How do they get those fantastic sun images?

[jonathan]

You know the ones - green, blue, purple... funky lines spewing out everywhere. What are they, what do they show, and how are they captured / observed?

I don't expect for a moment that any of them can be observed visually, just wondering what is involved in capturing the images or making them look so pretty.

[Bizibilder]

Generally by using equipment that only "sees" a very specific wavelength of light (or a wavelength that is outside the range of visible light). Some of the images are taken in Hydrogen-alpha (a single wavelength in the red region of the visible spectrum) by amateurs and are often posted here. For these you need a dedicated solar telescope (like the PST First Light Optics - Coronado PST Solar Telescope ). Most of the others are the realm of the professional as the necessary equipment is too expensive or is taken from a satellite.

[jonathan]

Ah right, so I can forget all that fancy stuff for now then. I have a Lunt LS60 on order, I was just wondering if it was possible to get amateur kit for the other types of solar imaging. I suppose they use all sorts of exotic instrumentation.

[ollypenrice]

You won't be disappointed in the Lunt. It will show surface details like sunspots, granulations and filaments. Prominences and CMEs etc are spectacular.

You can also buy an alternative CAK narrowwband scope from Lunt and others but most people find they can't see detail at the EP with these. They are intended for imaging. Lunt Solar Systems Blog Archive LS60TCaK Telescopes

The wavelength at which you observe the sun determines the depth within its structure that you are seeing. UCL do a good course on the science of the sun.

Olly

[markt]

The guys above have summed this up well...

[Merlin66]

The other option is to set up a spectrohelioscope which can be "tuned" to ANY wavelength and an image recorded.

Various designs are available.