Rusted

That is an excellent image!

Microsoft is said to be heartbroken that ChatGPT denies the existence of Windows 11. 😱 This may have been the reason they have applied AI to Bing. 🤣

It seemed odd [to me] that ChatGPT wanted me to register my inside leg measurement before allowing me to play. Without drifting off topic [yet again?] this makes every registered user a close potential target for "something." Targeted ads? Hacking by AI? Filtering out "high flyers" for recruitment to the AI security service nobody has [yet] heard of. Imagine an AI which has direct access to your vital signs via the Internet of things. Fitness wearables, watches, phones, etc. It could feed you live images/videos. Which rapidly and successively home in on your perfect car/telescope/face/motorcycle/person/whatever. Using your own heart rate monitor, heat sensors, etc, to leave you completely paralyzed with "admiration" as your chemistry overdoses. This isn't too far fetched already. Now that AI is already producing fake images and videos using "mixed text metaphors." I note that these AI image modification services are presently using heavy filtering. With very good reason. IMO.

The billions being invested in AI research suggest a strong commercial bias is highly likely. Probably resulting in payment for AI services depending on usage.

Alas, the average, Mk1 Human is a rather poor reviewer of anything much at all. They have product loyalty from spending a fortune on something "unnecessary to survival." To admit their purchase was inferior would be an open admittance of failure, bias or simply poor judgement. Then there are all the corrupt influencers who have received free goodies for review. YouTube, et al. ChatGPT could harvest all the reviews, both positive and negative and average them. List Pros and Cons. Provided it knew what to look for and had free access to the entire Internet. Very early days yet. Who knows where this will lead?

Which raises an interesting point: Assume an alien invader bases their chance of success on the information we have been broadcasting about ourselves for 100 years. They will be fed with increasingly more modern information as they get closer. Requiring constant updates to their strategies. Will they have access to the Internet? Is any of it being routinely broadcast into space? Will they notice we have fledgling AI? Will they then rush here to save us from AI itself? AI being a known existential threat to every growing technological civilization. Or will they let us play with fire? To see if we come up with a unique solution. One which might be used on other planets approaching the AI hurdle.

Superscopes certainly had access to some high quality castings to properly fulfill the intentions of the designer. An example of a smaller but very similar mounting was once shown at Bath Astronomical Society. 1980s? Decades ago I printed out a full scale version of this mounting for comparison with the Fullerscopes MkIII. I believe the original drawing may have been from a magazine. Though I no longer have any recollection of the source. Sadly I have no idea where the drawing is now. It used to decorate my workshop wall behind my lathe. I'd love to see an illustration of the Superscopes 'Hercules.' It would also be fascinating to hear owner's opinions of this mount.

Superb imagery and processing. It deserves a much wider showing. For its ability to attract more imagers to solar.

Nicely balanced processing and impressive image scale.

A great set of images Nigella!

Interesting. I shall investigate further. I wonder if this"low power" requirement is due to a lack of light [in H-a] in smaller instruments?

Best advice so far. If an astronomy club or society is within reach you will gain access to instruments to make direct comparisons. There is also the likelihood of lots of expert advice and even the chance of a telescope to borrow. Most societies/clubs have a website these days. With a contact person listed to approach. Hopefully they will be warmly approachable and not try to drown you in their "expertise."

I once left my Solar Continuum green filter in place on the camera nose for H-a after changing over from white light. The screen was completely black! A polariser/polarizer is not the same at all. I have one permanently on my Lacerta 2" wedge.

Are you suggesting a green filter for H-alpha? Red and green make black. The Solar Continuum removes all light from an H-alpha telescope.

I tried both my 2" Lacerta and Lunt 1.25" wedges [both with associated safety filters] but couldn't see any surface detail by eye. Both wedges showed double images to my naked eye. The Lacerta 2" includes a rotatable polarizing filter. So supplied a usefully dimmer image to taste. Still no spot on the tiny little sun! I planned to try a Baader solar foil filter after lunch but now it has clouded over. The forecast was clear this afternoon. <sniff> Perhaps it will clear again. I have no telescopes set up in the observatory after taking them down for safety reasons during the recent storm. I need to hire a crane to swap domes. So have put off setting anything up for imaging for the moment. Picture shows the 4.3m still waiting to replace the 3m dome on the enlarged observatory. December snow.

Well worth the effort!

A great set of images Steve!

Nice image. That spot is a monster!

Beautifully captured departure!

Despite my 60-odd years of visual observing I had to learn to see in H-alpha. I could see the sun's disk but it took real effort and concentration to tease out the detail. It was like trying to see details in the red coals in the bed of a fire. At first I really thought I had completely wasted my money. 150mm f/8 PST mod. I could never use the original PST because of its rusty ITF filter. So I stripped the PST almost straight away and fitted a Maier replacement ITF for my mod.

It's amazing how much detail you pull from your images of the sun. when it barely clears the horizon and is often obscured by clouds both visible and invisible. Thank you for sharing your skills and artistry.

Thank you Nigella. 😊 As good as your word and a whole basketful of goodies to study. That final, elongated AR is mind blowing! Just the sort of stuff to get the dark side astronomers excited enough to try their luck at capturing our own star. Thanks and best regards, Chris

Great! Thanks for that kind offer. 😊

Great work Nigella! It is fascinating to see your AS!3.14 settings. In complete contrast to my own. I believe strongly in following the experts where I can. You have done the heavy lifting to reach your high level of widely recognised competence. So I'd be very interested to see your ImPPG settings. If you should have a sample of a typical ImPPG screen capture lying about somewhere. 😊 Thanks Chris

You make perfectly valid points. I was generalising. The PST + 90 sounds like a good plan. PSTs are notoriously variable in image quality. You may be lucky and get a really good one. Then begins the downward spiral into poverty and lunacy. As H-alpha solar gets under your skin. You discover that PSTs can be taken apart and added to much larger telescopes!! You can probably see where this is going.