

Er penumbra I mean

[Luke]

One is suffering from a late night last night (bit of lunar and then Jupiter grabbed my attention) as had the day off work today! Here's a quick effort with my Equinox 120, Herschel wedge and 2x barlow from 11.20am-ish. Seeing not super brill but so much better than Sunday, wohoo!:

[Moonshane]

Thanks Luke

that confirms I was not seeing things!

In the best seeing I was getting close to those levels of detail.

[Iainp]

Oh Luke how can you post such a fantastic image directly underneath my paltry efforts??  Have you no pity?   You are only a dozen miles or so down the road from me so I can't even claim we are working under wildly different seeing conditions....

Love the level of detail there; beautiful to look at.  

[Luke]

I think I got slightly better detail with this one?

This was with a 3x Barlow about 20 mins later. The 3x Barlow was rather optimistic with the reasonable seeing at the time and I have downsized the image a lot, but it was such a lovely spot that I couldn't help myself trying! Ahem, made me a little late for lunch with the Mrs, but we still managed to squeeze pudding in   Shoudda gone for a full disc instead with the 60mm, though Steve got a great full disc anyway

[Davey-T]

Looks like everybody had Sun, except me 

Dave

[Iainp]

Ah Luke you're killing me man! The detail in the penumba is stunning. Where's the resentful emoticon?  "Angry 3"  is close enough: 

[Luke]

You're too kind, Iain! I get a lot of help from my Grasshopper 3 mono camera (similar to the one used by the astrophotographer of the year of the entire solar system, I believe ). I think you are using a colour camera? There's a ton of detail in your 2x Barlow 6 pane mosaic...

[Iainp]

Ah thanks mate.  Yes, it's the Skyris 618C. I'm hoping for a big cheque from mum and dad for xmas  (I'm only 51 years old by the way ;-) so will be taking advice on which mono camera to go for then.